Router - How Do they Route?

[#1]

Haven't seen this covered before and a search drew a blank.
Just wondering how routers apportion bandwidth between PCs on a home network,
Does the router simply split the bandwidth evenly between machines? Does it favour the first/last machine to access it? Does it favour a machine connected vie cable over wireless or is there some other method used.
Obviously the speed of servers you are downloading from play a part but lets suppose, for arguments sake, all else is equal...
No problem here, just interested. Although, sometimes it seems that my PC gets a larger slot of bacndwidth than my wifes but this happened even before my wife went wireless. I have a much fatser PC - does that make a difference?

[#2]

think on it as pipes, the wider the pipe the more can flow through it, but if you have a large pipe and close it off (local firewall or WHY) then the smaller pipes can get more. If all else is equal then how (faster processor, better nic) open is the tap? the more the tap is opened the faster the flow through it.
So if you have the same connection to 2 different machines, but one has a better network card.faster processor (able to handle the flow better) then it will get more bandwidth.
you can setup routers to favour one route over another, but this is usually used for resilient failure rather than bandwidth.
Hope that makes sense 

[#3]

try having a read of this http://computer.howstuffworks.com/router.htm  and not quiet so good http://www.tech-faq.com/how-does-a-wireless-router-work.shtml  and http://www.ehow.com/how-does_4568656_a-router-work.html
lots more here http://www.google.com/search?q=how+does+a+router+work&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-GB:o...

[#4]

Quote from: biker955

you can setup routers to favour one route over another

Managed Switches anyway but they are generally more expensive.