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Hi,<br />
<br />
you need a router when going from one network (subnet) to another.<br />
<br />
A basic switch is used to connect multiple devices in the same network (subnet).
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Hi,

you need a router when going from one network (subnet) to another.

A basic switch is used to connect multiple devices in the same network (subnet).

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As FYI, most consumer grade wireless routers available in the market today have switches built into them. 
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As FYI, most consumer grade wireless routers available in the market today have switches built into them.

Wireless router used as an access point and a switch

Wireless-Router-as-a-Simple-Swit.pdf

Simple-Model-of-a-Wireless-Route.pdf

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Hi,<br />
I'm a little confused about networking and have question about that. Could you, please, describe for me when to use a switch instead a router and vice versa?<br />
<br />
Cheers,<br />
PZ
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Hi,
I'm a little confused about networking and have question about that. Could you, please, describe for me when to use a switch instead a router and vice versa?

Cheers,
PZ

When to use switch and when to use router

A router is a networking device that forwards data packets between computer networks. Routers perform the "traffic directing" functions on the Internet. The most familiar type of routers are home and small office cable or DSL routers that simply pass data, such as web pages, email, IM, and videos between computers and the Internet. More sophisticated routers, such as enterprise routers, connect large business or ISP networks up to the powerful core routers that forward data at high speed along the optical fiber lines of the Internet backbone. Though routers are typically dedicated hardware devices, use of software-based routers has grown increasingly common.

Routers

A switch is a device that filters and forwards packets of data between LAN segments. Switches operate at the data link layer or the network layer of the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) Reference Model and therefore support any packet protocol. LANs that use switches to join segments are called switched LANs or, in the case of Ethernet networks, switched Ethernet LANs. A hub is a connection point for devices in a network. Hubs are commonly used to connect segments of a LAN. A hub contains multiple ports; when a packet arrives at one port, it is copied to the other ports so that all segments of the LAN can see all packets.