Routers is a physical or virtual appliance that passes information between two or more packet-switched computer networks. A router inspects a given data packet’s destination Internet Protocol address, calculates the best way for it to reach its destination and then forwards it accordingly.

A router is a common type of gateway. It is positioned where two or more networks meet at each point of presence on the internet. Hundreds of routers might forward a single packet as it moves from one network to the next on the way to its final destination. In the Open Systems Interconnection model, routers are associated with the network layer.

Traditional routers are stand-alone devices that use proprietary software. In contrast, a virtual router is a software instance that performs the same functions as a physical router. Virtual routers typically run on commodity servers, either alone or packaged with other virtual network functions, like firewall packet filtering, load balancing and wide area network optimization capabilities.

Other network devices, such as wireless access points and switches may include built-in router functionality.

Many routers also perform network address translation (NAT), shielding the private IP addresses of a local area network (LAN) by readdressing all outgoing traffic with a single shared public IP address. NAT helps both conserve globally valid IP addresses and improve network security.

Cackle Telecommunications is proud to provide Routers to NZ businesses. Choose from a selection of vendors, explore our products to find the right solution for you.