What is a router?

A router is a common piece of networking equipment that transmits information between two networks. The term is commonly used to describe home networking equipment that connects computers on a local area network (LAN) and other devices to the Internet using a single Internet connection. Some common manufacturers of home routers are Linksys, Netgear, and D-Link.

Wired routers and wireless access points

Routers used in home networking usually include an Ethernet hub for wired networking, and may also include equipment for wireless networking. Wired routers are often known as cable or DSL routers, and wireless routers are commonly known as wireless access points.

Software routers

A computer can perform the function of a router by using specialized routing software such as Internet Connection Sharing in Windows. These configurations use a computer connected to both an outside network (usually the Internet) and an internal network, with the routing software acting as a bridge between the networks.

Routers at Indiana University

Both stand-alone and software routers use DHCP to provide IP addresses to devices on the network, typically using network address translation for added security. While this makes configuration of a small network easier, it can cause problems when DHCP is used in larger networks. For this reason, IU prohibits individuals and departments from setting up local DHCP servers on the IU network; see What are the DHCP operational policies at IU?

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