Wifi vs router vs modem12/5/2023 What is a Modem?Ī modem is the short way of saying “modulator, demodulator”. If the chart above seems a little confusing, this is understandable, so let’s dive a little more in depth into each device and discuss how it relates to each layer of the OSI Reference Model. Below is an overview of what each layer is called and what type of data is carried in the layer. In total there are 7 layers in the OSI Reference Model. This is why a router made by Cisco will work with a switch made by Netgear, and the switch made by Netgear will work with a Wi-Fi access point made by TP-Link. As modems, routers and switches are network devices, they fall under the OSI Reference Model. The OSI Reference Model is a framework originally developed in 1984 by the ISO (International Organization of Standardization) that essentially governs how information is communicated through a network. Now, a lot of times your Internet service provider, when they send you a modem or if you were to buy one at the store, the modem might be a modem router combination.5 Modem/Router Combo Devices OSI Reference Modelīefore we start with the modem vs router vs switch conversation, we first need to understand the OSI Reference Model, or Open Systems Interconnection Reference Model. VDSL has some of the fastest download and upload speeds you can get. VDSL uses copper wires or fibre-optic cables in your phone line to deliver high-speed Internet to your devices. VDSL stands for very high bit-rate digital subscriber line. DSL is provided by companies such as Telstra, which is the largest provider in Australia. DSL ModemĪnd DSL modems are connected using a typical phone line. The Cable is typically provided by the same company that provides you with cable television, such as Optus, which is one of the largest providers in Australia. So depending upon what type of Internet you’re going to use, you need to use the correct type of modem. There are also different types of modems, three of the most common types are cable DSL and VDSL modems. However, like most homes and businesses, you’re going to have multiple devices that need access to the Internet, and that’s where you would need a router. Now, technically, you don’t need a router if you only want one of your devices to access the Internet, you can just plug that device, network cable directly into the modem, and then you’ll be able to access the Internet. And it also functions as a wireless access point so that wireless devices such as tablets and laptops can have Internet access. A typical small office home office router will have a built-in switch with multiple ports so that you can connect multiple devices using an Ethernet cable connection. For this blog post, we’re going to talk about the small office home office router that most of us are familiar with.Ī router is what routes or passes your Internet connection to all of your devices in your home or business, it directs it to all of your computers, tablets, phones and so on, so that those devices can access the Internet. Now there are different types of routers, there are routers that are used in businesses and larger organizations, and there are smaller routers that are used in homes and small businesses. It modulates outgoing data from a computer and demodulates incoming data from the Internet. The word modem means modulator-demodulator, which is exactly what a modem does. And a modem also modulates outgoing digital signals from a computer into an analog signal as it goes out on the Internet. As analog data comes in from the Internet, the modem demodulates it, the incoming analog signals into a digital signal so that a computer can understand it. Now, the reason why you have to have a modem is because of the two different types of signals that are used on a computer and the Internet.Ī computer only reads digital signals, while signals out on the Internet are analog. A modem establishes and maintains a dedicated connection to your Internet service provider to give you access to the Internet. Now, if you want Internet inside your home or business, you have to have a modem, a modem is what brings the Internet into your home or business. So I’m going to explain the difference between the two. They are different and have two separate roles on a network. Hello, everyone, in this post, we’re going to talk about the difference between a modem and a router, because a lot of people think that a modem and a router are the same things, but they are not.
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