Network Hardware

Network Hardware

1. Cables

   • Fibre Optic
     • A fibre optic cable is a cable that is made out of glass fibres. This is the fastest type of cable because the data travels at lightspeed. The fastest thing known to man
     • Data transfer speed is over 1 PB/s
   • Twisted Pair
     • A twisted pair cable is two cables made out of copper wrapped around each other this helps reduce crosstalk.
     • Can get to speeds of up to 100 MB/s
   • Coaxial
     • Coaxial cable is a cable made out of copper that is relativelyslow compared to fibre optic cables

2. Bridge, Switch and Hub

   • Hub
     • Connects devices together to make a LAN. It is a dumb device - it broadcasts the message to find the recipient
   • 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.
   • Router
     • Connects two or more networks together. Typically used to connect a network to the internet

3. WAP, NIC and Bridge

   • WAP
     • WAP or wireless access point allows devices to connect to a wired network via Wi-Fi.
   • NIC
     • NIC or netowork interface card is added to the motherboard, this allows any device to connect to the network
   • Bridge
     • A bridge is a device that typically links two different parts of the same LAN so that both sides act like they're part of the same LAN

4. Server and Modem

   • Server
     • Server is a computer dedicated to responding to requests made by its client. Could be dedicated to files, mail, web etc.
   • Modem
     • A modem provides a connection to the network via dialup connection using telephone lines