Name: Trusha Neogi Date: 25/03/22

Roll No: 191105082

Branch: TE Comp
Batch: E

EXPERIMENT NO. 1

Title: Study of the following network devices (Repeater, hub, switch, bridge, router,
gateway)

1. Repeater

a. Definition: 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 so as
to extend the length to which the signal can be transmitted over the same network.

b. Uses: When an electrical signal is transmitted via a channel, it gets attenuated

depending upon the nature of the channel or the technology. This poses a limitation
upon the length of the LAN or coverage area of cellular networks. This problem is
alleviated by installing repeaters at certain intervals.
Repeaters amplifies the attenuated signal and then retransmits it. Digital repeaters can
even reconstruct signals distorted by transmission loss. So, repeaters are popularly
incorporated to connect between two LANs thus forming a large single LAN.

c. Diagram:

d. Advantages and Disadvantages:

Advantages:
i. Better Performance
ii. Can boost up signals
iii. Scale Network by extending the length of transmission.
iv. Physical barriers can allow weak signals of wireless connectivity.
v. Supported Media as network can be linked for reception and transmission using
several physical media.
vi. Low Cost compared to other networking hardware devices

Disadvantages:
i. Limit on the number of repeaters

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ii. Less segmentation of the network
iii. Collision Domain – when all info is moved to various domains, then repeaters can’t
separate the connected network devices.
iv. Cannot connect networks along with different network architecture.
v. Cannot segment network traffic thus, can’t reduce congestion.

2. Hub
a. Definition: A hub is basically a multiport 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.

b. Application:
 Hub is used to create small home networks.
 It is used for network monitoring.
 They are also used in organizations to provide connectivity.
 It can be used to create a device that is available thought out of the network

c. Diagram:

d. Advantages and Disadvantages:

Advantages:
 It provides support for different types of Network Media.
 It can be used by anyone as it is very cheap.
 It can easily connect many different media types.
 The use of a hub does not impact on the network performance.
 Additionally, it can expand the total distance of the network

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Disadvantages:
 It has no ability to choose the best path of the network.
 It does not include mechanisms such as collision detection.
 It does not operate in full-duplex mode and cannot be divided into the Segment.
 It cannot reduce the network traffic as it has no mechanism.
 It is not able to filter the information as it transmits packets to all the connected
segments.

3. Switch
a. Definition: 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 broadcast
domain remains the same.

b. Application:

 Connect multiple hosts: Normally, a switch provides a large number of ports for
cable connections, allowing for star topology routing. It is usually used to
connect multiple PCs to the network.
 Manage traffic: A switch in networking can manage traffic either coming into or
exiting the network and can connect devices like computers and access points
with ease.
 Keep electrical signal undistorted: When a switch forwards a frame, it
regenerates an undistorted square electrical signal.
 Increase LAN bandwidth: A switch divides a LAN into multiple collision domains
with independent broadband, thus greatly increasing the bandwidth of the LAN.
 Forwards a message to a specific host: Like a bridge, a switch uses the same
forwarding or filtering logic on each port. When any host on the network or a
switch sends a message to another host on the same network or the same
switch, the switch receives and decodes the frames to read the physical (MAC)
address portion of the message.


c. Diagram:

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d. Advantages and Disadvantages:
Advantages:
 They increment the accessible data transfer capacity of the organization.
 They help in lessening the outstanding burden on individual host PCs.
 They increment the presentation of the organization.
 Networks that use switches will have fewer casing impacts. This is because of
the way that switches make impact areas for every association.
 Switches can be associated straightforwardly with workstations.
 It increases the available bandwidth of the network.

Disadvantages:
 They are more costly in contrast with network spans.
 Network availability issues are hard to be followed through the organization
switch.
 Broadcast traffic might be problematic.
 If switches are in the indiscriminate mode, they are defenseless against
security assaults for example caricaturing IP address or catching Ethernet
outlines.
 Proper planning and arrangement are required to deal with multicast parcels.
 The switch’s mechanical component can wear out with time.

4. Bridge
a. Definition: A bridge operates at the data link layer.
- A bridge is a repeater, which adds on the functionality of filtering content by reading
the MAC addresses of 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

b. Uses: Bridges connects two or more different LANs that has a similar protocol and
provides communication between the devices (nodes) in them.

 By joining multiple LANs, bridges help in multiplying the network capacity of a

single LAN.
 Since they operate at data link layer, they transmit data as data frames.
 Bridges can switch any kind of packets, be it IP packets or AppleTalk packets,
from the network layer above. This is because bridges do not examine the
payload field of the data frame that arrives, but simply looks at the MAC address
for switching.
 Bridges also connect virtual LANs (VLANs) to make a larger VLAN.
 A wireless bridge is used to connect wireless networks or networks having a
wireless segment.

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c. Diagram:

d. Advantages and Disadvantages:

Advantages:
 It reduces collisions and network traffic with minor segmentation
 Bridge connects similar network types with different cabling
 Bridge increase the number of attached workstation and network segments
 It extends the physical network
 Bridges also can reduce network traffic on a segment by subdividing network
communications

Disadvantages:
 t does not filter broadcasts
 It is slower compare to repeaters due to the filtering process
 It is more expensive compared to repeaters
 Complex network topology, it can pose a problem for transparent bridge
 A bridge is more expensive than repeaters or hubs'

5. Router
a. Definition: 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 together and have a dynamically updating
routing table based on which they make decisions on routing the data packets.
- Router divides broadcast domains of hosts connected through it.

Routers are of following types:

i. Wireless Router –
They provide WiFi connection WiFi devices like laptops, smartphones etc. They
can also provide standard Ethernet routing. For indoor connections, the range is
150 feet while its 300 feet for outdoor connections.

ii. Broadband Routers –

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 They are used to connect to the Internet through telephone and to use voice
over Internet Protocol (VoIP) technology for providing high-speed Internet
access. They are configured and provided by the Internet Service Provider (ISP).

iii. Core Routers –

They can route data packets within a given network, but cannot route the
packets between the networks. They helps to link all devices within a network
thus forming the backbone of network. It is used by ISP and communication
interfaces.

iv. Edge Routers –

They are low-capacity routers placed at the periphery of the networks. They
connect the internal network to the external networks, and are suitable for
transferring data packets across networks. They use Border Gateway Protocol
(BGP) for connectivity. There are two types of edge routers, subscriber edge
routers and label edge routers.

v. Brouters –
Brouters are specialised routers that can provide the functionalities of bridges as
well. Like a bridge, brouters help to transfer data between networks. And like a
router, they route the data within the devices of a network.

b. Uses of Routers:
 Routers are used to connect hardware equipment with remote location
networks like BSC, MGW, IN, SGSN, and other servers.
 It provides support for a fast rate of data transmission because it uses
high STM links for connectivity; that's why it is used in both wired or
wireless communication.
 Internet service providers widely use routers to send the data from
source to destination in the form of e-mail, a web page, image, voice,
or a video file. Furthermore, it can send data all over the world with
the help of an IP address of the destination.
 Routers offer access restrictions. It can be configured in a way that
allows for few users to access the overall data and allows others to
access the few data only, which is defined for them.

c. Diagram:

d. Advantages of Routers:

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 While switches are the device of choice for improving performance on
a network, routers are used to segment large networks into
internetworks made up of smaller networks.
 Routers and switches are often used in combination.
 Routers can connect different network architectures, such as Ethernet
and Token Ring.
 Routers can choose the best path across the network using dynamic
routing techniques.
 Routers can reduce network traffic because they do not retransmit
network broadcast traffic.
- Disadvantages of Routers:
 Routers work only with routable network protocols, not all protocols are
routable.
 Routers are more expensive than bridges or repeaters.
 Router Communications(inter router communication) causes additional
network traffic.
 Routers are slower than bridges or repeaters because they must analyze a
data transmission from the Physical to the Network layer.
 Repeaters and bridges only need to read two layers of information: the
datalink and physical.

6. Gateway
a. Definition: A gateway, as the name suggests, is a passage to connect two networks
together that may work upon different networking models.
- They basically work as the messenger agents that take data from one system,
interpret it, and transfer it to another system.
- Gateways are also called protocol converters and can operate at any network layer.
- Gateways are generally more complex than switches or routers.
- Gateway is also called a protocol converter.

b. Application:
 It allows to move the all information over the Web and provides the entry gate
for several networks then users are able to perform many tasks like as send
email, navigate the Web Page, buy any product and services over the Web, etc.
 It plays the role as bridge in between the sensors internet devices.
 With using of gateway, battery life of sensors and other devices is getting to
boost up.
 It helps to reduce the latency while preparing the information.
 It allows to get reduction of the number of sensors and devices connected to the
web.

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c. Diagram:

d. Advantages and Disadvantages:

Advantages:
 Used to expand the network.
 Gateway is a server so it provides some security.
 We can connect two different types of networks.
 Protocol conversion is done.
 Effectively handles the traffic problems.
 And also establishes connections between internal network and external
network.

Disadvantages:
 Not an intelligent device. So noise prevention is not done.
 Never filter out the data
 Some what costly
 Protocol conversion is done so transmission rate is slower.
 Some what hard to handle.

Conclusion: The experiment to study the following network devices (Repeater, hub,
switch, bridge, router, gateway) was conducted succcesfully

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