router
ROW-ter
/ˈraʊtər/
A hardware device that forwards data packets between computer networks, directing internet traffic to the correct devices.
While a modem brings the internet signal into a building, a router distributes that signal among local devices either wirelessly or through cables.
The story behind the word. The word router comes from the French 'route' and Latin 'rupta', meaning a broken or cut path through terrain. In medieval times, it referred to establishing a clear path for travel. In modern electronics, a router clears and selects the precise digital path for data packets to reach their target.
Word relationships
- traffic director: Traffic director is an informal description rather than a formal technical hardware term.
Commonly confused with
- modem: A modem connects your house to your internet service provider, whereas a router distributes that network connection among multiple local devices.
Word family
- route (verb): To send or direct along a specified path.
- routing (noun): The process of selecting paths in a network along which to send data.
Collocations
- wireless router
- restart the router
- dual-band router
- router settings
Example sentences
- "Restarting the router often resolves temporary Wi-Fi drops across all household devices." Home Networking
- "A router is a networking device that forwards data packets between computer networks." Networking Infrastructure (Computer Networking: A Top-Down Approach (Kurose & Ross))
Memory hook
Think of a traffic cop standing at a digital roundabout, ROUTING cars (data packets) to their exact destination. Reroutes data to the right device.
When not to use
Do not confuse a router with a modem; the router manages local distribution, not the incoming line connection.
Fun facts
- Early network routers in the 1970s were called Interface Message Processors (IMPs) and were the size of refrigerators.
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