Communications hardware

Question 1

Hubs

Answer 1

• connects any computers together
• broadcast input signal from one port to all other ports on the hub
• if there’s lots of traffic then the network packets will collide slowing down the network speed
• used to make a star network
• each computer needs its own cable directly to the hub

Question 2

Switch

Answer 2

• advanced form of network hub
• when message arrives, it transmits it to the destination device
• by switching the connection between ports, devices can make use of the full bandwidth without collisions

Question 3

Router

Answer 3

• will forward data packets between different computer networks
• reads the final destination address of the packet and then sets it to a router that is closer to the destination

Question 4

Modem

Answer 4

• Modulator Demodulator - device which modulates a computer’s digital signal into an analogue signal for transmission over an existing telephone line
• allows computers to connect to networks over long distance using the existing telephone networks
• dial-up modems operate at transmission speeds of about 60 kilo bits per second (very slow)

Question 5

Wireless access point

Answer 5

• uses wi-fi to connect
• cables don’t need to be laid, but does have security risks
• encryption can prevent outside users from reading the data packets
• wireless networks tends to be slower than wired ones