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Router (computing)

Adapted from Wikipedia · Explorer experience

A close-up of an ADSL modem router showing its various ports and connections, including the ADSL line, Ethernet ports, reset button, and power input.

What is a Router?

A router is a special kind of computer that helps send information between different places, like from your home to the Internet. It connects to two or more networks and decides where to send each piece of information so it reaches the right place.

When information arrives, the router looks at its address and uses a list to choose the best path. The information then moves from one router to another until it arrives where it needs to go.

Routers at Home

Most people know routers as the devices used at home or in small offices. These routers connect computers in a house to the Internet. Bigger routers are used by companies and Internet providers to send information quickly over long distances. Some routers are built using regular computer parts, while others use special chips to work faster.

How Routers Help Us

Routers help us stay connected. They make sure that when you load a webpage or send a message, it goes to the right place. Routers can also help keep networks safe, sometimes having a firewall to protect information.

Routers are important because they help the internet work smoothly, letting all our devices talk to each other.

Images

A Cisco ASR 9006 router, a piece of networking equipment used to manage internet traffic.
Back view of a Speedstream 6520 Wi-Fi router provided by Bell Canada.
The first router used in ARPANET, an early computer network that helped build the internet.
A modern network router with multiple high-speed connectivity ports and redundant processing units.

Related articles

Computer
Internet
Firewall (computing)

This article is a child-friendly adaptation of the Wikipedia article on Router (computing), available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

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