Networking hardware

Networking Hardware also known as Network Equipment or Computer Networking Devices are physical devices which are required for communication and interaction between devices on a computer network. Specifically, they mediate data in a computer network.

Types of Networking Hardware

The most common kind of networking hardware today includes routers, switches, hubs, and repeaters. Other hardware includes bridges, firewalls, network interface controllers, modems, wireless access points, networking cables and other related hardware.

Routers

A router is a networking device that forwards data packets between computer networks. Routers perform the traffic directing functions on the Internet.

Switches

A network switch is a computer networking device that connects devices together on a computer network by using packet switching to receive, process, and forward data to the destination device.

Hubs

A network hub is a device that connects multiple Ethernet devices together, making them act as a single network segment.

Repeaters

A repeater is an electronic device that receives a signal and retransmits it at a higher level or higher power, or onto the other side of an obstruction, so that the signal can cover longer distances.

Networking Hardware in the OSI Model

Networking hardware is typically based on the layers of the OSI model. The layers of the OSI model are: Physical, Data Link, Network, Transport, Session, Presentation, and Application.

See Also

• Computer network
• Data transmission
• Telecommunications network