Routers can run just fine off only one port too: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Router_on_a_stick
Comment on OpenWrt Two will be a higher-performance router with 10 Gigabit LAN and WiFi 7 support - Liliputing
JaumeI@programming.dev 3 weeks ago
But the first OpenWrt-branded device has only two Ethernet ports, which is an odd choice for a router.
Well, technically it’s the only choice for a router… We are getting so used to the router/switch combo we will forget what exactly is a router. Which is probably good, I guess.
catloaf@lemm.ee 3 weeks ago
lengau@midwest.social 3 weeks ago
This takes me back to my childhood… My dad would take me to the fair and get me a deep fried router on a stick and a roll of cat5.
brygphilomena@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 weeks ago
That’s not entirely true. Having a router with multiple interfaces is useful for multiple physical networks like VoIP, OOB, dmz, etc. We use vlans a lot for that now, but it’s not fair to say only two ports is the only choice.
MangoPenguin@lemmy.blahaj.zone 3 weeks ago
Only some have an internal switch, others just have multiple NICs.
frezik@midwest.social 3 weeks ago
A router is also a open-by-default device. It’s not something you would usually use at home unless you’re into that sort of thing. Things we tend to call a “router” are all-in-one router/firewall/switch/access points.
rice@lemmy.org 3 weeks ago
That is what a router is, switches are generally a separate thing. It is only the home hybrids that combine the two different things.
I have two separate networks in my home + WAN the router combines all 3 as they are designed for. The switches just switch the packets in those separate networks. (and not to get all fancy with layer 3 switches)
shalafi@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
Nah, I have a NetGate (pfSense) rackmount router/firewall with multiple ports. Isn’t that pretty standard with enterprise gear now days? Only 2-port routers I’ve seen are ones I build from old PCs.
rice@lemmy.org 3 weeks ago
more and more over the past like 5 years only. All the cisco and juniper enterprise went from like 4 ports (expected to be an entirely different network on each port and they go directly into a large switch) to having a lot more swappable port interfaces
jim3692@discuss.online 3 weeks ago
Are you too used to Cisco devices? Mikrotik routers also have multiple ethernet ports, that are not connected to an internal switch.
grue@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
I mean, technically there’s no reason a router can’t route between more than two networks. For example, I’ve got both fiber and cable Internet (for no real good reason – I ought to cancel one and save some money) and I’ve configured my OpenWRT router to have two different uplinks, reconfiguring one of the four LAN ports to WAN2 instead.
I’ve also got the other ports configured for separate VLANs (walling my untrustworthy Chinese ONVIF cameras off from being able to phone home, for example), but I think that’s technically not “routing” 'cause it’s OSI layer 2.