Switch and Router are the most commonly used networking device and can be found easily in any big or small organization. Before discussing the difference between Switch and Router in tabular form (Switch vs router), it is important to understand its functions, features, advantages and disadvantages.
What is Switch
The switch is a multicast device works in the data link layer of OSI model. The switch is a device where all the hosts are directly get connected to it. Whenever a user sends a data in the network it will reach to switch first then it will reach to other devices such as gateway, router, etc. It transfers data in the form of frames and can be configured in such a way that it can connect multiple LAN segments and multiple hosts in the same network.
What is Router
The router is a routing device works in the network layer of OSI model. It is used to connect two or more completely different network available in the different regions. The router is placed in the gateway from where all the packets are coming in and going out from the network. The router can be configured with routing protocols such as RIP, IGRP. EIGRP, OSPF, etc to create multiple routes to send a data packets in the network.
Difference between Switch and Router in tabular form
Switch |
Router |
| The switch works in data link layer of OSI Model. | Route works in the network layer of OSI Model. |
| The switch is a multicast device. | The router is a routing device. |
| Switch transfer data in the form of frames. | Router transfer data in the form of packets. |
| The switch is used to connect multiple LANs or multiple devices in the same network. | The router is used to connect two completely different network available in the different region. |
| Switch offers wired connectivity in a network. | The router offers both wired and wireless connectivity in a network. |
| The switches determine the destination address with the help of hardware-configured MAC address and transfer the data. | Routers use software-configured network address, to determine the address. |
| Switches transfer the data between LAN segments. | Routers transfer the data between LAN and WAN segments |
| The switch is basically placed in the network where all the devices are directly get connected to it. | The router is basically placed in the gateway of a network from where all the packets are coming in going out. |
| Whenever a user sends a data in the network, it will reach to switch first. | The router is the last device in a network to receive the data. |
| The switch does not use any routing table to transfer data. | The router uses a routing table to find the perfect route to send the data. |
| Cannot configure path manually to send data. | Can configure multiple paths for sending data in a network. |
| Cannot configure protocols such as RIP, IGRP, OSPF, etc. | Can be configured protocols such as RIP, IGRP, OSPF, etc according to network requirement. |
Difference between Hub Switch and Router in tabular form
