Hub, Switch, Router… Surely they sound familiar to you but… would you dare to find the 7 differences? The 7 what…? Wait! Let’s not go too fast: first, let’s play who’s who.
We know that they are used to set up local networks, but which one does what function and which of them can do more than the rest is another topic.
We tell you the differential value of each of them!
hub
Simple as they come, the Hub’s task is clear: to interconnect the computers of a local network. It works the way we like it at : very simple. When you connect a computer on the local network to your Hub, the latter receives the data sent to it, replicates it and immediately transmits it to the rest of the computers on the network.
It is the central connection point of the network and is used to create local networks with interconnected computers. The Hub does not allow you to connect to the Internet or send data to a specific computer, but rather it copies and replicates the bits by sending them to all devices on the network.
The latter is sometimes a disadvantage although, like everything in life, it has its good side: it allows you to easily analyze network traffic and see how information flows between devices to detect possible failures.
The bad? It uses excessive bandwidth and does not allow a computer to send another signal simultaneously to the one that has already started the act.
switch
Switch – not Twitch, gamer – is one step ahead. Although it is also used to create local networks, unlike the previous one, the information sent by a computer is directed only to the selected computer, without replicating the bits in the rest of the connected computers.
This brings with it another advantage over the Hub: while this information transfer is taking place, it is possible for other computers to continue sending data. Of course, everything has its limit: if two or more computers send data simultaneously to the same machine, no one else will be able to send data to the computer in question.
Switch was born with the aim of connecting many more computers and thus reducing errors in the transmission chain. And whoever follows it…gets it!
Router
The smart among the smart and surely the one you know best. The router is responsible for forwarding data between different networks and also has the ability to choose the best route for each data packet so that it reaches where it needs to go. It interconnects several networks and works hand in hand with hubs and switches. Three for one!
Its greatest advantage is that it is not limited to connecting local networks but can also do so with external networks. This is how it allows us to connect to the Internet, among other functions. What would we do without you, dear Router?
As you can see, it is the evolutionary leap of the previous two: the Homo Sapiens of devices that interconnect computers.
Which one do you prefer?
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