What is a router

A router is the box that joins the local network to the operator internet. Desks, cameras, the PBX and Wi-Fi sit on one side. The operator line sits on the other. Without a router, that join does not exist — or it sits mixed into another appliance that was not requested for that job.

Palo Security supplies routers in the Cisco, Juniper Networks, Ruijie, Ubiquiti, MikroTik, TP-Link, Linkbasic, VSOL, Fiberhome, Zyxel and ZTE lines. The line and the size are set in the quote. Switch, access point and firewall sit in other articles.

What it does

It takes internet from the operator and delivers a network to the office. It decides which traffic goes outside and which stays inside. It can serve one small site, or be the point where several networks on the premises meet.

What it is not

• It is not the switch. The switch links devices to each other on the cable, on the same site.
• It is not the access point. The access point is the Wi-Fi on the ceiling or the wall.
• It is not the firewall. The firewall controls what comes in and out with protection rules. It can sit in the same box on some requests; the role is not the same.

Where it sits in the request

IP cameras, Fanvil phones and PoC radio need a path to the internet or to the recorder. That path goes through the router when the traffic leaves the premises. Asking only for the switch and forgetting the router leaves the local network with no way out. Asking for a router when what is missing is Wi-Fi in the corridor leads to the access point, not this box.

What to say in the request

1. Whether operator internet already exists on site, and whether a box is already acting as the router.
2. How many desks, cameras or phones need to go outside.
3. Whether the request includes a switch, access point or firewall in the same set.

We do not invent the model. The line and the size are set in the quote. Tell us the office and we prepare the set.