A router determines a packet's destination or target IP address, and forwarding tables and headers determine the best way for transmitting the packet.The packet is then directed to the next network on its path using the information in its routing table or routing policy. When a data packet arrives on one of the lines, the router evaluates the network address information in the packet header to determine its destination. Routers do not defend the network from dangers, but they do have a sharing feature that allows many networks to share an Internet connection.Ī router is connected to two or more data connections from different IP networks. Unlike a firewall, routers do not incorporate encryption before routing the networks. Routers operate on the network layer, but also on the physical layer and data link layer of the OSI (Open Systems Interconnection) architecture. The goal of a router is to connect many networks at the same time. It is used to find the shortest path for a packet to reach its destination. In networking, a router is referred to as a connecting device. It is technically a modem since it must modulate data to send it over the cable network and demodulate the data received from the cable network. Cable modems connect a customer's LAN to the coax network by bridging the Ethernet packets.

Cable modems are generally used to offer cable Internet access, which uses the high bandwidth of an HFC and RFoG network.Ĭable modems comply with IEEE 802.1D for Ethernet networking in network topology (with some modifications). What is a Cable Modem?Ī cable modem is a type of network bridge that uses radio frequency channels to allow bi-directional data communication across a hybrid fiber-coaxial (HFC), radio frequency over glass (RFoG), or coaxial cable infrastructure. A typical modem converts a computer's digital data into a modulated electrical signal for transmission over telephone lines, which is then demodulated by another modem at the receiver side to retrieve the digital data.

Modems may be used with nearly any analogue signal transmission method, including light-emitting diodes and radio. The objective is to create a signal that can be readily transferred and consistently decoded to recreate the original digital data. What is a Modem?Ī modulator-demodulator, or a modem, is a piece of hardware that transforms data from a digital format designed for direct communication between devices using specific cabling into a format suitable for transmission via telephone lines or radio.Ī modem encodes digital information for transmission by modulating one or more carrier wave signals, then demodulates signals to decode the delivered data. Read through this article to find out more about Routers and Modems and how they are different from each other. Routers connect devices across multiple networks. Routers work at the network layer and are responsible to find the shortest path for a packet, whereas Modems connect a device like desktop, laptop to the Internet. Both Routers and Modems are network connecting devices.

Modem vs router