Can someone explain me the difference between those three devices?
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So all of these function very similarly for the most part except the Hub.
A hub is like a switch but doesn’t manage the data via identificatin, it basically splits the connection between everything on the hub so they can be hit or miss.
Unmanaged switches have no interface for configuration but have a built in identification table that you can’t really modify but it communicates data to each port as necessary.
A Switch (Usually referred to as a Managed Switch) identifies each port and communicates the traffic to them as needed, it will typically include an interface for configuration of the ports and network.
A Router – I think the comment under this one gives a bit more of a break down but it basically handles outside traffic to inside traffic. It normally hands out IPs in a home network.
Hubs (Dumb switches) are getting harder and harder to find because that split traffic causes the connection speed to also be split. Networks are, in a way, limited to the slowest connection speed. The price of cheap Switches is basically the same as a Hub anyways so there’s not really any demand for a hub anymore.
A hub takes a message received from a computer on a port, and dispatches it to each and every other ports. A hub is a glorified 1-N wire. It’s pretty dumb.
A switch takes a message received from a computer on a port, and dispatches it to its destination port, because it keeps a map of the available destinations on each port. A switch is a sort of smart hub.
Nowadays, hubs are functional but outdated, and shouldn’t be used. A switch isn’t that expensive anyway.
Note that we’re talking about ethernet hubs. USB hubs are entirely unrelated and work very differently.
Simplifying a lot
Hub: sends data everywhere… It’s like junction in water pipe
Switch: actually reads part of data and sends only to those it is addressed to.
Router: can work as a switch, but actually separates different networks. It can connect your local network (house) to internet (wan) … It can do much more, but this is just basics… Usually comes with wifi capability, but it isn’t necessary
Router and switch are commonly used in tree topology of network (most common one)
Hubs and switches are similar – both operate at the MAC layer (Layer 2); but hubs don’t apply any intelligence to the packet forwarding whereas switches only forward packets out a port to known MAC addresses out that particular port (as well as forwarding broadcasts and unknowns).
Routers operate at Layer 3 – segmenting traffic into separate networks (broadcast domains). Routers are also used to transition between different media types (e.g. LAN to WAN) and can do other types of packet manipulation (e.g. packet filtering, network address translation, etc.)
To make things even more confusing; many switches these days can do layer 3 functions.
Hope this helps!
Hubs and switches are similar – both operate at the MAC layer (Layer 2); but hubs don’t apply any intelligence to the packet forwarding whereas switches only forward packets out a port to known MAC addresses out that particular port (as well as forwarding broadcasts and unknowns).
Routers operate at Layer 3 – segmenting traffic into separate networks (broadcast domains). Routers are also used to transition between different media types (e.g. LAN to WAN) and can do other types of packet manipulation (e.g. packet filtering, network address translation, etc.)
To make things even more confusing; many switches these days can do layer 3 functions.
Hope this helps!
Hubs and switches are similar – both operate at the MAC layer (Layer 2); but hubs don’t apply any intelligence to the packet forwarding whereas switches only forward packets out a port to known MAC addresses out that particular port (as well as forwarding broadcasts and unknowns).
Routers operate at Layer 3 – segmenting traffic into separate networks (broadcast domains). Routers are also used to transition between different media types (e.g. LAN to WAN) and can do other types of packet manipulation (e.g. packet filtering, network address translation, etc.)
To make things even more confusing; many switches these days can do layer 3 functions.
Hope this helps!
A hub gets a message then sends a copy to everything it’s connected to in hopes that someone out there knows what to do with it.
A switch gets a message, and either delivers it directly to the intended recipient or tells the sender that there’s no such recipient.
A router is a switch that has a connection to multiple networks. If it gets a message and can deliver it to a local recipient, it does, otherwise it passes the message on to another network and lets it figure out what to do with it. Routers can also be programmed to direct specific types messages to specific computers, or block certain types of messages.
Hubs really arent used anymore, at least not at an enterprise level. They’ve been replaced by switches for the most part.
Imagine a LAN (your home network) as your hometown. Your computer is your home address within your hometown.
When you send a letter (a packet) out through the mail, its first stop is at your local post office (your switch). The local post office (switch) looks at the address on the letter and determines if it needs to go somewhere within the hometown that it services, or if its going outside of that to some other destination.
If its going within its same home town, the post office will see that and send it out to be delivered to the correct address.
If its going outside the post office’s service area, then it will send it to the next higher distribution center (your router) to be mailed out to the correct post office that does service the destination address.
The distribution center (your router) receives the letter, determines what distribution center does service the local post office that the destination is at, and sends it to that distribution center.
You can follow that path back down the tree to the destination address.
theres obviously a lot more nuance to it than this, but thats the gist of it.
Routers route packets between networks, switches switch packets on local networks.
Hub: That’s a guy with a megaphone. Shouts everything out to everyone. Now imagine a crowd of 500 people and each guy is responsible for 5 people. There is no coordination, you just have to listen and try and figure out what is meant for you.
Switch: That’s the post office. They receive your package, knows where it needs to go and drops it off at your door.
Router: That’s kinda like the train system. They know in which direction your stuff needs to go and takes it there, handing it over to the post office from above.
Analogy:
A router sends and reveives messages based on the street address (the IP address). A switch looks at the recipient name under the street address (hardware ID/MAC address) and sends it to whoever that is.
You can move from one apartment building with one street address to another on a different street in a different city, but you’re going to have the same first and last name in the new building too.
A hub works like a switch, but it sends a copy to everyone.
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