What is Router: Meaning, Types, Functions, and Uses

In networking, a router receives and sends data packets in a given network periphery. A router plays several vitally important roles in a network and you cannot use the internet to collaborate and communicate without it.  

The Indispensable Nature of Routers

1. Guide and direct network data packets. 

2. Read layers of a data packet and identify the sender, data type, size, and destination IP address.

3. Connect employees of a company or members of an organization to networks, both locally and on the Internet.

4. Connect to hard drives and use them as file-sharing servers, or printers.

5. Provide overall security to the network. 

Types of routers

Routers are of different types and specifications. You have both wired and wireless routers. While wired routers are very useful for LAN, wireless routers are ideal for WLAN (Wireless Local Area Network). 

1. Core Router: It is the internet core that supports different telecommunication interfaces of the highest speed and usage and route or send IP packets at full speed on all of them. Core router distributes internet data packets within the network but does not distribute internet data packets between networks. Such routers are meant for large companies and may not suit small enterprises. 

2. Edge Router or Gateway Router: An edge router is positioned at the edge of the network’s core or backbone. Also known as a "gateway", it is the outermost point of connection with external networks, including the Internet. Edge routers can connect to other routers to distribute data to end users. 

3. Distribution router or Interior Router: It receives data from the edge router through a wired connection and sends it through Wi-Fi to the users of the network. 

4. Wireless router: This type of router create a wireless signal for the users of the network in an office or home and computers within the range of wireless routers can connect to it and use the internet. It also combines the functions of edge routers and distribution routers. 

5. Virtual router: It is a software-based routing framework. One of the benefits of this type of router is that it allows the host machine to perform as a typical hardware router over a LAN. It allows some router functions to be virtualized in the cloud and delivered as a service. 

Functions & Uses of Routers

Besides receiving and sending (routing or transmitting) data packets on a computer network, routers also perform several tasks or functions. It has several uses in a network. 

The five most important functions of a router are listed below:

1. Connecting Various Types of Networks: Connecting different types of networks is the most important function of a router. If you are using a wired router, you can share data packets over cables and create a wired LAN. On the other hand, if you are using a wireless router, you can use an antenna to share data and create a WLAN (Wireless Local Area Networks).

2. Joining networks with different network addresses: Routers play a very dominant role in joining networks under its logical address scheme to different network addresses searching the shortest route to send packets to the specific addresses. 

3. Supporting VLANs: Routers support a Virtual Local Area Network or VLAN. A logical network that is created within a larger physical network, a VLAN permits you to segment a network into smaller and virtual sub-networks. This can be used to isolate traffic and improve network performance. Without support from the router, a VLAN cannot function properly.  

4. Ensuring QoS & Filtering: A major use of a router is that it can ensure QoS (Quality of Service) and filtering. QoS and filtering prioritize traffic so that more important traffic can move first. This is done with the help of routers and switches. 

5. Building routing tables: A major use of a router is to send data packets based on layer 3 information using an IP address. Router builds and maintains its routing tables automatically. The device does so by using routing protocols to exchange information about the surrounding network topology. 

A Layer 3 Network can be defined as the third layer of the network layer or OSI (Open Systems Interconnection) Model. Layer 3 routes and forward data packets.

Global Demand for Routers and Skilled Technicians 

Router commands a massive market globally due to their growing demand. This demand curve, according to the Delaware-based US market intelligence outfit VMR (Verified Market Research), will grow rapidly in the coming years. 

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Its latest report on router market demand says: Wireless Router Market was valued at USD 571.60 Million in 2020 and is projected to reach USD 1260.6 Million in 2028, growing at a CAGR of 10.4% from 2021 to 2028.

The VMR research of the router market clearly indicates that the application of this device is rising globally. This also proves the growing reliance of people on routers for seamless functioning of the networks both in LAN and WAN regimes.  

Conclusion

The utility of a router can be understood by the fact that besides routing data packets, a router also can combine the functions of multiple components used in networking like network hubs, modems, or network switches. 

A router can connect with these devices, to improve Internet access or help create business or organizational networks. A router passes or transmits data packets between LAN and WAN. A router is defined as an intelligent device due to its ability to calculate the best route to pass the network packets from source to destinations automatically. Another important point to note is that the router is more capable as compared to hubs or switches and other devices used in networking.  

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