Internetworking devices are types of hardware that help the various devices in your network interact and communicate with network resources.

One key internetworking device is a bridge. A bridge, as the name suggests, helps monitor and restrict the flow of traffic on your network.

If you’re in an environment with lots of traffic, you’ll probably want bridges. For example, say you have a network with a segment T and a segment X. You don’t want these two segments intersecting with each other. To keep them apart, you can create a bridge. A bridge also makes sure that both segment T and segment X receive strong signals.

Routers are another key internetworking device. Routers can help manage data and set up firewalls. Routers can be helpful to both family and work environments. If there’s certain kinds of sites or content that someone doesn’t want their children or employees seeing, they can use their router to block said sites/content.

Routers are also a great way to control who can and who can’t be a part of your network. In a home environment, you can apply a password to your router to make sure that neighbors and strangers can’t access your network.

Routers can also help transmit data at a greater speed. If you’re in an environment in which you need to send large quantities of data, you might want to look into enterprise routers to help you better accomplish your goals.