Difference between a Bridge and Router?

Answer 1

Routers are devices that connect to two or more networks in order to forward data packets along those networks. The technical term for this place of convergence is gateway, and in network architecture, the gateway is crucial to maintaining data flow between computers and keeping them connected to the internet or even an intranet. The most common type of router connection links a cable or DSL modem and two or more home or small office computers.

Routers often incorporate hubs and switches into a single device, but these devices are not the same. They are not gateways. Instead, they simply provide links to the network, and they deal with data frames, as opposed to data packets. Hubs cannot determine destination, so they must broadcast every frame to every port, which creates redundant traffic. Switches record MAC addresses, so unlike a hub, it sends the frame directly to its destination port.

A network bridge, or simply a bridge, is like a switch. In fact, the difference between a switch and bridge is often that the switch has many more ports. That simplicity, however, is an advantage in scenarios where the complexity is unnecessary. Cost is lower, and performance may be higher. The most common use for a network bridge is to connect network segments, particularly segments that require network communication but do so only infrequently.

Bridge Mode

Most modern routers have a bridge or switch mode, which essentially forces the router to stop behaving like a gateway. This diminished behavior is useful in certain networking scenarios, such as daisy chaining routers. Rather than potentially cause conflicts, one router does the necessary gateway work while the others serve a support role. Although useful when the need arises, this is not cost effective. Purchase a bridge/switch if you know you need it.

Turning a Modeless Router into a Bridge

In home environments, we often use bridges to connect wired devices to our wireless networks. So what do you do if your old router has no switch/bridge mode? For best performance, you cannot simply connect it. Instead, you need to replace the unit's firmware so that it behaves like a bridge or switch. Some router manufacturers provide this firmware but many do not. In the case yours does not, you can use a freely available firmware such as DD-WRT.