Difference Between Network Switch and Router
When you use a computer on your home or office network, there are a lot of things going on in the background. To connect to another device on your network and use the Internet, you use two pieces of hardware: a switch and a router. But what do these devices do and how are they different?
To explain the difference between a router and a switch, let’s clarify a few terms:
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Local network (LAN). A local area network connects multiple devices, users, and applications in close proximity to each other—usually within the same building. Your home and office networks are local area networks.
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Wide Area Network (WAN): A WAN connects various local area networks that are scattered or located at a distance from each other. The Internet is a WAN.
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IP address. Every device connected to a network has a unique identifier known as an IP address, which allows it to communicate and exchange information with other devices on the network.
Router vs. Switch: What’s the Difference?
The difference between a switch and a router mainly comes down to scale. A switch connects devices—such as computers, printers, and wireless access points, each with an IP address—on the same local network. A router, meanwhile, connects multiple switches on local networks and connects devices and users on the network to the Internet while simultaneously routing incoming and outgoing traffic.
For example, let’s say you work for a company that has several offices spread across the country. The devices in your building are probably part of the same LAN, and if your office is very large, there may be multiple LANs. A router connects these local networks to each other, as well as to networks in other locations.
A router is faster and has more complex features than a switch, and they operate at different network layers . But both allow you to connect your devices to each other and to the Internet every day.