Different Network Device

NETWORK DEVICES

Network devices are required to amplify the signal to restore the original strength of signal and to provide an interface to connect multiple computer in a network. There are many types of network devices used in networking

Repeater

A repeater is a device that operates only on the physical layer of OSI model. Repeaters have two ports and can connect two segments of LAN. It amplifies the signals, when they are transported over a long distance so that the signal can be as strong as the original signal. A repeater boasts the signal back to its correct level.

Bridge

A bridge is a device which filter data traffic at a network boundary. Bridge reduce the amount of traffic on a LAN by dividing it into two segments. It operates at the data link layer of the OSI model. Traditional bridges support one network boundary, whereas switches usually offer four or more ports.

Hub

Hub is like a repeater with multiple ports used to connect the network channels. It acts as a centralized connection to many computers with the central node or server. When a hub receives a packet of data at one of its port from a network channel, it transmits the packet to all of its ports to all other network channels.

Gateway

A gateway is an interconnecting device, which joins two different network protocols together. They are also known as protocol converters. It accepts packet formatted for one protocol and converts the formatted packet into another protocol.

Router

Router is a hardware device which is designed to take incoming packets, analyze the packets, moving the packets to another network, converting the packets to another network interface, dropping the packets, directing packets to the desired locations, etc.

Switch

It is a small hardware device that joins multiple computer together within one LAN. Switches work on the data link layer of the OSI model. It help to reduce overall network traffic. A switch forwards each incoming packet to the specified recipient. Switches are sometimes called multiport bridges.

Modem

Modem is a device that converts digital signal to analog signal (modulator) at the sender’s end and converts back analog signal to digital signal (demodulator) at the receiver’s end, in order to make communication possible via telephone lines. A modem is always placed between a telephone line and a computer.