When you connect devices together so

that they can talk to each other, you create what's called a network.

One way to accomplish this is with routers and switches.

Routers are intermediary devices that route data to its correct destination,

meaning routers connect multiple networks in order to move data around.

Switches physically connect local networks.

And while switches have a similar purpose to routers,

switches are much less intelligent than routers.

Now let's learn about how switches create a local network and

routers connect those networks.

A router is made to take data packets destined for

places outside the local network, and move them from point A to point B.

Just like clients and servers, routers use protocols to talk to each other and

figure out the more efficient way to send each packet of data

from one router to the next, until the destination is reached.

In order to work efficiently, routing packets along the best path for

their final destination,

each router keeps information about other routers in what's called a routing table.

When a packet is received, a router examines the packet and determines where

it needs to go next, using the information from the routing table.

To do this, a routing table contains at least three bits of information.

The network ID,

the cost, meaning how efficient the path is that a packet is to be sent, and

the next hop or gateway the packet will go to on its way to its final destination.

Another piece of hardware that bridges the gap between computers is a switch.

A switch is similar to a router in that it also contributes

to a network's efficiency.

However, a switch manages the flow of data across a network

in a slightly different way, by physically connecting devices together with cables.

When a switch connects devices of a school, computer lab or office together,

it creates what's called a local area network, or LAN.

While you probably don't have a switch at home,

since there are few ports built into your home router,

you might be using one at school or work, maybe even without knowing it.

With switches creating networks and routers connecting networks,

we've created a wonderfully fast and efficient process to move

data around our community and world, but that's not the end of the story.

Stay tuned to learn about a few more pieces of hardware and

software that get the Internet all the way to your laptop at your house.