You NEED that modem between the cable and your computer. In case you’re wondering, you can’t simply plug that cable from your Internet Service Provider directly into your computer.
A different wire that goes from your modem to your computer delivers your Internet requests and activity to your computer and monitor. The modem connects to a cable/wire from the outside, bringing in Internet data (email, YouTube videos, Google search results, files) from all over the world. Here’s the answer, simplified and deliberately non-technical, explaining the difference between a modem and a router and why you need one of them, and should have the other.
Right?Īlthough they’re working hand in hand to get you connected to your favorite websites, they’re doing totally separate jobs. They’re kind of like salt and pepper to us–different, but more or less the same. (Or at least your friends and family.)īut for a lot of us, we’d be hard-pressed to explain the difference between the two to anyone. You know that one’s called a modem, the other is called a router, and they’re both involved with getting you on the Internet and connecting you to the world.
They look alike, these two small pieces of plastic hardware that sit on the desks of most homes.