What is Router?
[[File:SPOF.png|thumb|Computers connected to a server using a router]] A '''router''' is a [[computer]] whose [[software]] and [[Computer hardware|hardware]] are designed to move data between [[Computer network|computer networks]]. Routers move [[internet traffic]] to where it needs to go. They do this by choosing the shortest path between the computers using a complicated system of rules called [[routing protocol]]s. Most routers have a specialized [[operating system]], [[random access memory|RAM]], [[NVRAM]], [[flash memory]], and one or more [[central processing unit|processors]]. They also have two or more [[network card|network interface]]s. They come in a variety of sizes from something that could hold in the hand to something too large for one person to lift. If a computer has a connection to the [[Internet]], It is connected to a router that the computer sends data to. This is the first router the computer will connect to in order to get to the internet. It is known as a [[default gateway]] because it is the gateway to the internet. By convention, the gateway has the lowest [[IP address]] (like a phone number for a computer) in the [[subnet]] (a group of addresses). Anytime a computer makes a connection (such as a connection to www.wikipedia.org), the IP address of the destination server is found using a service called [[Domain Name System|DNS]] ([[Domain Name System]]). Once the destination address has been found, the computer connects to the gateway router. The gateway then sends data to a router at the [[Internet service provider|ISP]] ([[Internet service provider|Internet Service Provider]]). That router is a part of the internet and connects to other routers until the data reaches the destination. [[File:Belkin Wireless G Router F5D7231-4 Version 1000de-1121.jpg|left|thumb|Small router with [[Wi-Fi|WiFi]] built in.]] In small networks such as homes, small businesses (including [[internet café]]s) and small schools, the router also performs [[Network address translation|NAT]] (network address transl