A
router is a computer networking device that forwards
data packets across an internetwork toward their
destinations, through a process known as routing.
It is a junction between two networks whereby
data packets rae transferred. Routing occurs at
layer 3 (the Network layer) of the OSI seven-layer
model. It is different from a switch that connects
devices to form a Local Area Network (LAN). A
switch connects various devices each with their
own IP address(es) on a LAN. However, the switch
knows nothing about IP addresses except its own
management address. Routers connect networks together
the way that onramps or major intersections connect
streets to both highways and freeways, etc.
So a router connects
the Internet Service Provider's network (usually
on an Internet address) together with the LAN
and a single broadcast domain. The switch connects
devices together to form the LAN.
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