• Fast connections are worth sharing
• Routing is the core of your shared network
• Dedicated devices - the alternatives
• What are the individual functions that make up the device?
• Buying a modem/router/switch
• Buying a device with an Ethernet switch
• Buying a device with wireless networking
• What about security?
• DIY vs ISP?
• Summary of features
• ADSL
• USB or Ethernet?

Dedicated devices - the alternatives

The router must have a connection to each network - Ethernet on one side for your local network, and the broadband interface on the other side. The broadband interface on the other side will depend on your broadband connection type and the hardware you may already have.

Commonly used configurations for ADSL are as follows:

ADSL Modem/Router/Switch (also commonly referred to as ADSL Routers): These devices incorporate an ADSL modem to connect to the Internet, an Ethernet switch to connect your wired local area network devices, and router functionality to hook the two networks together.

ADSL Modem/Router/Switch/Wireless (also commonly referred to as Wireless ADSL Routers): These devices incorporate an ADSL modem to connect to the Internet, an Ethernet switch to connect your wired local area network devices, a wireless access point to connect your wireless local area network devices, and router functionality to hook the three networks together.

ADSL Modem/Router/Wireless (also commonly referred to as Wireless ADSL Routers): These devices incorporate an ADSL modem to connect to the Internet, a wireless access point to connect your wireless local area network devices, and router functionality to hook these networks together.

Router/Switch/Wireless: These devices incorporate an Ethernet port to connect to an ADSL modem (which connects to the Internet), an Ethernet switch to connect your wired local area network devices, a wireless access point to connect your wireless local area network devices, and router functionality to hook the three networks together.

Router/Switch: These devices incorporate an Ethernet port to connect to an ADSL modem (which connects to the Internet), an Ethernet switch to connect your wired local area network devices, and router functionality to hook the two networks together.

Router/Wireless: These devices incorporate an Ethernet port to connect to an ADSL modem (which connects to the Internet), a wireless access point to connect your Wireless local area network devices, and router functionality to hook the two networks together.

You can of course buy each piece of the puzzle - ADSL modem, router, switch, wireless point - separately but it is generally more cost effective to buy a combination device. Indeed, they are generally easier to configure and there is usually more choice available in the combination units than in single function devices.