Routers

A router is the heart of a local network. Each network needs one router, and preferably no more than one.

At a minimum, a router includes a WAN port to connect to an Internet source and a few LAN ports for connecting local wired devices. Technically, a router is a layer 3 network switch.

Nowadays, the term “router” is often used to refer to a “Wi-Fi router” — one that has a built-in Wi-Fi access point. Consequently, we use “non-Wi-Fi” to refer to a standard router that lacks built-in Wi-Fi capability.