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In order to transfer information over the internet, a vast array of routers are used all over the world.

Routers are basically equipment used to connect different networks. Even a small home LAN can require the use of a router to connect, for example, three computers to access the internet through one of the computers. For this purpose, we can use a router, a switch, or both. Switches are mainly used for LANs and other local connections, like basic telephony, while routers are used for long distance connections over the internet. A home router can then communicate with the ISP’s router when transferring or receiving packets of information, which in turn will communicate with the next router until the information eventually reaches a computer or server on the other end.

Routers will forward the information to the next router, looking for the best path and fastest way to reach the desired destination, if possible. Although these routers search for the best way to transfer information from, for example, your PC to the server that hosts the site you are browsing, sometimes they can encounter problems along the way, like loss of information, or bottlenecks due to excessive internet traffic. In these cases, delays can be minimum, sometimes imperceptible, or may cause loss of information. However, these problems are many times more due to the hosting server than the routers themselves.

When communicating with each other, routers use protocols. Routing protocols are used so that routers can know where to send specific packets of information, so that it reaches the destination where it is meant to go. Protocols are also used to name the most common types of transfers realized over the internet, HTTP (Hyper-Text Transfer Protocol) and FTP (File Transfer Protocol).

Over the years, and with the continuous growth of the internet, routers have become faster and more reliable, with the added option nowadays of wireless routers. Surely we can expect many more improvements as the internet continues to grow.