A router is a hardware device that connects two or more computer networks. Routers are commonly used to connect home and office networks as well as public and private networks. There are four types of routers: wired, wireless, virtual, and software-defined.
Wired routers use physical cables to connect network devices. Wireless routers use radio waves to connect devices without the need for cables. Virtual routers create a logical router on top of a physical network. Software-defined routers allow for the configuration of networking features through software instead of hardware.