Network Hardware

Network Hardware

1. wires

   • a fibre optic cable is a cable made out of glass fibres. this is the fastest types of cable because the data travels at light speed
   • Twisted pair cabling is a type of wiring in which two conductors of a single circuit are twisted together for the purposes of improving electromagnetic compatibility.
   • Coaxial cable is a cable that is relatively slow compared to fibre optic cables. It is a copper cable surrounded by a tubular insulating layer, surrounded by a tubular conducting shield.

2. WAP- Wireless Access Point- allows devices to connect to a wired network via Wi-Fi

3. Router- Connects two or more networks together. typically used to connect a network to the internet.

4. Hub- connects devices together to create a LAN. It is a dumb device- it broadcasts the message to find the recipient

5. Switch- connects devices together to make a LAN. It is an intelligent device- it checks who the message is addressed to and sends it to that device only.

6. Bridge- A device that typically links two different parts of the same LAN so that both sides act like they're part of the LAN

7. Server- A computer dedicated to responding to requests made by its clients. Could be dedicated to files, mail, web etc.

8. NIC- Network Interface Card- added to the motherboard, this allows any device to connect to the network

9. Modem- Provided connection to the network via dialup connections using telephone lines