If your new to technology, you may have heard a few terms that you do not understand. Lets cover a few of these terms right now. The Internet service provider, or ISP, is the company that provides cables, wires, and satellite connections to your home or business that access the internet. This network is connected to a central device in the home known as the modem. The router is another device that connects to the modem directly and enables you to split that network with other devices in your home either with cables or with with a built in radio known as WiFi.
Most devices now are combined so you will only need 1 modem/router device, which has multiple ports/plugs in the back to connect other devices with. One way to think of this is your ISP is your farmers growing corn, where the corn is the internet. When you buy the corn and place it on the counter, that is the modem you have in your home. When you cook the corn and put a piece on each plate at the table for your family, that is router dividing the signal to other devices in the household.
References
Alexander, S., Frith, K. H., & Hoy, H. (2019). Applied Clinical Informatics for Nurses (2nd ed.). Burlington, Massachusetts: Jones and Bartlett Learning.
Hoffman, C. (n.d.). What’s the Difference Between a Modem and a Router? Retrieved March 24, 2019, from https://www.howtogeek.com/234233/whats-the-difference-between-a-modem-and-a-router/
Health and Information Literacy 