Router is small physical device that joins multiple networks together and operates at the network layer of the OSI model. A sophisticated small box-like pieces of equipment that multiple computers can connect to with each features a number of ports at the front or back that provide the connection points for these computers, a connection for electric power, and a number of LED lights to display device status. Though router and switches all share similar physical appearance, router differs substantially in their inner workings. A router is designed to join multiple area networks (LANs and WANs). On the Internet or on a large corporate network, it serves as intermediate destinations for network traffic. A router receives TCP/IP packets, checks it out to identify the source and target IP addresses, then forward the packet its intended destination. A router for home networks (called broadband) also can join multiple networks and designed specifically to join the home (LAN) to the Internet (WAN) for the purpose of Internet connection sharing. In addition, a broadband router contains several features beyond those of a traditional router. A broadband router provides DHCP server and proxy support and offers integrated firewalls. A wired Ethernet broadband router typically incorporates a built-in Ethernet switch that allows several hubs or switches to be connected to them, as a means to expand the local network to accommodate more Ethernet devices.
A Network switch is a small hardware device that joins multiple computers together on LAN. Ethernet switch devices are commonly used on home networks before home routers became popular; Mainstream Ethernet switches like those inside broadband routers support 1 Gbps speeds, but high-performance switches like those in data centers generally support 10 Gbps. Depending on the type of model, some support 4 to 8 Ethernet devices or