What Is A Wireless Router?

A wireless router serves the same purpose that traditional routers have for over 25 years; it acts as a connection between separate networks and allows the transmission of data across them. The key difference in a wireless router is that it can translate data packets to and from radio carrier waves, thus allowing computers and devices to access the networks the router connects without the need for cables.

A wireless router in a home network would connect the user’s LAN to an Internet Service Provider, allowing devices on the home LAN to all communicate directly with the ISP’s network which leads to the Internet. Routers are sometimes confused with switches which connect each individual device in a LAN and allow them to communicate with the router. This confusion derives from the fact that almost all routers provided by ISPs or purchased via retail outlets also contain the switch technology needed for a LAN to function. A switch in and of itself cannot supply nor understand any IP addresses other than its own. The wireless router integrates not only a switch but also a wireless access point and an IP router.

Once a wireless router translates the signals it has received from radio waves into Internet packets, it then communicates with other routers using protocols that allow them to send the data where it needs to go. These protocols maintain what is referred to as a “routing table” which stores routes to certain networks, and the network paths associated with each individual router.

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In our main article section on Wireless Internet Service Providers you will find more helpful information on wi-fi networks and other forms of wireless Internet access.