Home routers are computer devices that receive or transmit data packets from the Internet. A router is an essential component of a computer network that delivers information to its destination. If you imagine that each computer connected to the Internet is one separate family, and one of these families sent a letter to another family, it is quite logical that the courier needs to know the delivery address, otherwise the letter will not find the addressee. In this case, home routers act as couriers responsible for the correct delivery of information.
A router is a special device that allows two or more computers to receive packets from the Internet while simultaneously under the same IP address. Everyone knows that each computer on the Internet must have its own IP address, which is different from the rest of the addresses. This is a kind of “fingerprint”, and the router allows you to share it between multiple computers.
What are home routers for?
For a home user who has two or more computers and wants to connect the Internet to them, there are two options. The essence of the first is to conduct the Internet for each computer, which is quite expensive. The second option involves the purchase of a router that allows you to distribute the Internet to each computer in the house. Here the broadband router acts as the center of an existing Internet connection.
When sharing the Internet, it must be borne in mind that it can affect speed. However, there are home routers that can minimize this effect. The speed may depend on the type of application that the router is using.
How to connect the Internet through a router
Most users who want to connect the router to a laptop or computer inevitably encounter a problem, because they simply do not know the functions of this device. You must remember that the router can be connected to several devices: computer, laptop, smartphone, tablet, game console, e-book. Why might you need to connect such heterogeneous gadgets? To exchange information between devices, as well as to access the Internet. Here the logical question is: how to connect a router? This can be done using one of two main technologies: wired and wireless. The way you connect it depends on what kind of router you have.
At the moment, many companies are manufacturing routers. It is important to remember that regardless of the manufacturer, the connection of the router will be the same as that of a competitor.
So, you have a special network cable connecting the computer and the router. Of course, it must be crimped properly so that the router and the computer can identify each other. The cable must be plugged into the router with one end and the other into the network card of the computer. And the remaining subtleties already relate to the software part, which is necessarily described in the instructions for each router.
Now we can mention that recently, home Internet is already becoming unthinkable without wifi, as in every family there are more and more gadgets for which wireless Internet is relevant. To connect a wireless network, you also need a router that has such functions. After it is connected to the Internet, you will need to configure it. After setting up the router itself, you need to turn on the wifi module in your laptop, smartphone or tablet, find the network and configure the connection. Now you can safely use wireless Internet at home.