[Kelly]

I think we're getting the terms modem and router mixed here. The ISP uses a modem to convert their protocol to standard TCP/IP. They provide the RJ-45 jack on the back of the modem. This is what you use an Ethernet cable to connect to your computer. It's an RJ-45 connector. This is an 802. (something) standard.

You can connect any Ethernet router to this connector. As long as you have that RJ-45 Ethernet jack aavailable, any standard router will work. All the routers I've seen even come with the Ethernet cable. The router connects to the modem and then the computer connects to the router either with a wire or wirelessly. You will need a wired computer to configure the router initially.

Here's where there is sometimes confusion: some modems, particularly those used by cable companies, are actually a combination of modem and router. So the user sees one box and doesn't know what to call it. Some will call it a modem and others will call it a router. It's the modem that is particular to the ISP's protocal and that's where you need to be concerned.