What is a router anyway?

A router is the device that directs (‘routes’) traffic between connected computers, to create a working network.

Any data that’s sent between computers, across the office or around the world, carries a numerical ‘address’. Routers are designed to read that address, determine the most efficient transmission path, and then forward the message on.

Data can be handed from router to router in this way, until it is directed to its final destination computer.

Not surprisingly, the most common use for a router is as a ‘gateway’ to your Internet connection.

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