Hub or Switch or Router?

The hubs and switches are great for creating a LAN (well, switches, as hubs are extinct in my opinion). The connection between the computers is stable and the transfer rates are high (the dual-speed hubs supported speeds of even 100Mb). The trouble with the hubs is that you cannot connect two computers to the Internet with it. You will also need another network adapter installed on one of the computers in order to get the Internet connection from the modem. This way, the computer with the Internet connection will function as a gateway for the other one and share the WAN connection.

The same happens with network switches. They also need a gateway for Internet connection sharing. The difference is that while hubs operate using a broadcast model (in a larger network, when two computers communicate with each other, the hub will pass through all the traffic of the network), switches can determine the individual traffic and send the data only to the computer that needs it. This is because of the virtual circuit model used. To put it simpler, switches do not have a big mouth and keep the “conversation” between the computers involved.

In the case of the switches, the data packets are inspected the minute they are received in order to detect the source and destination. After the sender and receiver have been established, the switch will forward the packets accordingly.

Routers represent the smartest way of connecting an entire LAN to the Internet. You need no supplementary network cards (it is a layer 3 gateway itself) and it is highly configurable for protecting your LAN.

Nowadays, routers provide DHCP and proxy support. More than this, the routers offer integrated firewalls for protecting your LAN. A huge step in networking has been made with routers. This is the most convenient device to connect the home network to the Internet without much hassle. All you need is some minimum information from your ISP (global IP address, DNS, gateway address) and you are done.

And as most ISPs have DHCP servers, all this data will be appended to your router automatically without you making any modification.

The features incorporated in the router include creating DMZs (demilitarized zones – a network between LAN and WAN) which is a great way of protecting the data in the SOHO network. Illegal access to your network stops in the DMZ and there will be no damage.

As switches and routers have very close prices, in SOHO networks it is simpler to have the computers directly connected to a router. With the expansion of Wi-Fi technology and the incorporated access points in the routers, things are getting less and less complicated and setting up a home network has become a trivial task.