Network Components Reginald Randolph Assignment 3 LTEC 4550

Hub A central connection point that uses star topology. A signal is transmitted to the hub, then sends and receives data from different ports trough twisted pair cables or optical ports. Hubs are used to connect many computers to the internet, and can be used in homes, businesses, or practically anywhere; and can be as cheap as $20.

Switch Similar to a hub a switch is a central connection point that finds addresses and transmits the packet to its intended destination. When receiving a packet the header of the MAC address is read and then the destination of the packet is determined. Switches are used more for large infrastructures that would use a lot of bandwidth. Switches can be very expensed ranging from $50 to $80000.

Router A router is a networking device that forwards data packets between computer networks. Packets are forwarded from one router to another through each network to the destination node. Routers are used in home networks or networks as large as WANs. prices range from $15 to thousands.

Bridge Bridges filter data traffic of a small network by inspecting incoming traffic and deciding whether to forward the packet or not. If you want to connect two LANs and send files and information then you would use a bridge. price range is about $30 to $500 but there have been some that have been around 2 or 3 thousand. \

Gateway Pretty much the same thing as a router but can connect to different types of networks. In many cases a gateway can be a router. For example a modem is a gateway and router; a large organization would use a gateway to make its network accessible to the outside world.

Firewall Firewalls block unauthorized access while permitting outward communication over a network. Firewalls can be used in any network. But the typical home really doesn’t need a firewall with just moderate internet use. The reason I say this is because firewalls can be expensive and the cost may not be worth it to the average person. A good firewall software isn’t going to be less than $100 and can run over $ Firewalls filter data control traffic by either using: Packet filtering Proxy service Stateful inspection

Wireless AP Wireless APs connect wireless devices to a wired network. They can be a hub, bridge, router, or switch and cost ranges from $20 to $20000 depending on bandwidth. Once a WAP connection is established with a device it can send and receive packets through radio waves.

Network diagram

References RouterSwitch.com writer (2013, September 26). Tutorial of the differences between a Hub, Bridge, Switch and Router. Computer Networks. (n.d.). Retrieved October 13, Black, U. D. (2009) Sams Teach Yourself Networking in 24 Hours (4th ed.). Carmel, IN: Sams Publishing