Modem Vs Router,Which is Better / What is the Basic Difference
Internet these days is quite fast and reliable, the two most common devices for accessing the internet are routers and modems, these devices may look similar but they serve different purposes and most of them do not know about the functions of these two devices. Both modems and routers are involved in connecting our home PCs to the internet and for wired and wireless internet access in our home. In this article, we will compare these two devices by understanding what they are, how they work and what are the basic differences between them.
Modem:
Typically modem is a device which enables us to access the internet. The modem encodes and decodes the information so that the data can be transmitted to our home network and Internet Service Provider (ISP), it basically brings the information in. The modem is a term used for the short form of modulator-demodulator. In order to transmit or encode digital information over the telephone lines, it modulates the signals on the telephone lines and the term demodulate means to decode the digital information. It is like a bridge between our local network and internet. When the modem is connected to the router all the devices connect with the modem and hence with the internet.
Modem consist of LEDs to see what is going on at a glimpse there are several lights, one is showing that the modem is receiving information from your Internet Service Provider (ISP), another one signals that the device is receiving power, one indicates that the device is sending data successfully. With the status of these lights, we can troubleshoot our problems like if the send or receive LEDs are blinking then there is a chance that your Internet Service Provider is having issues or something is not right with the connection. There is another LED which shows that the wired devices are accessing the internet.
For the applications of the internet of things new M2M modems are used, it provides fast connection speed for the embedded Machine-to-Machine applications. It provides an economical and reliable connection with high speed. Cellular M2M modems are used for connecting remote patient monitoring devices at patient homes.
Basic Differences between them:
|
|
modem |
router |
|
layer |
It operates on data link layer which is layer 2 |
It operates on a network layer which is layer 3 |
|
ports |
2 ports. One to connect with router and other one to connect with ISP |
It can have 2/4/5/8 ports. |
|
Device type |
It isan inter-networking device |
It isa networking device |
|
function |
Builds a connection with the internet |
Transmit information to all the connected devices. |
|
connection |
It can only connect to one PC through Ethernet port |
It can connect with different PCs and other devices. |
|
security |
It provides no security measures |
It provides different security measures to protect the network |
|
Dependent? |
No. modem can access internet without a router |
Yes. It cannot access the internet without a modem. |
Routers:
A router is a device or a small box which enable different computers to join the same internet network. Basically, the information collected by the modem is directed by the router to all the devices like computers and phones that are connected to this network. The router connects multiple devices and route information between them.
The router is between our local network and internet connection. With one physical network connection, it enables multiple devices to connect with the internet and also allow these devices to send or receive information among them. The router route this information with its four Ethernet ports and to the air with 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands. The router chooses those channel for these bands which has less interference. The 2.4GHz band has 14 channels whereas 5GHz band has 20 channels. In order to troubleshoot the connectivity issues changing manually, these channels may help.
