Most modern networks will not benefit from separating out their modem and router. Depending on the manufacturer, though, you may find these marketed as ‘routers with integrated modems’. Gateway or separate modem and router?ĭevices that combine the capabilities of both a router and a modem are sometimes called gateways. Whilst it’s possible to purchase a standalone modem, though, it is actually rarer in the real world than using a combined router and modem - what is sometimes referred to as a ‘gateway’. Most networking products containing a modem contain either (i) a mobile data modem (3G/4G/5G) for (de)modulating RF signals, (ii) a DSL modem, or (iii) a Fibre modem, which translates the flashes of light sent through fibre optic cable into electrical signals that a device’s logic board can understand. 4G modems have to be able to demodulate the alternating current created in the element of a 4G antenna when it interacts with the variable frequencies of a radio wave travelling through space.Fibre modems convert binary flashes of light into a digital signal interpretable by your PC.DSL modems demodulate analogue signals coming through copper telephone lines.You’ll therefore need a specific type of modem depending on your type of internet connection.ĭSL modems, 4G modems and fibre modems each deal with a different kind of signal. The variable frequencies of 4G and 5G radiofrequency (RF) signals.ĭepending on the type of signal being used to provide a connection, the modem will work slightly differently.The alternating current carried down a copper wire.Since analogue signals can be translated, or ‘modulated’, into analogue and back again, there are many more methods available to us when it comes to transporting data over long distances. Successfully transporting a digital signal over long distances at high speeds is, at present, limited to a select few technologies (including fibre optic cable).Įven in these instances, the signal has to be converted into a digital signal that can be interpreted by your devices’ components.įor this reason, it’s necessary for circuits to be able to use both analogue and digital signals. This is necessary because computers operate through binary electrical signals, which are digital in nature.
#Wireless modem vs router mod
In networking, a modem is a device that modulates and demodulates (hence the name mod + dem = modem) a signal between analogue and digital states. This connection is known as a wide area network, or WAN for short. Modem vs Router: What’s the Difference? What is a modem?Ī modem is a device that connects your local network to the Internet. A router directs traffic through your network to specific devices. A modem is a device that translates analogue signals into digital and vice versa.
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