Here Is the Difference Between a Modem and a Router

Setting up a home Internet connection is a lot easier than it used to be, but that doesn’t mean it’s self-explanatory. Terms such as “modem” and “router” are often used, sometimes interchangeably, even though they are very different devices. Before you go out and buy everything you need to connect your devices to the Internet, you need to understand the difference between a modem and a router.

What does a modem do?

The best way to think of a modem, a mixture of “modulator” and “demodulator”, is to think of it as a door to the Internet. Just like you can’t enter or leave your house without a door, you can’t access the Internet without a modem to create that connection.

The modem broadcasts data from your ISP (your Internet Service Provider) to your home network, and also converts any data you create on your home network to the Internet. For example, when you clicked on a link to this article, your modem sent a request to your Internet Service Provider, which in turn forwarded the request to the servers that host the article. These servers acknowledged the request and returned it to your ISP, who sent it back to your modem, finally connecting your device to this article.

In the early days of the Internet, most people used modems only to connect to the Internet. And if you’re just connecting your devices via Ethernet cables, you might just get by with a modem in your home. But if you want Wi-Fi in your home so you can connect to the Internet wirelessly, you’ll need a router.

What is a router?

Think of a router as the intersection of your home network. All your devices such as smartphone, TV, computer and game console connect to the router. The data these devices send to the router is sent to the modem, so only the router connects directly to the modem. From there, the modem takes all these requests and converts them so they can connect to the Internet.

Wireless routers often have both a wired and wireless (Wi-Fi) connection. This means you can connect many different devices to your router without having to worry about the more limited connections your modem may offer. Wired connections can be faster and more secure, while wireless connections can be more convenient. (You don’t need to be directly next to the router to connect to the Internet.)

If you live in a small space or your Wi-Fi requirements are limited, a standard router may be enough to connect all your devices, wireless or not. However, for larger homes and spaces, a mesh router may be suitable, which uses a system of multiple routers that “connect” to each other and boost the available Wi-Fi signal throughout the home.

Gateway, modem/router combo unit

You don’t actually need to buy a modem and router separately. Instead, you can buy a modem and router combo , often called a gateway, which makes the whole process a little easier. These gateways are usually offered by internet companies when you join their services, but some still offer separate modems and routers in their setup.

How to choose the right router or modem?

The first thing you need to take into account is speed. Modems and routers are designed to provide a certain speed to your home network. So, if you buy a modem or router that doesn’t support the speeds your network offers (check with your ISP for this information), you could end up bottlenecking your home connection, causing it to run slower than usual. .

Let’s say your ISP plan offers connections up to 1 Gbps. You need to make sure your modem and router can handle this. For example, if they only advertise speeds up to 500Mbps, you’re not making full use of your connection. However, if your network speed is limited to 300 Mbps, a 500 Mbps modem or router will do just fine.

Routers and modems often have confusing names that actually indicate their speed . The first two characters indicate which generation of Wi-Fi they are compatible with. AC stands for Wi-Fi 5 and AX stands for Wi-Fi 6 or Wi-Fi 6E. The number after these characters represents the overall speed offered by the bands (often 2.4GHz and 5GHz), so you shouldn’t expect your router to be able to deliver these speeds to every device on every connection. For example, the Netgear Nighthawk AX2400 is Wi-Fi 6 (AX) compatible and has a maximum total speed of 2400 Mbps.

While this knowledge is great for quickly determining a device’s speed, you’ll also see this information in its specs, so just take a closer look at those when making your decision. You’ll also see other information such as maximum wired speed, maximum signal range, and mesh system compatibility of the device.

Finally, make sure your ISP allows you to buy your own modem. If they don’t, you’ll still have to rely on their opinion.