Routers, modems, Merkans, Asians, Europeans & Strayans.
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Since 39/42s of forever on the interwebz, when a hapless gal from Straya encounters non-Strayan websites discussing / mentioning the electronic devices wot channel the interwebz into ordinary peeps' private homes [ie, not discussing factories or commercial enterprises here], overwhelmingly the term
router
is used, almost never, or at least most rarely,modem
.But this drives me crazy with exasperated confusion. Down here, a
router
is utterly useless without there first being amodem
. Indeed, overwhelmingly in the Strayan home-user market, the devices we buy & use in our homes are casually calledmodems
, which in reality functionally aremodem-routers
. They're simply notrouters
here ... except i suppose for the severe tinhatters who deprive themselves of themodem
for enhanced security & privacyEven just naively searching our venerable V Forum today yielded >3x as many hits for
router
thanmodem
. I mean, geeeeeeeez!This latest article i read 42' ago is what set me off on this ranty enquiry here. Note; i'm utterly uninterested in debating here any of the actual substance of that article; its context for me was simply that it's the bazillionth article mentioning routers but not modems.
So, northern hemisphere, what gives? Spill the beans, please. Why do the vast majority of your tech articles bang on about routers, but nary a word about modems? How do you actually entice the interwebz into your homes; do you lay out a honeyed breadcrumb trail from the street in through your front door then onward to your pooters?
Disclaimer
My subject-line is emphatically not intended to be racist by exclusion. It's merely that it's very rare for me to encounter tech articles from other continents / locales in my usual daily pooterising.
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@guigirl If I had to guess, then I would say it is because the internet service providers (ISPs) often include a modem with signing up for the service, so there isn't much worth discussing about the modem.
Even if you watch a video about someone's fancy rack-mounted home network setup with thousands of dollars worth of equipment, you will still see a dinky little box sitting on top of something that is the ISP provided modem.
There is occasionally a reason to upgrade a modem yourself, but the ISP provided modems normally are capable of handling the internet speeds you are paying for, so it isn't common to change them out. Although, if you are getting some ridiculously fast internet, they might charge you an upgrade fee for the modem if you want one that can actually handle the speeds.
Where users have the most choice is in selecting a router/ WiFi access point. Several ISP modems bundle the modem, router, and WiFi into one unit, but they don't do a particularly good at any of their prescribed functions. That is why people talking about consumer internet equipment might be more likely to talk about routers, even though most of the devices they are talking about are combined routers and WiFi access points.
It seems like everyone here in
Merka
calls everything a router even if it is a modem, a WiFi access point, or some combination of the 3. Guess youStrayans
do the same, but with the word modem instead of router.You Southern hemisphere dwellers are upside down of course, so it is understandable that you might switch up some terminology a bit from us right-side uppers
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@guigirl Wouldn't the aussies call them
demmos
?Down under they will obviously be demodulating-modulating instead of modulating-demodulating like in the northern hemisphere?
- Strewth, net's gone broko again. Telstra bloke coming over this arvo to fix our demmo.
- Good on ya mate! -
@nomadic said in Routers, modems, Merkans, Asians, Europeans & Strayans.:
internet service providers (ISPs) often include a modem with signing up for the service
That's not mandatory here, but it is nonetheless commonplace here. However the thing is, such devices when supplied by the ISP, are in fact typically
bundle the modem, router, and WiFi into one unit
Alternatively, with heaps of ISP internet plans here, customers are free to supply their own device/s, which once again are typically [/overwhelmingly?] the combined job of modem+router+wifi in the one casing. Ofc, for those discerning users who do opt to supply their own, they're entirely free to high-spec their devices into separate boxes each dedicated to one function.
fast internet
It's fortunate you've posted those fateful words from beyond our continental border here, otherwise you'd be taken off the streets & imprisoned for life. Our "government" is allergic to those two words appearing in the same sentence, except in fairytale storybooks.
you might switch up some terminology
Presumably you made an inadvertent typo, & actually meant "down"?
@pathduck said in Routers, modems, Merkans, Asians, Europeans & Strayans.:
Down under they will obviously be demodulating-modulating
Eh, what... you mean there's some other way? Sheeps bladders!
@pathduck said in Routers, modems, Merkans, Asians, Europeans & Strayans.:
Strewth, net's gone broko again. Telstra bloke coming over this arvo to fix
Stone the flamin' crows, don't talk to me about Telstra. Pack o' drongos & dropkicks. If they said they'll be here this arvo, it'll actually be next week right on smoko, & then 42' after they've buggered off, the internet will be cactus yet abloodygain. Useless bludgers.
Ta both of you for assisting in lifting the curtain a little.
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@guigirl I suppose there is also a bit of history involved.
Way back when, users actually dialled a "server/bulletin board etc." via a "dial-up modem". Of course that was too complicated to speak of, so became just a "modem".When upgrading to ISP connection, dialling was no longer required, so no more "modems"; now we had ISP routers which did the connecting for us auto-magically.
Then WiFi came along, but that was "simply" built into an "upgraded" router.Whereas the term modem was/is still thought of as meaning "dial-up modem".
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@tbgbe said in Routers, modems, Merkans, Asians, Europeans & Strayans.:
When upgrading to ISP connection, dialling was no longer required, so no more "modems"; now we had ISP routers which did the connecting for us auto-magically.
Well, you'd still need something to de/modulate the signal coming from whatever's in the wall (copper/coax/fiber) to something usable for the actual LAN/WAN router. I guess Cable Modem would be the everyday term but it could be a lot of different units.
I have one of these units on the wall, installed by the ISP. We have "quasi-fiber", FTTC or FTTN probably - so I believe there's still copper/coax wire going to a local central and fiber from there.
https://dktcomega.com/product/juma-series/So basically this thing will still be a modem:
The LAN port is connected to the (wireless/cabled) router.
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@pathduck Yes, but I was referring to "simple" terminology and NOT function!
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When we went to systems that provide home phone service, cable TV and internet in one package, it became necessary to have separate boxes for the cable modem and the router/WAP. The cable modem will split the signal into its separate phone, cable TV and internet components. In our case we also have network-attached storage (basically, a small computer with a large hard drive shared with other computers on the same network).
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@tbgbe said in Routers, modems, Merkans, Asians, Europeans & Strayans.:
When upgrading to ISP connection, dialling was no longer required, so no more "modems"; now we had ISP routers which did the connecting for us auto-magically.
Wow, that UK history is very different to our antipodean history. Here, our modems are still widely called modems, notwithstanding the advance from dial-up to broadband [ADSL, then (depending on one's local geography & timing wrt which pack of losers was in government when you signed up; listed in sequence of increasing crapness) FTTP, FTTC, or FTTN].
@tbgbe said in Routers, modems, Merkans, Asians, Europeans & Strayans.:
WiFi came along, but that was "simply" built into an "upgraded" router
Or, as i wrote yesterday [ie, next week for you retrograde lot], our typical home devices combine all three functions ... see my pics below.
@tbgbe said in Routers, modems, Merkans, Asians, Europeans & Strayans.:
Whereas the term modem was/is still thought of as meaning "dial-up modem"
OMZ, i'm glad i did create this thread, coz i've learned a lot now about significant national differences in what i had previously assumed to be fairly ubiquitous tech [& associated nomenclature + jargon].
@pathduck said in Routers, modems, Merkans, Asians, Europeans & Strayans.:
The LAN port is connected to the (wireless/cabled) router
In comparison, here's pics of mine [sadly, connected to the scumbucket FTTN provided by the flatearthers in govt]:
Strayan "modem"
@sgunhouse said in Routers, modems, Merkans, Asians, Europeans & Strayans.:
cable TV
This exists in Straya, but is definitely only a minority thing. Its advent down here trailed yours by numerous years if not decades, such that before it ever reached broad market penetration here it became [IMO] obsoleted by affordable national "broadband" web access + mass streaming services. Consequently...
@sgunhouse said in Routers, modems, Merkans, Asians, Europeans & Strayans.:
cable modem
... is a largely foreign concept to me.
Ta all -- very interesting learning here.
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Being in the North, I have not seen a computer that has the proper connections for a modem in perhaps 20 years. I do still have one and a modem with associated cables however I am not sure my ISP has a number I can connect to for connecting to the interweeb.
Another reason is th proliferation of them cellular (mobile) phone thingys. Many have given up their Land Lines which are necessary for stable modem use.
Being an old hermit living in a cave, have held on to my Land Line so I think I can use either though my modem at 1200 baud is somewhat slow so I use the modem/router combo. It works, is fast and does not require me to use too many brain cells to set up (I have four left on the right side).
I think I am rambling so I'll end here for now. -
@greybeard said in Routers, modems, Merkans, Asians, Europeans & Strayans.:
necessary for Stable modem use
Sigh, will
nobody
think of the Snappie users? -
@guigirl said in Routers, modems, Merkans, Asians, Europeans & Strayans.:
@greybeard said in Routers, modems, Merkans, Asians, Europeans & Strayans.:
necessary for Stable modem use
Sigh, will
nobody
think of the Snappie users?Apologies @guigirl.
I meant the stainless of the modem/demmo, not the use of Stable Vivaldi.
I also use Snapshot version but have no connection for modem/demmo -
@greybeard No, i knew exactly what you meant. I was just being my usual ridiculous punny self ... no impulse control.