Router vs Switch

	Router	Switch
Layer	Network Layer (Layer 3 devices)	Data Link Layer. Network switches operate at Layer 2 of the OSI model.
Ports	2/4/8	Switch is multi port Bridge. 24/48 ports
Device Type	Networking device	Active Device (With Software) & Networking device
Data Transmission form	Packet	Frame (L2 Switch) Frame & Packet (L3 switch)
Transmission Type	At Initial Level Broadcast then Uni-cast & Multicast	First broadcast; then unicast & multicast as needed.
Function	Directs data in a network. Passes data between home computers, and between computers and the modem.	Allow to connect multiple device and port can be manage, Vlan can create security also can apply
Table	Store IP address in Routing table and maintain address at its own.	A network switch stores MAC addresses in a lookup table.
Transmission Mode	Full duplex	Full duplex
Used in (LAN, MAN, WAN)	LAN, WAN	LAN
Broadcast Domain	In Router, every port has its own Broadcast domain.	Switch has one broadcast domain [unless VLAN implemented]
Definition	A router is a networking device that connects a local network to other local networks. At the Distribution Layer of the network, routers direct traffic and perform other functions critical to efficient network operation.	A network switch is a computer networking device that is used to connect many devices together on a computer network. A switch is considered more advanced than a hub because a switch will on send msg to device that needs or request it
Device Category	Intelligent Device	Intelligent Device
Bandwidth sharing	Bandwidth sharing is Dynamic (Enables either static or dynamic bandwidth sharing for modular cable interfaces. The default percent-value is 0. The percent-value range is 1-96.)	There no sharing port can be 10, 100, 1000 and 10000 Mbps individual
Speed	1-10 Mbps(Wireless) 100 Mbps (Wired)	10/100Mbps, 1Gbps
Routing Decision	Take faster Routing Decision	Take more time for complicated routing Decision
NAT (Network Address Translation)	Can Perform NAT	Switches can Not perform NAT
Faster	In a different network environment (MAN/ WAN) Router is faster than L3 Switch.	In a LAN environment L3 switch is faster than Router (built in switchning hardware)
Features	Firewall VPN Dynamic hadling of Bandwidth	Priority rt range On/Off setting of port VLAN Port mirroring
Latest Models	Linksys WRT54GL Juniper MX & EX series Cisco 3900,2900,1900	Alcatel's OmniSwitch 9000; Cisco Catalyst switch 4500 and 6500(10 Gbps),
Used for	Connecting two or more networks	Connecting two or more nodes in the same network or different network
Address used for data tramsmission	Uses IP address	Uses MAC address

Source: http://www.diffen.com/difference/Router_vs_Switch