What-Is-It Wednesday: Routers

I really wanted to call it "Novice Wednesday," but that's not as alluringly alliterative. A router, in case you're new to the term (and scratching your head after yesterday's print-server post), is essentially a splitter for your cable or DSL modem. Instead of plugging the modem directly into your computer's Ethernet port, you plug it into the router. Most consumer routers have four ports, meaning you can plug in up to four computers.

Of course, in most home environments, the computers are spread out. That's where wireless routers come in. These not only split your broadband Internet connection among wired PCs, they make it available to wireless PCs as well.

What constitutes a "wireless PC"? Pretty much any system (notebook, desktop, PDA, etc.) with a built-in or add-on 802.11 (a.k.a. Wi-Fi) adapter.

You can buy an 802.11b Wi-Fi router for around $20 these days—$40 if you opt for an 802.11g model (which I highly recommend, as the "g" variant gives you better range and faster performance).