Hubs, switches, and routers are all computer networking devices with varying capabilities. Unfortunately, the terms are often misused. What’s the difference between a hub, a switch, and a router? In a word, intelligence. Hubs, switches, and routers are all devices that let you connect one or more computers to other computers, networked devices, or even other networks. Each has two or more connectors called ports, into which you plug the cables to make the connection. When computers, network devices or other networks are required to be connected, hubs, switches and routers are the bridges to link them together. All the three types of devices can perform the same function, and technicians sometimes may use the terms interchangeably. However, this will make people confuse whether they are the same thing or different from each other. This post is going to explore the actual meanings of hub, switch, router and what they are used for. Overview of Hub, Switch & Router Hub A hub is to sent out a message from one port to other ports. For example, if there are three computers of A, B, C, the message sent by a hub for computer A will also come to the other computers. But only computer A will respond and the response will also go out to every other port on the hub. Therefore, all the computers can receive the message and computers themselves need to decide whether to accept the message. Switch A switch is able to handle the data and knows the specific addresses to send the message. It can decide which computer is the message intended for and send the message directly to the right computer. The efficiency of switch has been greatly improved, thus providing a faster network speed. Router Router is actually a small computer that can be programmed to handle and route the network traffic. It usually connects at least two networks together, such as two LANs, two WANs or a LAN and its ISP network. Routers can calculate the best route for sending data and communicate with each other by protocols. What Is the Difference? Hub Vs. Switch A hub works on the physical layer (Layer 1) of OSI model while Switch works on the data link layer (Layer 2). Switch is more efficient than the hub. A switch can join multiple computers within one LAN, and a hub just connects multiple Ethernet devices together as a single segment. Switch is smarter than hub to determine the target of the forwarding data. Since switch has a higher performance, its cost will also become more expensive. Switch Vs. Router In the OSI model, router is working on a higher level of network layer (Layer 3) than switch. Router is very different from the switch because it is for routing packet to other networks. It is also more intelligent and sophisticated to serve as an intermediate destination to connect multiple area networks together. A switch is only used for wired network, yet a router can also link with the wireless network. With much more functions, a router definitely costs higher than a switch. Hub Vs. Router As mentioned above, a hub only contains the basic function of a switch. Hence, differences between hub and router are even bigger. For instance, hub is a passive device without software while router is a networking device, and data transmission form in hub is in electrical signal or bits while in router it is in form of packet. Which One Should I Buy? Whatever device you use for your network, you must make sure it can perform all the functions required by the network. As for performance, wireless router is recommended because it allows different devices to connect to the network. If you have a limited budget, switch is a good solution with relatively high performance and lower cost. Conclusion Although sometimes specialists alternatively use hub, switch or router to describe these devices, they still have their own differences. Understanding their distinctions can be helpful to find the most appropriate device for your network. Source:http://www.fiber-optic-cable-sale.com/know-difference-hub-switch-router.html
 Hubs, switches, and routers are all common types of devices to help connect a network. Because they are often integrated into a single device, it can be challenging to understand the distinction between these items. In some cases, the terms may even be used interchangeably, though this is incorrect. The functions and uses of these devices are all very different from one another. Below, we provide a simple guide on the difference between a hub, switch, and router to help you better understand their dissimilarity. A hub is a type of device that’s commonly used as a connection point for various devices in a Local Area Network (LAN). It works by receiving packets that arrive at one of its multiple ports, copying the packets, and sending them to its other ports so that all LAN segments can see the data. When a single port in the hub responds, all other ports will also receive the response. The hub does not have any capability to distinguish which port it should send a data packet to. As such, all connected devices will receive the response and must determine whether they should accept it or not. In comparison to routers and switches, a hub is the least complex and least expensive device. While they have often been used as a quick and easy way to connect a small network, they are becoming increasingly replaced by switches. A networking switch is a type of hardware that uses packet switching to receive and forward data to its intended destination within a network. Essentially, a switch is a more efficient, more intelligent version of a hub. Perhaps the biggest difference between a hub and a switch is the way that it delivers data packets. Rather than blindly passing along data to all devices in a network, a switch records the addresses of the connected devices. In doing so, it learns which devices are connected to which ports. Then, when a port receives a data packet, the switch reads its destination address and sends it directly to the intended device in the network instead of every single port. As a result, a switch can greatly improve the speed of networks that receive a lot of traffic. A router is the most intelligent and complex of the three network connection devices listed in this article. Rather than just forwarding data packets to other devices in a single network, routers are designed to forward data packets between two or more networks, as well as direct traffic between them. They are typically located at gateways and can be programmed to understand, direct, and manipulate network traffic. Many modern routers are designed to integrate the capabilities of a switch and hub router all in a single device. Depending on the application, routers range in size from small broadband devices to large industrial wireless routers. |
What are the differences between hub switch and router?
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