Wi-FI Routers: Definition, Operation and Applications
Connectivity is the backbone of many industries and businesses in the global era of digitalization. After electricity, safe, high-performance connectivity has become an essential element of today's and tomorrow's data centers and organizations. The computer network, made up of various hardware and software components, enables companies to exchange data and establish continuous and secure communications.
What is a router?
A router is a piece of equipment that is part of the architecture of a computer network or, more generally, a corporate network, and is designed to direct data traffic (or packets) between the various network components. It determines the best path for sending data packets to their destination, ensuring a smooth, fast Internet connection.
The main role of a router is to link local networks to external networks (WANs), such as the Internet, managing the data transmission in-between. It is also essential for establishing and maintaining LAN connections, allowing multiple devices to share a single connection to the Internet.
Routers are not just reserved for data transmission and/or Internet connections, but most routers can also be used to connect hard disks as file-sharing servers or printers, accessible by everyone on the network.
Types of routers
There are several types of router to suit different needs: central routers, peripheral routers, distribution routers, wireless routers and, in recent years, virtual routers.
Today, more than ever, the use of a high-performance, reliable network represents a major competitive advantage. The connectivity needs of major router suppliers are growing as they rush to adopt innovative technologies such as AI. They understand how important this is, and are anticipating the vast development potential for tomorrow's networks.
We can distinguish :
● Core router : This type of router is very often used by ISPs ( telecommunications operators) or by Cloud service providers such as Amazon, Google, Microsoft and others.
● Edge router : Very often known as a gateway router, this type of router features optimized bandwidth and are designed to interconnect with other routers to distribute packets to end users. As AI and IoT have developed, new types of edge routers have appeared to meet bandwidth and high-volume traffic demands with more powerful gigabit ports.
● Distribution router : This type of router is used for internal data distribution.
● Wireless router: Often referred to as residential gateways, this type of router combines the functions of edge and distribution routers. We often see them in home networks to access the Internet.
● Virtual router: Over the years, the rapid development of IT facilities and the need to secure networks have led to the emergence of new virtualization technologies, including router functions and data transmission via virtualized instances. This has led to the emergence of software that enables the virtualization of specific router functions and their delivery as a service.
These are often encountered in large companies with complex network requirements. This type of router offers flexibility, scalability, ease of access and low investment costs.
Router configuration
The definition of a network architecture is a prerequisite for the launch of any new equipment. Since routers often play a major role in corporate networks, they require a great deal of expertise to install, in contrast to home routers. The router installation process begins by installing the necessary cables, Ethernet or fiber, and then specifying the connections for the network.
Today, with AI and IoT combined with exponential growth in data flows passing through data centers, routers are currently driving this connectivity with multi-gigabit broadband ports. However, we are also noticing the development of a new type of connection, based on fiber optics, which is relegating Ethernet to the background.
Today's routers feature a wide range of on-board GUIs that go far beyond simple switching and routing services. This evolution can quickly make their management more complex for network administrators.
Security and maintenance
Network security
Companies are faced with sustained growth in the volume of interconnected devices within their IT networks. Moreover, a multitude of access modes to their internal networks means they need to be secured. Security is therefore a major concern for data center service providers like UltraEdge, and routers occupy a decisive role in protecting networks from external attacks.
Often equipped with firewalls, intrusion detection systems and server-side certificate validation (with WPA3-Enterprise), data center routers monitor traffic in real time to identify and neutralize potential attacks. In addition, it enables the implementation of advanced security policies, such as packet filtering and user-based access control, to protect sensitive corporate data.
Router : what are the common problems?
Connection problems can include weak signals, slow speeds or interruptions. As the demand for high-speed connectivity increases to meet AI and IoT expectations, legacy Ethernet networks (40G and 100G) and optical connections will have to evolve to support new loads with speeds in the 400G or 800G range. We need to ensure that the router meets customer capacity requirements.
To solve router-related problems, companies need to call on data center infrastructure hosting services. With this in mind, UltraEdge data centers meet all the standards required to host your infrastructure, and to ensure continuous connectivity, it may be necessary to reboot the router. An infrastructure must be accompanied by a good maintenance plan, which will enable you to define a schedule to ensure proper management of the environments with all the security updates recommended by the manufacturer.
The role of routers in data centers
As in all IT infrastructures, connectivity in UltraEdge's data centers is one of the cornerstones of our network's reliability and performance, but also plays an important role in the overall quality of the provided services. In this vast network, there's one component that interests us the most: the router.
Fully conscious of their importance in the interconnection system to our Edge datacenters, we at UltraEdge have implemented routers designed to meet the connectivity demands of AI and IoT.
Routers in a data center are responsible for handling network traffic. They direct data packets between the various servers, switches and peripherals, ensuring that information reaches its destination promptly and efficiently. Using advanced protocols, routers optimize transmission paths, reducing latency and improving data transfer speed. It's particularly important for businesses that depend on mission-critical applications requiring constant uptime and fast response rates.
■ Security: a major challenge
The booming growth of artificial intelligence (AI) is posing unprecedented network security challenges for data centers. Security is a major concern for companies using data centers, and routers play a key role in protecting networks against external threats, with Intrusion Prevention Systems (IPS) in particular. Advanced firewalls with this intrusion detection system can anticipate and monitor traffic in real time to identify and counter potential attacks. In addition, they enable the implementation of advanced security policies, such as packet filtering and user-based access control, to protect sensitive business data.
■ Scalability and Flexibility
The future of network devices looks set to be exciting, and the future of routers has already heralded the arrival of virtualization. The evolution of network devices shows no sign of slowing down, and should do much more to transform the way we all connect and communicate.
Virtual routers perform the main routing services of an IP router in a virtual environment. Other technologies have already been in use for some time, such as software-defined networking (SDN), offering exceptional convenience, scalability, controllability and flexibility.
Data centers need to be able to adapt quickly to changing business needs, and routers contribute to this by their ability to handle escalating traffic volumes.
This flexibility is essential to support business growth and new technology integration.
■ Support for virtualization and the cloud
Data center routers also support virtual environments and cloud services. They enable the segmentation of networks and the creation of virtual private networks (VPNs), giving companies the ability to build secure, flexible network infrastructures. Such capabilities enable companies to deploy applications in hybrid or multi-cloud environments, optimizing resource utilization while ensuring reliable and secure connectivity.
The continued progress and adoption of artificial intelligence is opening up an ever-expanding landscape of valuable use cases and application areas for network providers, and with UltraEdge.
The use of routers will of course evolve as technologies improve, new use cases emerge and businesses reorganize around an ever-changing technological ecosystem.