To connect two networks to each other or to connect to the Internet, you will need an intermediary. This intermediary is called Gateway. Without a gateway, you will not be able to use the Internet or connect to another device. It is also possible to transfer information in this way and converting it to the appropriate format of the receiving device is also the responsibility of the Gateway. In the following, we will examine the different angles of this important part of network communication.
What is the difference between Gateway and Router and Modem?
First, it is better to define a number of common terms in this field. To connect your network to the Internet, you may come across different names such as modem, router or gateway. In the following, we will review the specifications of each of them.
modem
Connecting to the Internet is primarily done through a modem. In the past, if you remember, a modem was used to connect to the Internet with a telephone line. In this case, the modem was connected to the device and the telephone cable was also connected to it. Today, high-speed internet services are provided, and the type of modem used will also depend on the type of service purchased.
This connection can be done by cable or with a DSL modem. In this situation, you can use the Internet with your non-wireless device just like personal computers by using an Ethernet connection to the modem.
router
As mentioned above, using a modem you can use your computer with an Ethernet connection from the Internet.
Now, what should be done to connect wireless devices such as mobile phones?
In this case, you will be called a router with a new word. In this case, you must connect the router to the modem through an Ethernet connection. Now you can connect wireless devices to the router. The possibility of connecting through more Ethernets will also be available to you. In other words, the router is used to share the internet received by the modem.
What is Gateway?
Gateway is a newer and probably better version for home or home business use. This technology can be considered as a combination of router and modem. For this reason, it is easier to set up and you will have less need for cables and multiple devices. However, using a gateway instead of a modem and router may cause problems for you.
For example, if the router or modem fails, you will have to replace the gateway completely. Or the router is more upgraded than the modem and newer types are offered. For this reason, if you use Gateway, you will not be able to change and upgrade the router. However, its main advantage is easier setup and use, which will not be a trivial issue.
One of them is connected to the local network and the other is connected to the Internet. You should pay attention to the fact that usually the two networks that are connected to each other use different protocols. For this reason, the existence of Gateway is necessary to create compatibility between the protocols of two networks. To describe how to communicate between two networks, a model called OSI is used. Two networks in different layers of the OSI seven-layer model can be connected. Gateways operate in layers 4 to 7 of the OSI model.
What is meant by Default Gateway?
The default gateway will be responsible for converting the information sent by different systems into transferable signals. In other words, Default Gateway can be considered as an intermediary for transferring information between two networks. For example, web pages first send their requests to the default gateway, and then this information is transmitted to the Internet.
In the process of setting the default gateway, the IP addresses of each router are manually registered in the host. Choosing which router is the Default Gateway will also be your responsibility. Suppose a message is sent from a source. Default Gateway checks its destination. If the registered destination or the selected router to send it to is wrong, the default gateway will send a router IP change message to the source. For this reason, setting the Default Gateway will be very important in the process of connecting two networks. In the following, we will mention how to set it up.
The importance of default gateway in solving network problems
It is very important for the support group of a company to know the IP of this route in order to solve some network problems that occur in this direction. In this section, we will mention a series of uses of this IP:
- Using this item, we can diagnose the network and fix its problems.
- We can access the desired router used in this network by special network programs.
How to find the default gateway IP of a network or modem
There are two methods to achieve the goal, which we will briefly mention in this section:
First method: In this method, we have to go to the Network and Sharing Center from Control Panel and select Change adapter options or Change adapter settings. After the desired window opens, select the network whose IP default gateway you want to find. and click on it, and then after the window opens, select the Details option, and after opening the desired menu, you can see the IP of this gateway from the IPv4 section.
Second method: In this method, activate the Command Prompt menu from the Start menu or Windows search, and then execute the ipconfig command. Then, in the opened menu, the IP number of the default gateway will be displayed for you.
What are the uses of the default gateway?
Familiarity with this matter is not necessary for ordinary users, but people who are responsible for the support and repairs of a company’s network will face problems if they are not aware of this issue. In this section, we will mention the most important uses of default gateway in computer and network affairs:
Modem Configure
This is one of the most used cases. Companies that sell home and mobile internet use this item. And usually, normal people have no knowledge of this matter and need someone from these companies to configure their modem.
To connect your network with a dedicated and targeted network
If the user is not aware of the function and how to use this gateway and path, he will not be able to define a dedicated path for his network.
Ability to repair and fix software and network bugs remotely
In many cases, it is possible to solve network problems without physical presence and remotely using special software and the same gateway and path. Of course, you must already have the IP address of the desired default gateway. Of course, this method is not recommended for companies and networks with valuable data and security levels.
Use of hackers and anti-hackers
This is one of the ways hackers can penetrate networks. Also, if you are familiar with this case, you can also track the method of penetration and the IP of the intruder.
Network Security
If the user and the company using the default gateway are familiar, it can be very useful for the security of their network. Programmers can improve the security of the network by writing programs knowing the weaknesses and vulnerabilities of this gateway.
Conclusion
In this article (what is a gateway), we reviewed the role of the gateway in connecting two networks together. Using an intermediary to connect to the Internet or another network is essential. You probably also use a modem, router or gateway to use the Internet by different devices at home. The two networks you’re trying to connect to each other probably use different protocols.
To transfer information between them, there must be an intermediary that matches the message sent from the source with the destination protocol. The gateway is designed for this purpose and for this reason it plays the most important role in connecting two networks.
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