A modem connects your home network to the internet, and a router lets your devices talk to one another and use that internet connection. Most people need both.

A router will have LAN and WAN ports where you can plug in the cable from the modem or connect other devices. It typically has lights on it to let you know when the Wi-Fi is connected.

Margie Miller keeps losing her Internet connection. Is it the router, the modem, her PC, or something else? You can isolate the problem by trying different configurations. Try these tests: 1) If ...

The router forwards traffic to the modem that is destined for the Internet, while keeping internal traffic (computer to computer, computer to printer, etc.) inside the network.

Whereas a modem simply establishes a connection between your home network and your ISP, a router helps facilitate communications between your home’s network and the ISP’s network.

Router vs. modem As described by How-to Geek, here is the short answer to their difference: A router creates a network within your home for your devices; the modem gives that network access to the ...