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A router is an electronic device that interconnects two or more computer networks, and selectively interchanges packets of data between them. Each data packet contains address information that a router can use to determine if the source and destination are on the same network, or if the data packet must be transferred from one network to another. When multiple routers are used in a large collection of interconnected networks, the routers exchange information about target system addresses, so that each router can build up a table showing the preferred paths between any two systems on the interconnected networks. A router is a networking device whose software and hardware are customized to the tasks of routing and forwarding information. A router has two or more network interfaces, which may be to different physical types of network (such as copper cables, fiber, or wireless) or different network standards. Each network interface is a specialized device that converts electric signals from one form to another. Routing is a function associated with the Network layer (layer 3) in the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) model. Routers use network layer protocol headers, such as IP header where the source and destination addresses are included, and routing tables to determine the best path to forward the packets. For the communication among routers and decide the best route between any two hosts, routing protocols such as ICMP are used. When you are getting ready to pick a network router, you may feel as though one is very much like the other. After all, as long as you can connect the computers to it, and as long as everything mostly comes up, it's all fine, right? The truth of the matter is that routers come in all sorts of specifications and if you want to get the top performance out of yours, you will need to make sure that you are thinking this through. Getting a good router that will take care of your needs is a lot simpler than you might think, but there are some basic considerations that have to be made. In the first place, start with speed. This can be quite important if you do a lot of downloading or uploading, or even if you play a lot of games. For the most part, routers will advertise their speed in megabits per second, written as Mbps. Older models claim that they will transfer 11 Mbps, while currently, the mid-grade routers offer 54 Mbps and the top of the line will boast 300 Mbps. These are just the top that they will ever achieve, so take the time to match them to the internet speed that you are getting in your office. Obviously, scalability is another reason. The customer may have run out of Ethernet ports on their current router. The router may be near its shelf life (perhaps it has been serviced too frequently and is off of warranty and/or support), and you know it's time for a newer model. Or the customer may have a new requirement to support a different protocol than they have been using -- such as RIP2, BGP, IGMP, HSRP, IGRP or OSPF -- and perhaps their existing router does not support this protocol. Be very careful to check this out, as you don't want to be accused of buying unnecessary equipment to pad your account manager. Research the market for the variety of routers available, their features, top selling routers and customer feedback. Identify the router that best suits your requirements and situation. Pick a vendor and/or company. Chances are that you will not be buying directly from a manufacturer of network router, however you may prefer one brand over another. Popular brands of networking equipment include Cisco, 3com, Juniper, HP and Nortel. Smaller routers can often be found at major retailers such as Wal-Mart, Radio Shack, and Best Buy, while larger ones are more often found online. Best Buy does sometimes stock up some basic routers, but for larger commercial grade router online retailers may be a better choice. Baynetwork.com and CDW.com are excellent websites for researching and buying network hardware.
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