Does my Nighthawk router need a modem?

Broadband is an essential part of digital life today, as many activities depend on it – such as web browsing, watching videos, streaming, and gaming. You may choose Nighthawk routers as your internet connection point, but are they enough to offer modem services?

In many instances, your ISP will suggest that you will get both router and modem services – understandable because their working and performance fields are similar. However, this is confusing for many people, and a common assumption is that they are the same.

Does the Nighthawk router require a modem? As a general rule, it does, because it does not have an in-built modem. The router itself is not a modem setup, and it does not include one either in the package.It is helpful to look at the differences between modems and routers to understand their differences.

What is a modem?

The term is an acronym for modulator-demodulator It is a point of connection from an ISP and your home network through an Ethernet cable or directly to the computer. Different ISPs will use various modems, and they are not interchangeable. When your computer sends data through the internet, the modem modulates the signals to the correct strength and de-modulates them as they come back to the computer.

When you use a modem on its own, it connects your home to an outside network, which your ISP will identify through the IP address. If you only use one networked device, you can plug the modem in and use the internet on that device – but if you have more than one device that connects to the internet, you will need a router to handle the network connections.

What is a router?

On the other hand, routers focus on LAN or Local Area Networking. Routers such as Nighthawk will perform these functions:

• Assigning and managing multiple IP addresses
• Acting as the local domain name service provider
• Blocking incoming internet requests at the basic level, though some advanced routers will only allow specific requests.
• Sending requests like web pages over the internet connection and returning the results.
• Connecting several devices through both wired (via Ethernet) and wireless connections.

What about a combo router-modem?

Some devices have botha router and modem functionality, often called ‘Router-Modem Combo’. You can rent them from the ISP or purchase them, depending on your needs.

There are several advantages to getting a modem alongside the Nighthawk router over a combo set, which includes:

• Giving you flexibility regarding the arrangement of your home network
• Getting them separately allows you to change between the router and modem as you prefer
• If a specific part suffers damage, you can repair it without invalidating the whole setup.

Should you get a modem with the Nighthawk router?

It helps to know whether you need these functions from your internet connection:

• Decoding of signals – when collecting data from the internet, you will require a modem alongside the router. In the case of Nighthawk routers, they can only provide the internet connection point, but lack signal decoding abilities.
• Network creation among many devices – if you need an internet connection between many devices (more than one) and share the network, then having a Nighthawk router is enough.

Nighthawk routers lack a modem function, as the internet connection is specific to what you get from the service provider. These connection types can include cable, fiber, cable, and so on, with each having its modem interface when connecting to the network. Even though these connections likely share some features and standards, not all ISPs will support all modem types and brands.

To connect the Nighthawk router to the modem, you use the WAN port (yellow) to connect the two devices through an Ethernet cable. This will allow the router to provide faster connection speeds, as well as doing modem functions (like creating firewalls, port forwarding, QoS, DMZ, and others).

General differences between a modem and router

Conclusion

In conclusion, you will need a modem alongside your Nighthawk router, as it does not include the functionality you will need if you plan on doing multiple activities on the network.

FAQs

Can my Nighthawk router function without a modem?

Yes, it can do so. However, its functionality will be more limited aside from creating IP addresses for your devices.

Do I still need to use a modem alongside my Nighthawk router?

No, it does not, though this depends on the activities you want to do on the internet.