In message , Brian
Gregory writes:
On 17/04/2018 17:10, Ken Blake wrote:
snip
Thanks for that clarification, which I also didn't know.
I've long known that there are three different kinds of devices:
switches, hubs, and routers, but if it's ever been clear to me what
the differences are, I had forgotten.

Here router is a common shorthand for something that, at least if we're
talking about the normal IPv4 internet will contain a something to do
NAT (network address translation) possibly with extra firewall
features, and optionally a switch, one or more Wi-Fi access point(s)
and in some cases a modem.

I'd forgotten about the NAT translation and firewall aspects.

A better name for it in my opinion is "gateway" or "residential gateway".

The trouble with calling this a router is that "a router" is also the
name of the "nodes" that form part of the Internet infrastructure and
accept packets and direct them each onward down the correct connection
to get the their destinations efficiently.

I'm with you, but I fear that ship has flown (!): in both UK and US,
"router" is now common parlance for "the box I connect to my 'phone
line, to which my laptops and smartphones connect wirelessly to get to
the internet". Plenty of dinosaur pedants like you and I don't like it,
but it's too late.
[]
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J. P. Gilliver. UMRA: 1960/1985 MB++G()AL-IS-Ch++(p)Ar@T+H+Sh0!:`)DNAf

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