system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
[ELI5] What makes a router different from a modem? If they're going to be compared to another object as an example to be explained (like comparing a phone storage to water butt or RAM to washing machine) what will they be and how do they work differently?
gpt
A modem is a modulador/demodulator. It basically translates from one language to another. It allows a computer to speak in a way a phone line can handle, for instance.

A router is something that routes data -- it plugs into multiple networks and chooses which data goes where. An equivalent would be a phone exchange, or a distribution center (for physical goods).

They're often combined in the same physical device.