COMMUNICATION HARDWARE

• A hub is a device with multiple network ports that can be used to connect individual devices together to form a network.
• When data is transferred to a hub, the hub rebroadcasts the signal to every device that it is connected to, extending the range of the signal and ensuring that the data reaches the intended recipient.
• Switches are very similar to hubs, but with the key difference that while a hub rebroadcasts a signal to all connected devices, a switch will only broadcast the signal to the device that the data is intended for.
• Switches are best used to connect individual devices so that no connected device receives data that isn’t intended for it, while hubs are best used to connect switches together into a larger network, as the data can be sent between switches without spending time working out which switch is the correct destination, which would slow down the data transfer speed.
• Routers aren’t used to connect devices, but instead to connect a local network to another network (commonly the Internet).
• Routers are responsible for directing data across the larger network, and if they receive data that is not destined for the router’s local network, they then forward the data to the appropriate router until it reaches its destination.
• Modems (short for modulator/demodulator) convert digital data to analogue data and vice versa.
• Modems are useful for allowing networks to use the old analogue phone network system, which transfers data using analogue sound waves.
• Modems are less common now that network infrastructure is being updated to use copper and fibre cabling instead of the old phone network.
• Wireless access points (WAPs) allow nearby devices to connect to a network.
• As connections are wireless, it is necessary to secure WAPs with passwords or other security methods to prevent unauthorised access.
• A single communications device can perform the functions of some or all of the above devices.
• Think of your home router, which could act as a WAP, have Ethernet ports for wired connections, connect individual devices into a network and connect that network to the Internet.