Both a modem and a router are essential when it comes to a wireless internet connection in your home. Learn their uses and how they differ.

A modem connects your home network to the internet, and a router lets your devices talk to one another and use that internet connection. Most people need both.

But your network will be much better if you use a separate modem and router. With the growing focus on wireless connections, advances in router technology occur much faster than in modem technology.

A wireless home network needs a connection to the web (the modem) and wireless access to that connection for your devices (the router). That doesn't mean that you need two separate devices, though.

Router vs. modem As described by How-to Geek , here is the short answer to their difference: A router creates a network within your home for your devices; the modem gives that network access to ...

To connect to the Internet from your home, you’ll need two pieces of equipment — a capable modem that pulls a signal from your internet service provider, or ISP, and a router, which broadcasts ...

The NETGEAR Orbi Home Mesh WiFi Router with Built-in Cable Modem, model CBK40, combines fast 802.11ac wireless networking with a DOCSIS 3.0 cable ...

Routers typically have a dedicated, color-coded Ethernet port that it uses to physically connect to the modem (WAN, or Wide Area Network) and four additional Ethernet ports for wired devices (LAN ...