A router can form a by connecting devices within a building. It also makes it possible to connect different networks together. Homes and businesses use a router to connect to the internet. A router can often incorporate a modem within the hardware.
A modem enables a computer to connect to the internet over a telephone line. A modem converts signals from a computer to analogue signals that are then sent down the telephone line. A modem on the other end converts the analogue signal back to a digital signal which another computer can understand.
Hubs, bridges and switches allow multiple devices to connect to the router and they transfer data to all devices on a network. A router is a more complex device that usually includes the capability of hubs, bridges and switches.
Hubs
A hub broadcasts data to all devices on a network. This can use a lot of as it results in unnecessary data being sent – not all computers might need to receive the data. A hub would be useful to link up a few games consoles for a local multiplayer game using a wired LAN.
Bridges
A bridge is used to connect two separate LAN networks. A computer can act as a bridge through the . A bridge looks for the receiving device before it sends the message. This means that it will not send a message if the receiving computer is not there. It will check to see if the receiver has already had the message. This can help save unnecessary data transfers, which improves the performance of a network.
Switches
A switch performs a similar role to a hub and a bridge but is more powerful. It stores the of devices on a network and filters to see which devices have asked for them. This makes a switch more efficient when demand is high. If, for example, a game involved lots of data being passed between machines, then a switch could reduce the amount of .
Wireless access points (WAPs) are required to connect to a network wirelessly. WAPs are usually built into the broadband router.
