A Network Router

• Routers forward packets between (local) networks.
• (Unlike Switches, routers operate at Layer 3 (Network Layer) of the OSI Model.)
• The difference between a Switch and a router is that a Switch connects devices within the same network, while a router connects different networks together.

Home router: A home router is actually much more than just a router. It typically combines multiple functions: - Switch. - Wireless access point (for Wi-Fi). - Router. - NAT (Network Address Translation). - NAT is for sharing a single public IP address among multiple devices on a local network. What it does is that it translates the private IP addresses of devices on the local network to the public IP address when they access the internet, and vice versa for incoming traffic. - Firewall (basic security features).

Backbone routers: - These are high-capacity routers that form the core of the internet. - They are things that ISPs use to connect to each other. Like they can be used for a whole country or region.