Modem/Router Debate

Is it a modem or is it a router…or does it do both? Most likely you have heard the terms but haven’t really given either much thought. Honestly, I was using the terms interchangeably until I started working for an internet provider and realized that a modem and router are two very different pieces of equipment. You need both and they can be separate pieces of equipment or they can be combined into one. So, what are they exactly? 

Well a modem, short for modulator-demodulator, modulates transmissions to receive and carry data. (Digital Trends) What? In other words, it brings the internet to your home. Kind of like a mechanical or robotic interpreter bringing the information that is sent from the world wide web to your home. Without a modem you can’t access the internet.  

Bonus: Because the router is the gateway that connects devices, the Anthem router also has device management built in, making it easy to control content and devices on the home network.