Network Hardware
There are some key pieces of hardware in a network:
- Router
- Switch
- Cat 5 / Cat 6 cables
- Wireless Access Point (WAP)
- Network Interface Controller (in PC etc)
- You may also need a server (click here for network types)
At home the router, switch and WAP may be in the same 'box'
Router
- Joins two (or more) networks together
- Assigns IP addresses to devices on the network
- Splits data into packets (when sending), reads packet headers
- Decides which way to send the packet to the destination IP address (when receiving)
- Transmits data between network
Switch
- Connect devices in a network (eg a PC to a router)
- Receive data from one device and transmit it to another device (they use MAC addresses which are given to them at manufacture and are unique)
Cat 5 Cable \ Cat 6 (aka Ethernet Cable, RJ45 cable) This is simply the cable that connects a device to the router or switch. Cat 6 is newer than Cat 5 and has more bandwidth and less "cross talk" (electromagnetic interference caused by cables). This means data can travel faster and less of it is lost.
Wireless Access Point (WAP). This is basically a switch that allows you to access the network wirelessly
Router
Switch
Network Interface Controllers. These exist for both wired and wireless connections. They used to be separate "cards" but are now often integrated onto motherboards inside PCs, laptops, phones and other network capable devices. They allow the device to connect to the network - so for a wired NIC there is a "port" for the Ethernet cable.