Modem, Router, Switch, and Access Point: What's the Difference? (2024)

Connecting to the internet seems simple. You hop on your Wi-Fi, load up Facebook, and boom; you're connected! But when something goes wrong—or it's time to upgrade your equipment to something faster—you'll need to understand what all those little boxes with the blinking lights actually do.

Don't know the difference between a modem and a router? Unsure what an access point does compared to a switch? Here's a quick rundown of the basic networking gear that keeps your home connected.

A Modem Connects You to the Internet

Netgear CM600 modem (Credit: Netgear )

Amodemis your gateway to the internet—a cable, fiber optic, or telephone line comes through your neighborhood, to your house, and connects to your modem. The modem translates the digital 1s and 0s from your computer into analog information for the cable or telephone wire to carry out to the world, and translates incoming analog signals in the same way.

This process is calledmodulationanddemodulation, respectively, and it’s where the “mo-dem” gets its name. Typically, your internet service provider (ISP) will offer you a modem for a small monthly fee. Depending on which ISP you use, however, you may be able tobuy your own modemand save some money.

A Router Connects Your Devices to the Modem

TP-Link Archer AX50 router (Credit: TP-Link)

Standalone modems aren't able to send data to multiple devices simultaneously. They usually only have one Ethernet port, and only produce oneIP address, which identifies your location to the internet. Arouterconnects to all your home's devices (and links them to each other)—through Ethernet cables or Wi-Fi—and then connects to the modem.

A router also gives each device its own internal IP address, which it uses toroutetraffic between them. If your modem's IP address is like the street address of a building, your router's internal IP addresses are like apartment numbers.

Your modem receives information from the internet, sends it to the router, and the router sends it to the computer that asked for it. (That way, your phone doesn't receive the cat videos you asked for on your laptop.)

The network created by your router is known as a local area network, or LAN, and it connects you to a larger wide area network, or WAN. In most home cases, your WAN is, for all intents and purposes, "the internet."

An Access Point Adds Wireless Connectivity

Netgear AX6000 wireless access point (Credit: Netgear )

Once upon a time, all computers connected to the internet through a jumble of wires. Today, though, we have the ability to connect all those devices to your home network over Wi-Fi. To do that, you need something to broadcast that wireless signal.

Awireless access pointconnects to your router, usually over Ethernet, and communicates with your Ethernet-less devices over wireless frequencies. Most home users have routers with wireless access points built in, but standalone access points are still common for businesses, since you can pair multiple access points together to extend your network over a large area.

More recently,mesh network kitshave become common for larger homes with lots of dead spots, since they allow multiple units to blanket your house in Wi-Fi more effectively thanrange extenders. These can act as wireless access points if you already have a router, or they can take on the job of a router as well—though usually with fewer advanced features.

A Switch Connects Extra Computers to the Router

TP-Link TL-SG108 switch (Credit: TP-Link)

All routers come with built-in Ethernet ports, but depending on the size and class of router you buy, there may not be enough to plug in all your devices—especially in the age of smart home tech, which often require numerous, hard-wired base stations.

If you run out of Ethernet ports on your router, aswitchcan add more Ethernet ports to your network. You just plug your extra devices into the switch, plug the switch into your router, and they'll appear on your network. Note that you need a router in order to use a switch. A switch can't assign IP addresses or create a network like your router can—it merely acts as a traffic cop for the signals coming through.

In addition, don't confuse a switch with ahub, which looks almost identical but acts very differently. Instead of routing traffic between multiple devices, a hub merely takes an incoming signal and copies it to all devices on the hub. These are uncommon in modern home usage.

These Features Can Be Combined Into Single Units

(Credit: robuart/Shutterstock)

Not everyone has a separate modem, router, and access point in their home. These days, you'll find a lot of these features combined into one device. For example, as we mentioned above, most people use wireless routers, which combine a router with a wireless access point.

Many people even use modem router combo units, which contain a modem, router, and wireless access point all in one device. These can save space and eliminate some wires, but just like shampoo and conditioner, some people like to keep these devices separate, since it allows for more choices.