Unit 4 Networking Devices

Network Devices: Network devices, also known as networking hardware, are physical
devices that allow hardware on a computer network to communicate and interact with one
another. For example Repeater, Hub, Bridge, Switch, Routers, Gateway, Brouter, and NIC,
etc.
1. Repeater – A repeater operates at the physical layer. Its job is to regenerate the
signal over the same network before the signal becomes too weak or corrupted to
extend the length to which the signal can be transmitted over the same network. An
important point to be noted about repeaters is that they do not amplify the signal.
When the signal becomes weak, they copy it bit by bit and regenerate it at its star
topology connectors connecting if original strength. It is a 2-port device.
2. Hub – A hub is a basically multi-port repeater. A hub connects multiple wires coming
from different branches, for example, the connector in star topology which connects
different stations. Hubs cannot filter data, so data packets are sent to all connected
devices. In other words, the collision domain of all hosts connected through Hub
remains one. Also, they do not have the intelligence to find out the best path for data
packets which leads to inefficiencies and wastage.
• Active Hub:- These are the hubs that have their power supply and can clean,
boost, and relay the signal along with the network. It serves both as a repeater as
well as a wiring center. These are used to extend the maximum distance between
nodes.
• Passive Hub:- These are the hubs that collect wiring from nodes and power
supply from the active hub. These hubs relay signals onto the network without
cleaning and boosting them and can’t be used to extend the distance between
nodes.
• Intelligent Hub:- It works like an active hub and includes remote management
capabilities. They also provide flexible data rates to network devices. It also
enables an administrator to monitor the traffic passing through the hub and to
configure each port in the hub.
3. Bridge – A bridge operates at the data link layer. A bridge is a repeater, with add on the
functionality of filtering content by reading the MAC addresses of the source and destination.
It is also used for interconnecting two LANs working on the same protocol. It has a single
input and single output port, thus making it a 2 port device.
Types of Bridges
• Transparent Bridges:- These are the bridge in which the stations are completely
unaware of the bridge’s existence i.e. whether or not a bridge is added or deleted
from the network, reconfiguration of the stations is unnecessary. These bridges
make use of two processes i.e. bridge forwarding and bridge learning.
• Source Routing Bridges:- In these bridges, routing operation is performed by the
source station and the frame specifies which route to follow. The host can discover
the frame by sending a special frame called the discovery frame, which spreads
through the entire network using all possible paths to the destination.
4. Switch – A switch is a multiport bridge with a buffer and a design that can boost its
efficiency(a large number of ports imply less traffic) and performance. A switch is a data link
layer device. The switch can perform error checking before forwarding data, which makes it
very efficient as it does not forward packets that have errors and forward good packets
selectively to the correct port only. In other words, the switch divides the collision domain of
hosts, but the broadcast domain remains the same.
Types of Switch
1. Unmanaged switches: These switches have a simple plug-and-play design and do
not offer advanced configuration options. They are suitable for small networks or
for use as an expansion to a larger network.
2. Managed switches: These switches offer advanced configuration options such as
VLANs, QoS, and link aggregation. They are suitable for larger, more complex
networks and allow for centralized management.
3. Smart switches: These switches have features similar to managed switches but
are typically easier to set up and manage. They are suitable for small- to medium-
sized networks.
4. Layer 2 switches: These switches operate at the Data Link layer of the OSI model
and are responsible for forwarding data between devices on the same network
segment.
5. Layer 3 switches: These switches operate at the Network layer of the OSI model
and can route data between different network segments. They are more advanced
than Layer 2 switches and are often used in larger, more complex networks.
6. PoE switches: These switches have Power over Ethernet capabilities, which allows
them to supply power to network devices over the same cable that carries data.
7. Gigabit switches: These switches support Gigabit Ethernet speeds, which are
faster than traditional Ethernet speeds.
8. Rack-mounted switches: These switches are designed to be mounted in a server
rack and are suitable for use in data centers or other large networks.
9. Desktop switches: These switches are designed for use on a desktop or in a small
office environment and are typically smaller in size than rack-mounted switches.
10. Modular switches: These switches have modular design, which allows for easy
expansion or customization. They are suitable for large networks and data centers.

5. Routers – A router is a device like a switch that routes data packets based on their IP
addresses. The router is mainly a Network Layer device. Routers normally connect LANs
and WANs and have a dynamically updating routing table based on which they make
decisions on routing the data packets. The router divides the broadcast domains of hosts
connected through it.
Advantages Of Router:
o Security: The information which is transmitted to the network will traverse the entire cable, but the only
specified device which has been addressed can read the data.
o Reliability: If the server has stopped functioning, the network goes down, but no other networks are
affected that are served by the router.
o Performance: Router enhances the overall performance of the network. Suppose there are 24
workstations in a network generates a same amount of traffic. This increases the traffic load on the
network. Router splits the single network into two networks of 12 workstations each, reduces the traffic
load by half.
o Network range

6. NIC – NIC or network interface card is a network adapter that is used to connect
the computer to the network. It is installed in the computer to establish a LAN. It has
a unique id that is written on the chip, and it has a connector to connect the cable to it.
The cable acts as an interface between the computer and the router or modem. NIC
card is a layer 2 device which means that it works on both the physical and data link
layers of the network model.
Modem
o A modem is a hardware device that allows the computer to connect to the internet over the existing
telephone line.
o A modem is not integrated with the motherboard rather than it is installed on the PCI slot found on the
motherboard.
o It stands for Modulator/Demodulator. It converts the digital data into an analog signal over the telephone
lines.

Based on the differences in speed and transmission rate, a modem can be classified in the following
categories:

o Standard PC modem or Dial-up modem