The Internet Router triumphed over the ATM switch as the primary model of how the world communicates to this day.

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Now he develops such profit-seeking wares as the Lambda Router, the world's first big all-optical switch, due later this year.

FORBES: Lucent's Labs

Dubbed BRCK, the solution is a rugged wireless router that connects to the internet via Ethernet, WiFi, 3G and 4G, and can switch its source on the fly if a connection dies.

ENGADGET

Consumers can switch between cable, fiber optic broadband or ADSL without having to reconfigure their home network or replace their router.

ENGADGET: Netgear D6300 mates 802.11ac WiFi with ADSL, risks one heck of a mismatch