hardware for LAN and WAN Flashcards
what is a WAP
allow wireless connections to a network.
what is a router
A router is a device that connects different networks together through the internet.They receive data packets from the internet and finds the most efficient route from point A to B.
how does a router work
- Reads the data’s destination address
- Looks up in the table all the paths to get to that address
- Checks how busy each possible path is
- Sends it along the best/fastest path
what is a switch
connects together a series of devices to form a network and allows for data and resources to be shared using their mac
how does a switch work compared to a hub
A switch has a table storing the addresses of every device connected to it which means it can make a network fun faster as it only sends the data to the device its meant for.
what is a hub
connects many devices together - receives data packets and sends them to all devices
what is bad about a hub
Hubs have no knowledge of the devices connected. That means that all packets of data that arrive at the hub are transmitted to all connected computers
what is a network interface card
a piece of hardware that connects a computer to a network
what a NICs given
a mac address
what is a mac address
a permanent number that identifies that network card. It is unique to that device and will not change.
how does a wireless access point work
In effect, the WAP creates its own wireless network, which devices connect to. The WAP then sends the wireless traffic it receives on to the main wired network.
what is a modem
allows data to be sent using the telephone network, it converts signals from analogue to digital
