What is the Difference Between a Switch and a Router?

1. Different interface. The switch has no WAN port, and the router has at least one WAN port. The switch has multiple LAN ports (5-48), and the router generally has only 1~8 LANK ports, rarely more than 8.

2. Different installation locations. The router is generally directly connected to the optical cat, or directly connected to the home optical fiber. A router often acts as a gateway and acts as a NAT (Network Address Translation) for the entire network. The switch is connected to the LAN port of the router, and the built-in LAN port of the switch is connected to terminal devices on the intranet, such as computers, network printers, network cameras, wireless APs, IP phones, and so on.

3. Different applications. Routers allow devices on different subnets to communicate with each other. In a local area network, usually, only one router is needed as a DHCP server and NAT. NAT technology can be simply understood as allowing computers on the intranet to share the Internet through broadband. One switch may be installed in the intranet, or multiple switches may be installed, depending on the number of wired terminals in the intranet.

4. Different working modes. Routers work at the network layer, and switches work at the data link layer. Routers allow devices in different broadcast domains to communicate. Layer 2 switches do not have this function.

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