What is the difference between a router and a switch in a network?

What is the difference between a router and a switch in a network?

• A. A router connects devices in a LAN; a switch connects networks and routes traffic between them; routers also perform NAT and firewall features.
• B. A router connects networks and routes traffic between them; a switch connects devices within a LAN; routers also perform NAT and firewall features.
• C. A switch manages wireless access while a router handles storage.
• D. A router is a type of firewall; a switch is a modem.

Answer: (C)

The main idea is that routers and switches serve different roles in a network. A router connects different networks and decides how to forward traffic between them, using IP addresses and often providing features like NAT and firewall protection. A switch stays inside a single local network and forwards frames between devices based on MAC addresses, effectively expanding the number of devices that can communicate on that LAN. Some devices combine both functions, and there are more advanced switches that can do routing, but in typical setups the router handles inter-network traffic and NAT, while the switch handles intra-network traffic. Wireless access is provided by wireless access points (or a router with built-in Wi‑Fi), not by a basic switch, and storage is not a router or switch function.

The main idea is that routers and switches serve different roles in a network. A router connects different networks and decides how to forward traffic between them, using IP addresses and often providing features like NAT and firewall protection. A switch stays inside a single local network and forwards frames between devices based on MAC addresses, effectively expanding the number of devices that can communicate on that LAN.

Some devices combine both functions, and there are more advanced switches that can do routing, but in typical setups the router handles inter-network traffic and NAT, while the switch handles intra-network traffic. Wireless access is provided by wireless access points (or a router with built-in Wi‑Fi), not by a basic switch, and storage is not a router or switch function.