It keeps track of their Media Access Control addresses (MAC addresses) to ensure information gets sent correctly. The main function of a router is to handle the traffic between various networked devices. Even though you have only one physical connection from your ISP to your Modem, a Router lets you create multiple networks so that you can create multiple devices wirelessly and simultaneously. Why Router?ДЄ router is a layer 3 device that routes traffic between networks. In order for devices on the network to connect to the Internet, the router must be connected to a modem. While connecting to a router provides access to a local area network (LAN), it does not guarantee access to the internet connection. It is a 'bridge' between your modem and your devices.

This means that a router is what brings all your home devices together. A modem can work without a router, delivering internet connection to a single PC.ДЄ router is a device that is used to connect networks with different subnets. By connecting a modem to your router (instead of directly to a PC), all devices connected to the router can access the modem, and therefore, the internet connection. Also, it modulates the out going signal into analog signals.ДЄ Modem Establishes and maintain a dedicated connection to your ISP to give you access to the internet connection. As analog data comes from the internet, the modem converts(demodulates) the incoming analog signal into a digital signals so that computer can understand it. Since a computer only reads digital signals while the signals from ISP's are analog signals. Because there are two different types of signals are used between a computer and ISP. The main purpose of Modem is modulation of an analog signal to digital signal and vice-versa. A Modem has only 2 ports one for connecting to ISP and other for connecting a computers or router. Modem works in Layer2 of Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) Model and data is carried in form of frames. This means that a modem is a device that provides access to the internet connection. Normally, the router in our homes are performing both the functions of a ROUTER and a MODEM that is why most users cannot differentiate.ДЄ modem (short for modulator/de-modulator) is your gateway to the internet connection. This means that a modem is your gateway to the world wide web, while a router is a central hub for your all devices such as mobile phones, laptops, desktop computers, and smart TVs. The main difference between the two devices is that a modem lets you connect to the internet (ISP), while a router distributes that connection to different devices.

Both have fundamentally different purposes, though they are used in digital communication. Modem and router are two most commonly used external devices in the computer.

Internet modem vs router