It works like this....
A modem is what connects you to a telephone line. Regular dialup, cable and ADSL all need a modem. No exceptions.
A router is a device with a single port to connect to a WAN (read: The Internet) and a single port to connect to a LAN (read: your home network). Any time you have 1 internet connection shared between multiple computers, you are using a router.
A switch is a device that allows multiple network devices (read: a computer, or a router, or a modem, or an xbox) to physically connect to many other network devices using network cable.
And here's where it should all start to make sense: When you buy a 'router' from a shop, what you're really buying is a device with ALL 3 COMPONENTS above inside it. This is invisible to you, but that one 'router' performs all 3 functions above. It has a modem which handles the internet connection. A router which handles directing data between your network and the internet, and a switch which you use to connect your computers to the system.
So now you know that you should be able to work out:
- You can't just buy a switch, unless you have some other devices that will do the modem and router bits described above. Chances are, you don't have those components.
- What you should be looking for in a 'router' is a device that has 1 socket for your telephone line (which goes to the devices modem) and some network sockets for your home computers and xbox (which goes to the devices switch).
If you spend a bit more you get a 'router' with a 4th component - a wireless access point. Again, this is just a seperate device that has been integrated into this one single 'router' device... but what you're buying isn't really a router... or a switch... or a wireless access point... those things are is just one small part of what a full 'router' will do for you.
Erm, hope that made sense
