Modem vs Router: What’s the Difference?
For many of us, our Internet hardware is best left to engineers and tech-savvy friends and family to install on our behalf. There’s no shame in that, but understanding how your Wi-Fi works is still worth it.
A good start is learning the difference between your modem and router. From there, you’ll be able to troubleshoot issues as they arise much more easily, and you’ll also have a better idea of when and how to best upgrade your network. Plus, many home internet providers let you skip equipment rental costs if you use your own modem or router, so buying your own hardware can also save you money in the long run.
Let’s get right to it, starting with the likely starting point for your home’s Internet connection:
Your modem connects your home network to the outside world
The Internet is also called the World Wide Web, because that’s basically what it is: a huge web of computers and servers that can pass information back and forth in just a few milliseconds. Smartphones and other mobile devices can connect to that Internet via a wireless connection to the nearest cell tower, but non-mobile devices like smart home gadgets, gaming consoles, and your computer need another way to access the Internet and get online .
This Arris Surfboard is a good recent example of a modem: its job is to encrypt your Internet traffic and send it to the Internet, and then decode the signals you receive in response.
That’s where your home’s modem comes into the picture. Short for modulator-demodulator, your modem’s job is to act as a translator for your home network. It takes any data you want to send to the Internet (a Google search, a request to refresh your Instagram feed, an email, you name it) and modulates that data into an encrypted electronic signal that can travel through the Internet . When that signal reaches its destination, the receiving modem will demodulate, decoding it into readable data and then sending a response.
Here’s a practical example: When you’re shopping on Amazon at home and you click “Add to Cart,” your modem sends that request to Amazon’s servers. Amazon will then respond by sending confirmation that your bulk order of red gummy bears is indeed in your shopping cart. That all happens in a split second, and you see it appear on your screen because your modem connects you to Amazon over the Internet. Thanks, modem!
In the early days of the Internet, a modem was the only thing most people used to get online. You connect your modem to your home phone line for a dial-up connection to your Internet service provider, and then you connect the modem to your computer to connect that computer to the Internet. Such wired connections to the modem are great for a connection that is as fast and reliable as your ISP allows, but they are not practical if you want to be able to connect anywhere in your home, or if you have things like wireless smart home gadgets. To do this, you need a way for those devices to connect to your modem completely wirelessly.
Gosh, if only there was a device for that, a way to “route” all those wireless signals to the right place…
This Asus router provides wireless access to your modem’s connection to the Internet (hence the antennas).
Your router connects your devices wirelessly to your modem
Yes, that’s what your router is for. Instead of connecting all your devices to your modem, connect a router to it. From there, that router broadcasts a Wi-Fi network. Any Wi-Fi device within range of that network can use whatever password you set to connect wirelessly to the router and, through it, to the modem and the Internet. That’s why it’s also important to set a strong password for your network. Without a password, anyone within range can use your connection and potentially disrupt other devices.
There are a wide range of Wi-Fi routers available for use in people’s homes, and there is a wide range of strengths and weaknesses between them. If you live in a small house and don’t use the Internet too heavily, a simple, standalone router may be all you need. If your home is larger, you may want to upgrade to a mesh router that uses multiple devices in your home to pass a stronger, more reliable Wi-Fi signal from room to room. If you’re a hardcore gamer, you may want to invest in a feature-rich gaming router to optimize your connection to the server you’re playing on and keep latency as low as possible while you’re taking headshots.
You should also know that not all routers are created equal. Just as mobile connections have gotten faster and faster from 3G to 4G to 5G, Wi-Fi has also improved, with new and improved versions of the standard being released every five to ten years. The latest generation, Wi-Fi 7, promises top speeds for other Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 7 devices, plus better performance on networks where many devices are trying to connect at the same time.
Wireless connections are typically not as fast or reliable as wired connections, so the wireless connection between your devices and your router is likely the weakest point in the chain that connects your home to the Internet. That’s why it makes sense to invest in a capable router with strong performance over Wi-Fi. That’s why we continually test the latest routers to give you the best upgrade recommendations.
This T-Mobile gateway functions as both a 5G modem and a wireless router.
Gateways combine a modem and router in one
A wireless home network requires a connection to the Internet (the modem) and wireless access to that connection for your devices (the router). However, that doesn’t mean you need two separate devices. Take a look around and you’ll see all-in-one devices that combine the two into one piece of hardware, known as a gateway. They are simply modems with their own built-in routers.
Many internet providers rent out these types of devices when you set up your connection, including AT&T, Xfinity, and Optimum. Gateways are also common with mobile internet plans, such as T-Mobile Home Internet, where your incoming internet signal arrives over the air instead of via a wire laid on the ground as with fiber optic, cable or DSL. You need a special radio to accept these types of mobile signals, so the carrier will often provide an all-in-one gateway with the radio built into it.
In most cases, you can disable the gateway’s wireless network (the router part) and use your own router if desired. Simply connect the router to the gateway with an Ethernet cable, just as you would with a regular modem. Make sure to disable that gateway’s wireless network in the device settings. Otherwise, you will have two networks at home that can interfere with each other or cause confusion.
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The speed ratings on the router packaging give you an approximate idea of the combined speed of each band, but you can only connect to one band at a time, so these ratings are often misleading.
How do I know if a modem or router is fast enough?
Modem and router speed is typically described in terms of the amount of data the device can transfer per second, usually in megabits. The more megabits of data a modem or router can process in a given second, the faster that modem or router is. Look for the fastest transfer speeds listed in Mbps or megabits per second. If it is a very fast piece of hardware, you may see the speed listed gigabits per second or Gbps. 1Gbps is equal to 1,000Mbps.
Mbps is the same unit that internet providers use to describe the speed of their respective plans, so it’s a good idea to make sure your modem and router are fast enough to get the most out of your connection. For example, I have a fiber optic connection in my house that allows downloads and uploads of up to 300 Mbps. A modem and router that support top speeds of up to 800 Mbps would probably be more than enough for my needs, but if I had a faster gigabit plan from my provider (1 Gbps or 1,000 Mbps) then I would definitely be looking for one upgrade .
With routers, you can get a rough idea of their speed capabilities by looking at the speed rating, which is usually prominently displayed on the box. Those speed designations consist of two letters followed by a number, such as AX1500. The letters indicate which generation of Wi-Fi the router supports (“AX” means Wi-Fi 6, while “AC” means Wi-Fi 5). The number tells you the approximate combined speeds of each of the router bands (usually 2.4 and 5GHz, as well as a second 5GHz band if it’s a tri-band router – or a 6GHz band if the router supports Wi-Fi 6E) . Just know that those speed ratings are usually quite misleading since you can only connect to one band at a time. Checking the fine print to see the top speed of each individual band while shopping will give you a better idea of each router’s true capabilities.
One final thought
If you’re considering purchasing a modem, make sure your carrier allows you to (for example, AT&T doesn’t) and buy one that your carrier supports. Different forms of internet require different types of modems, so you want to make sure you get one that will actually work with your connection. The Help section of your ISP’s website is the best place to find guidance here. Look for a list of supported modems before purchasing.
