What's a Router?

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I'm operating on a Samsung tablet with Hotspot that I get through USCellular. The internet regularly cuts out when the tablet still shows I have a normal strength signal. I tried googling the problem and while a lot of it might as well have been in Chinese, it did say it might be the router.

So what's a router? Is it inside my tablet? Or is their server getting jammed up with a lot of traffic (it happens during after dinner hours, mostly).
A router is a physical device that connects computers, tablets, cell phones, printers and other devices together to form a local network. It physically routes packets of data between devices. You connect devices to a router by a cable or by wifi. Most routers today either have a built in modem which allows the devices to connect you to the internet or the router is connected to a modem that connects to the internet. You actually don't connect your local network directly to the internet. You go through an internet service provider who connects you to the internet. Generally you have to pay them in one way or anther.

A hotspot today is a router type device with a wifi capability that allows devices with wifi capability to connect to the internet. My experience has been that unless you are very close to the hotspot, they can be unreliable and very slow. The best I have found are in coffee shops like Starbucks. Most cellphone companies as well as many cable providers offer hotspots to their customers. I've used some from AT&T and Comcast and found them pretty slow and again not too reliable. Generally, they will allow a certain number of devices to connect to them at one time. Once that number is reached any other devices trying to connect will be ignored. You will still get a wifi signal indication but you won't get any service. As someone once said, it's like entering a small bar with a limited number of seats. When all seats are filled you are still be able to enter the bar but you won't get any service until someone leaves.
 
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The router is the device that connects your local IP network (all the devices in your home or office) to the actual Internet.

Your tablet will connect to it via WiFi and that device will pass the data back and forth to your broadband provider.
So it's something USCellular has somewhere, not in my tablet?

No, not in your tablet.
I really appreciate this. Where is this device connecting me to the internet?

That is your hotspot. Are you using your phone as a hotspot?
I have a landline for my phone service (not through USCellular). This tablet does have a phone number, though. I have no idea why.

Only devices that connect to a cellular network (or a landline phone network) have phone numbers.

If your landline phone is connected to the traditional landline phone network then it has nothing to do with your tablet. If, however, your phone is connected to your broadband modem (also known as a router), then the same device provides service for your voice calls and your data.

If, as you say above, your connectivity remains strong even when you're having Internet problems, then your problem is not with the WiFi connection to your hotspot.

Is your connection to the Internet slow or completely stopped?
Stopped. Usually just for a few minutes, but once it starts it will happen frequently for hours. Very annoying when I'm in the middle of something, and the brains don't remember what you were doing, either. I have to start over from scratch.

Is there a device in your house that provides the hotspot, or is it device outside your house?
There is no device in or outside my house.

The hotspot you connect to is the device. Since you don't know where it is, I'm going to assume its a device provided by USCellular for public Internet.

Public Internet is notoriously poor quality. Way too many people using it for the bandwidth provided (that's called over-subscription).

Is it possible to get broadband into your home? You'll find it opens up a world of Internet options, you can connect your smart TV to it and stream Netflix and other services. You can have cameras and smart devices connected to it and monitor and control things in your home from anywhere.

But, even if you don't want to use those services, you will find the quality of your connection improves significantly if you aren't using a public device.
 
A hotspot today is a router type device with a wifi capability that allows devices with wifi capability to connect to the internet. My experience has been that unless you are very close to the hotspot, they can be unreliable and very slow. The best I have found are in coffee shops like Starbucks. Most cellphone companies as well as many cable providers offer hotspots to their customers. I've used some from AT&T and Comcast and found them pretty slow and again not too reliable.

Then you must not have a good one or good service. My company provides each driver with a free ATT cell phone with wifi hotspot, unlimited. I stream foxnews and watch TV in the truck full time. Last month I hit 140gb of data with no throttling. It's been very reliable and very fast. I can get 20-30mbps in some places.

I even use it to play online gaming and my pings are 50-90. Anything under 100 is considered fantastic.
 
The router is the device that connects your local IP network (all the devices in your home or office) to the actual Internet.

Your tablet will connect to it via WiFi and that device will pass the data back and forth to your broadband provider.
So it's something USCellular has somewhere, not in my tablet?

No, not in your tablet.
I really appreciate this. Where is this device connecting me to the internet?

That is your hotspot. Are you using your phone as a hotspot?
I have a landline for my phone service (not through USCellular). This tablet does have a phone number, though. I have no idea why.

Only devices that connect to a cellular network (or a landline phone network) have phone numbers.

If your landline phone is connected to the traditional landline phone network then it has nothing to do with your tablet. If, however, your phone is connected to your broadband modem (also known as a router), then the same device provides service for your voice calls and your data.

If, as you say above, your connectivity remains strong even when you're having Internet problems, then your problem is not with the WiFi connection to your hotspot.

Is your connection to the Internet slow or completely stopped?
Stopped. Usually just for a few minutes, but once it starts it will happen frequently for hours. Very annoying when I'm in the middle of something, and the brains don't remember what you were doing, either. I have to start over from scratch.

Is there a device in your house that provides the hotspot, or is it device outside your house?
There is no device in or outside my house.
So, are you saying you don't pay for the internet and are connecting to some network, which is either without password or with a password one of your neighbors gave you?

Since it's not in your house the signal may not be very strong.
 
The router is the device that connects your local IP network (all the devices in your home or office) to the actual Internet.

Your tablet will connect to it via WiFi and that device will pass the data back and forth to your broadband provider.
So it's something USCellular has somewhere, not in my tablet?

No, not in your tablet.
I really appreciate this. Where is this device connecting me to the internet?

That is your hotspot. Are you using your phone as a hotspot?
I have a landline for my phone service (not through USCellular). This tablet does have a phone number, though. I have no idea why.

Only devices that connect to a cellular network (or a landline phone network) have phone numbers.

If your landline phone is connected to the traditional landline phone network then it has nothing to do with your tablet. If, however, your phone is connected to your broadband modem (also known as a router), then the same device provides service for your voice calls and your data.

If, as you say above, your connectivity remains strong even when you're having Internet problems, then your problem is not with the WiFi connection to your hotspot.

Is your connection to the Internet slow or completely stopped?
Stopped. Usually just for a few minutes, but once it starts it will happen frequently for hours. Very annoying when I'm in the middle of something, and the brains don't remember what you were doing, either. I have to start over from scratch.

Is there a device in your house that provides the hotspot, or is it device outside your house?
There is no device in or outside my house.
So, are you saying you don't pay for the internet and are connecting to some network, which is either without password or with a password one of your neighbors gave you?
No.
 
Just tick on airplaine mode for a few minutes and then tick it back off.

US Cellular is a cell phone provider. That's why it has a phone number. You can make and receive phone calls on it.

It's possible you're being throttled. Theye (that's my new way of saying they, I'm exploring old English, work with it), do that if theye don't like how much data you're using. US Cellular operates on the Verizon network I believe. Actually, I'm sure of it.
 
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I'm operating on a Samsung tablet with Hotspot that I get through USCellular. The internet regularly cuts out when the tablet still shows I have a normal strength signal. I tried googling the problem and while a lot of it might as well have been in Chinese, it did say it might be the router.

So what's a router? Is it inside my tablet? Or is their server getting jammed up with a lot of traffic (it happens during after dinner hours, mostly).
As others stated you are not connected to your own router you are picking up your providers hotspot but so are a zillion other people cluttering the network. Sometimes providers have timeouts and kick you off, other times it's traffic and sometimes it's your distance from their signal, in which case an Alfa wifi adapter will help get you better stronger more solid connections, however some tablets have trouble connecting those wifi adapters or installing their drivers.
In fact your settings might be affecting your steady connection, research how to correct your wifi settings or download a automated software program the searches your settings and recommends new settings.
With Phone tower data and Wifi signals placement and direction of your device can make a huge difference as well.
In my totally uninformed opinion, it appeared to me to be traffic related, too.
Comcast is my service provider, TV/Internet/Phone. For nearly a yearly I had their gateway (router+modem). The wifi capability was so bad, laptops had to be within 12 to 15 feet of gateway to connect. It was up and down nearly everyday Then they came out with a new gateway. I think they called it X1 so I had them install it and it has been fantastic. I connect from 50 to 75 feet with no problem Except for electrical storms, it has never been a problem for over a year now and the speed is running about 600 Mbps. If I a have problem it is either with the website I am on or my computer. Having a good internet connection makes all the difference in world.
 
The router is the device that connects your local IP network (all the devices in your home or office) to the actual Internet.

Your tablet will connect to it via WiFi and that device will pass the data back and forth to your broadband provider.
So it's something USCellular has somewhere, not in my tablet?

No, not in your tablet.
I really appreciate this. Where is this device connecting me to the internet?
That would be a modem.
 
A hotspot today is a router type device with a wifi capability that allows devices with wifi capability to connect to the internet. My experience has been that unless you are very close to the hotspot, they can be unreliable and very slow. The best I have found are in coffee shops like Starbucks. Most cellphone companies as well as many cable providers offer hotspots to their customers. I've used some from AT&T and Comcast and found them pretty slow and again not too reliable.

Then you must not have a good one or good service. My company provides each driver with a free ATT cell phone with wifi hotspot, unlimited. I stream foxnews and watch TV in the truck full time. Last month I hit 140gb of data with no throttling. It's been very reliable and very fast. I can get 20-30mbps in some places.

I even use it to play online gaming and my pings are 50-90. Anything under 100 is considered fantastic.
The ones I use often are from comcast which are really slow. I don't know what they have at my local Starbucks but it's fast and I never have any problem connecting. I don't know if it's a hot spot or their own network. At home I have very high speed connection which makes most everything else seem pretty slow.
 
I'm operating on a Samsung tablet with Hotspot that I get through USCellular. The internet regularly cuts out when the tablet still shows I have a normal strength signal. I tried googling the problem and while a lot of it might as well have been in Chinese, it did say it might be the router.

So what's a router? Is it inside my tablet? Or is their server getting jammed up with a lot of traffic (it happens during after dinner hours, mostly).
It's the thingy that talks to the doohickey, connecting you to the whatchamacallit, providing a direct connection to the worldwide thingamajig.
 
The router is the device that connects your local IP network (all the devices in your home or office) to the actual Internet.

Your tablet will connect to it via WiFi and that device will pass the data back and forth to your broadband provider.
So it's something USCellular has somewhere, not in my tablet?

No, not in your tablet.
I really appreciate this. Where is this device connecting me to the internet?
That would be a modem.

Modems and routers are integrated into a single device these days. The modem provides the electrical/signal interface to the broadband last mile and the router provides the next layer interface to the IP network (fixed and WiFi).

photo-large.jpg
 
If you let them be. Many modems are wifi---no cable these years. You need a passcode to get connected. Either way all modems should be connected to a private router(yours) with a separate passcode and redirected by you.Multiple desktop rigs are best connected to a switch that is connected to the second router
A hotspot....is generally a wifi on your cell that you can connect to via wifi on a laptop....these days many desktops have internal wifi. I prefer hard wire whenever possible (Alex Jones may be watching you)
 
The wall-jack connected to the...cable
The cable connected to the...router
The router connected to the...lap top
now hear the word of the Lord :banana:
 
I'm operating on a Samsung tablet with Hotspot that I get through USCellular. The internet regularly cuts out when the tablet still shows I have a normal strength signal. I tried googling the problem and while a lot of it might as well have been in Chinese, it did say it might be the router.

So what's a router? Is it inside my tablet? Or is their server getting jammed up with a lot of traffic (it happens during after dinner hours, mostly).

If you're getting internet from your phone service, therefore getting it from a cell tower -- then you don't have a router. The same issue you're having could be the router (or modem) IF you were set up that way, but you're apparently not, so disregard that avenue.

Of course, if your internet is out, then you're not reading this, so you can disregard this post too.....
 
By the way, if there's a firewall setting in there, turn it on. It allows for safer browsing.
 
I'm operating on a Samsung tablet with Hotspot that I get through USCellular. The internet regularly cuts out when the tablet still shows I have a normal strength signal. I tried googling the problem and while a lot of it might as well have been in Chinese, it did say it might be the router.

So what's a router? Is it inside my tablet? Or is their server getting jammed up with a lot of traffic (it happens during after dinner hours, mostly).

If you're getting internet from your phone service, therefore getting it from a cell tower -- then you don't have a router. The same issue you're having could be the router (or modem) IF you were set up that way, but you're apparently not, so disregard that avenue.

Of course, if your internet is out, then you're not reading this, so you can disregard this post too.....
rrrrrrrrrrrr Kinda sorta. The "hotspot" on the phone becomes a wifi router
 
I'm operating on a Samsung tablet with Hotspot that I get through USCellular. The internet regularly cuts out when the tablet still shows I have a normal strength signal. I tried googling the problem and while a lot of it might as well have been in Chinese, it did say it might be the router.

So what's a router? Is it inside my tablet? Or is their server getting jammed up with a lot of traffic (it happens during after dinner hours, mostly).

If you're getting internet from your phone service, therefore getting it from a cell tower -- then you don't have a router. The same issue you're having could be the router (or modem) IF you were set up that way, but you're apparently not, so disregard that avenue.

Of course, if your internet is out, then you're not reading this, so you can disregard this post too.....
rrrrrrrrrrrr Kinda sorta. The "hotspot" on the phone becomes a wifi router

That's abstract. You can't power-cycle an abstract. A router is a physical object she doesn't have.

What you refer to here is the function, not the form.
 
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