Why would I use a gateway over a router?
2 answers
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I'm just remembering back to my years of study YEARS ago...so I might be inaccurate with this a little. It has been a while since I talked about this stuff or even thought about it much, but I think the general ideas are right.
Generally speaking, you might not need to know the difference. In this case, however, I assume it's a homework question (since it is on this board) so here goes. I'll try to give the best general idea.
As a general rule, it makes no difference in a home network that is small. However, in a larger network, there may be many subnets connected with routers. All those routers then get connected to a gateway that allows them all access to the internet. This is especially true if the different subnets use different communication protocols.
A router can basically work like an elevator in a building. It can take you to different places within that network, but it cannot take you to other networks. A gateway is like the front door to a building. It allows access outside to a wide variety of networks.
On smaller networks, a router will work fine as a gateway to the internet company you've signed up with.
Generally speaking, you might not need to know the difference. In this case, however, I assume it's a homework question (since it is on this board) so here goes. I'll try to give the best general idea.
As a general rule, it makes no difference in a home network that is small. However, in a larger network, there may be many subnets connected with routers. All those routers then get connected to a gateway that allows them all access to the internet. This is especially true if the different subnets use different communication protocols.
A router can basically work like an elevator in a building. It can take you to different places within that network, but it cannot take you to other networks. A gateway is like the front door to a building. It allows access outside to a wide variety of networks.
On smaller networks, a router will work fine as a gateway to the internet company you've signed up with.