On Fri, 1 Feb 2008 04:08:06 -0800 (PST),
"jameshanley39@yahoo.co.uk" <jameshanley39@yahoo.co.uk>
wrote:


>> There are many hybrid modems with router built in, but they
>> are generally called modems, not just called routers as the
>> product name and classification.
>
>a marketting thing.
>
>I guess If it has many LAN ports (on the switch!), they call it a
>router(whether it has a modem or not). If it has one LAN port on the
>switch, they call it a modem.

If it has a modem they call it a modem (that happens to also
have a router in it).



>
>in reality, real routers have many router LAN(/WAN I guess) ports. So
>whether it has many switch ports or one, is really not relevant!

True, a router only needs have one LAN and one WAN port,
though as with a modem, a router may happen to have a switch
in it in addition to being a router.



>
>>
>> >There are hardly any small ADSL modems. *(relying on 2 of those
>> >blasted things is worse, since if one goes down , temporarily or
>> >permanently, then the connection is down. You know how they can
>> >restart or overheat or both).
>>
>> How small does it really need to be? *They're about the size
>> of any other small cased box?
>>
>
>well they tend to have one LAN port instead of like 4. So they tend to
>be somewhat smaller than the ones that have 4. So they are smaller.

Maybe a little but not much, routers are pretty small these
days, and light enough that I've seen some that wouldn't
even stand on end because the weight of the cables plugged
in would flip them on their sides if those cables weren't
pre-bent and fastened down.



>
>sometimes they are square rather than rectangular ;-)
>
>> Relying on two is better, that way if one goes down you can
>> buy a cheaper replacement,
>
>Obviously having a second working thing is a good idea. But if it is
>on a bookshelf waiting to be put to use , then it is not being relied
>on.

I'm speaking of having separate modem and router. By
increasing surface area and decreasing heat, you decrease
heat density (If all else is equal). It also means that if
your LAN had relied on a router's switch and the modem died,
it doesn't take down your whole LAN. Mainly though it is
the expanded feature set and being able to choose exactly
which router you wan which makes the separate components
more desirable.



>> Yes, if it does NAT it is more than just a modem, although
>> it seems even devices only called modems have been
>> incorporating this feature and a *DHCP server, for example
>> the quite popular Motorola Surfboard cable modems... though
>> again you have little if any control that you would have
>> with a dedicated, separate router.
>>
>
>I am not talking of small Cable modems, though it is interesting they
>are having NAT too...
>
>I meant small ADSL modems without NAT?

Without NAT you'd need a proxy on one of the systems, or as
windows likes to call one of them "ICS".