A router is meant to direct network data and is an indispensable networking device. This blog provides information about routers, their different types along with the benefits that are provided by these.

1. Router, its Types and Benefits
We live in a world that is driven by technology and the advent of Internet has impacted our lives
drastically. Internet has made it easy to always remain connected to the latest information as
well as use it for the purpose of entertainment and business in ways that no one had imagined
to be possible in the past. Today we browse a wide range of websites regularly to avail a range
of services that cater to our different daily needs. These websites are hosted with web hosting
companies that offer the server space to store the files related to these websites, for those to be
available for online viewing. Not only do these web hosting companies provide the server space
but also the services and the technology that are needed to enable the websites to remain
accessible over the Internet. Web hosting services can be of different types, such as Shared,
Dedicated, Cloud, Reseller, VPS and WordPress. When one hears terms, such as, the “best
Windows Reseller Hosting Company” or the best “Linux Reseller Hosting Company”, it is the
web hosting companies that are being talked about, whereas when one hears the term “Media
Streaming Servers Hosting”, it is a type of a hosting service that is being referred to. This hosting
service is provided by a hosting company.
In the context of websites and Internet, one essential tool is arouter which performs the function
of directing traffic on the Internet. This blog is aimed at providing information about routers,
their types and their benefits. A router is essentially a networking device. Its role is to forward
data packets between computer networks by selecting the best route to direct the packets, so
that these reach quickly. Any data that is sent through the Internet is sent in the form of an
electronic packet which is forwarded from one router to another, till the time it reaches its
destination, which is the communication endpoint. This happens through the networks that form
the internetwork, for example, the Internet.

2. A router is linked to two or more data lines that are from different IP networks. The router reads
the network address information that is in the packet header to determine the ultimate
destination. This takes place when a data packet comes on one of the data lines. Then the packet
is directed to the next network on its way, by making use of the information that is in its routing
table or routing policy. The routers exchange information through a routing protocol about
destination addresses, in the scenario when multiple routers are used in interconnected
networks. A minimum of two networks is needed, within which the router would be connected.
Thesecould be either two LANs (LocalArea Networks) or a LAN and aWAN (Wide Area Network).
Usually routers are at gateways where the networks are connected.
The home and small office routers are the type of IP routers that most people are familiar with.
These forward IP packets between the home computers and the Internet. On the other end of
the spectrum are the enterprise routers which are more complex and forward data at very high
speed.
There are different types of routers, such as, wired, wireless, edge, core or virtual. These will be
touched upon briefly in this section of the blog. As is evident from the name, a wired router is
connected to the network with the aid of wires. When a device is connected to the Internet using
an Ethernet cable, it is using a wired router. It provides a separate Wi-Fi access point. On the
contrary, a wireless router creates a wireless signal. This type of a router is also called a Wi-Fi
router or a residential gateway and is commonly found in use in home networks. It unites the
functions of an edge router with a distribution router. It combines the networking functions of a
wireless access point and a router. When wireless routers are publicly accessible, many users can
connect to these and benefit from these.
Edge routers act as network edge’s gateways and are also called a gateway router. These are a
network’s outermost connection point with external networks, which includes the Internet.
These are optimized for bandwidth. An edge router is meant to connect to other routers, so that
the data can be distributed to end users. Edge routers usually neither provide Wi-Fi, nor the
ability to manage localnetworks completely. Theseare specializedrouters which are usuallyused
at the WAN level and are also referred to as access or branch routers. The function of these is to
enable connectivity between an external network and an enterprise network.
A core router is a router that is positioned within the middle of the network and not at its
periphery. It forwards packets to computer hosts within a network. Core routers are generally
not needed by small businesses and are used by service providers or cloud providers. These
provide maximum bandwidth so that additional routers or switches can be connected.
Some router functions are allowed by a virtual router to be virtualized in the cloud which are
then delivered as a service. A virtual router is a type of a router that is best for large businesses,
which have complex network needs to be taken care of. These lessen the management of local
network hardware and provide flexibility along with scalability.

3. Routers have many benefits in general, such as, these help to reduce network traffic, which is
achieved by creating collision domains and also by creating broadcast domains. These are
configurable. This enables the network manager to make policies that are based on routing
decisions. Another advantage of routers is that these can choose the best path across the
internetwork. This is done by using dynamic routing algorithms. Yet another benefit that routers
provide is that these ensure sophisticated routing, flow control along with traffic isolation.
Moreover, the connections between different network architectures, suchas Ethernet and token
ring, are provided by routers. Routers can also provide security. Additionally, routers can be used
to connect hard drives. This enables one to use these as file-sharing servers or printers which can
be accessed by everyone on the network.
To conclude, every type of a router is meant to direct network data. Since it is the routers that
connect people to networks, without these, it would not be possible to use the Internet for any
purpose. Hence, arouter is an indispensablenetworking device, which this blog has tried to bring
to light by providing information about it, its types and benefits.
Source: https://htswebhosting.wordpress.com/2020/12/22/router-its-types-and-benefits/