Networking Devices 101
Go just about anywhere and you can bet some sort of networking device is set up to integrate multiple users and merge their data into one centralized locale.
Retail stores will have POS systems that require connection to a main unit for updated price codes, and most business offices will employ some level of networking systems for both internal and external access. At home, network devices provide Internet connections and can support multiple users on a personal scale through their wireless feeds.
Depending on your network needs, different networking devices are available to suit them. For small office or home office use, your basic needs are a switch, router and possibly wireless connection.
The most common of these networking devices is called a hub, which is simple to use and very affordable.
Belkin 7-Port Hi-Speed USB 2.0 Hub: $28.99
A hub connects to individual computers through cable and forwards received data to all other devices connected to its ports. A smaller group can be suitably serviced by a hub with 4-5 ports, but the bigger the organization, the bigger its network needs. Therefore, logically, a large corporation with more users would require a high-capacity hub with more ports that can handle higher traffic. It’s also possible to link hubs to each other via an uplink port, which most have, to form a larger network.
Though similar in appearance and set up, switches have key performance advantages over hubs with their ability to double your bandwidth with a full-duplex connection, and to selectively forward data only to the connected port as opposed to flooding all the ports with received data.
D-Link 8 Port 10/100 Ethernet Switch: $24.95
To maximize the full-duplex connection, the switch is paired with an NIC (network interface controller). S witches thereby decrease network traffic and increase efficiency. But as with anything, higher efficiency usually equals a higher price tag, though prices have come down recently making them nearly comparable. Like the hub, switches can also be linked to one another to create larger networks.
Routers are commonly used to connect a local area network to an ISP over cable or DSL and make working on the Internet possible.
Cisco 851W Router: $258.06
True to their name, they route data to specific users in the network as determined by a unique user address and the best route to get it there, smartly avoiding busier sections until they lighten up. Depending on your organization’s size, you can determine how powerful your router should be.
And speaking of Internet usage, employing wireless access points, also called wireless routers, can unchain the desktop hostage and allow a person to access the network and continue working (or playing) from the couch, the backyard patio, the lunchroom, the boardroom, the poolside lounge chair, etc. Wireless is convenient for both home and office networking.
Find at Smarter.com: Shop for these and other networking devices.
Source: InformIT, Computer Technical Tutorials
