Networks The difference between a... modem/router/switch/hub. Sticky?

In the interest of trying to help people who are struggling with "what's called what" when setting up a home network. Comments/corrections/additions welcome


A modem connects one PC to another. Generally, it connects your PC to your ISP. Both "normal" and DSL modems behave more or less the same way. They use a protocol called point-to-point (PPP) to connect to the ISP.

A Hub connects a bunch of PCs together. You plug a network cable from your PC's network card into a hub, and all the PCs on a hub talk to each other. Hubs are dumb - they don't know who is who, so when your PC tries to talk to another PC, a copy of the conversation is sent to everyone attached to the hub. This means that only one person can talk at once, making things a bit slow.

A Wireless access point is just a hub without any wires

A Switch is just a hub with a brain. It connects a bunch of PCs together, but it learns who is who and can direct conversations to the right PC, so everyone can talk at the same time.

If you've got two PCs, you can use a Crossover Cable instead of a hub or a switch. Once you have more than two PCs, you'd usually use a switch instead. A bunch of PCs connected to a hub, switch, wireless access point, or crossover cable makes up a network.

A router connects whole networks together. Routers decide where on the Internet each network is, and how to best get there. They're are also sometimes called Gateways. Internet Connection Sharing allows a PC to behave as if it was a router. If you have a network of PCs at home, you will use a router to connect your network to the network at your ISP.


It's quite common to see products that do all of these things in one box - they have a DSL modem to connect to the ISP, and a switch to connect all your PCs at home. Inside the box, the router decides what conversations to send between the Internet and your PCs at home.

Hope that makes things clearer

 

I don't think anyone on here wouldn't know any of the aforementioned information, wp tho

 

Useful stuff to know, for sure.
Not sure if it will get stickied as this info is available everywhere. google use is encouraged

 

Yeah I know, but the frequency with which this crops up on the board points to people not using Google. I just thought I'd try to put it in one place so people can see it *before* they post asking about it. If it doesn't get stickied, it'll drop off the end of the board, indicating that no one thought it was valuable, which is fair enough

 

Its definately useful. What would be really useful is a list of popular products + links to cheap online shops. Something for all occassions, like models for both ADSL and Cable. Wireless + wired, which ones are xbox live compatible etc etc.

 

I used google and this was the first link

I registered just to say this, and thanks.

 

LOL Good to know that even if it does slip to the bottom of the forum, Google still knows about it.

 

I didn`t know the function of ANY of those thingies.. even tho i have a router... Stickies are often stupidly obvious stuff, and you should also include words like network card, crossovercable, firewall and stuff