What is a router?

As with a switch, a router is:

• A hardware
• A network device

To answer the question, What is the router's function? We can say:

• A router connects networks

The last question is, How does the router work? And the answer is:

• A router uses a packet-forwarding method to route data to a destination network

A router is a computer

As you know, a device is considered to be a computer if it contains the following components:

• Input/output units
• A processing unit
• Memory/storage units
• A communication unit

Then, from what we know about a router, let us compare it with the components just mentioned to conclude whether the router is a computer. Figure 5.13 presents a Cisco router:

Figure 5.13. Router's front panel

• Unlike computers, routers do not contain input/output units, because the input ports (keyboard and mouse) and output port (VGA) are not available like they are in computers. However, the input/output ports do exist in routers' architecture, and they have to do with the forwarding process.
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