Most internet service providers (ISPs) give you a router and a modem - or a combination of the two - for a subscription fee that you typically pay each month. Another port - or ports - allows the wired router to connect to computers and other devices to distribute information. They usually have a port that connects to the modem to communicate with the internet.

Wired routers. A wired router connects directly to computers through wired connections.

This provides all the devices on your home network with internet access. The router then creates and communicates with your home Wi-Fi network using built- in antennas. This allows it to receive information from - and transmit information to - the internet. A wireless router connects directly to a modem by a cable. When it comes to routers, there are only two types you’ll need to consider: With higher-speed internet connections, including cable and satellite, modems play a similar but different role. When most internet service was delivered over telephone lines - better known as dial-up internet - modems enabled communication between the digital devices in your home and the analog signals used on telephone lines. This service then connects to your router, which delivers internet connectivity to your home network. The modem’s job is to bring the internet service from your provider - often a cable or phone company - into your home. In fact, without a modem, all you’d have is your local network with no way to connect to the internet.

But these two devices have very different jobs. a modem? It’s easy to get a router confused with a modem. As you add more and more devices - think Internet of Things - you are constantly asking your router to do more.

Making sure that information is delivered quickly and correctly is a big task - and getting bigger. The information traveling on your home network could be an email, a movie, or a live feed from your baby cam, each of which takes up varying amounts of bandwidth. Your home’s router directs incoming and outgoing internet traffic on that network in the fastest and most efficient way. Thanks to your router, these devices form a network. A typical home has a range of internet-connected devices - personal computers, tablets, smartphones, printers, thermostats, smart TVs, and more.

Coolterm for router