Router Vs Switch Vs Hub Vs Bridge Vs Gateway- Finding effective hardware for your connectivity needs

Router Vs Switch Vs Hub Vs Bridge Vs Gateway- Finding effective hardware for your connectivity needs

Networking hardware are a link that connects two electrical internet-enabled devices, mostly used in businesses, offices, companies and retail stores. In offices, you will find them connecting computers to other computers, or the routers to the computers, or the access points to other relevant devices like routers. They are a link designed to manage traffic thus enable a seamless flow of operations in a network when using the internet.

What are the differences between Router, Switch, Hub, Bridge, and Gateway

Hardware	Speed	No of Ports	Warranty	Action
Router	400Mbps-download speeds 867Mbps- upload speeds	5	2 years limited warranty	Check Price Here
Switch	48-Gbps switching capacity 35.7-Mpps forwarding capacity	24 Port PoE	90 day limited hardware warranty	Check Price Here
Hub	High speed- 480 Mbps, Full speed- 12 Mbps Low speed of 1.5 Mbps	4 USB 2.0 ports	Return before 30 days if faulty	Check Price  Here
Bridge	11mb per second	None	No	Check Price Here
Gateway	None	None	No	Check Price here

Router, Switch, Hub, Bridge, and Gateway- How do they compare?

Capacity

If you are planning a new Local Area Network (LAN) there is one vital thing that you have to keep in mind before you adopt networking hardware, and that is the capacity of your setup. What are your data capacity needs as regards your business requirements? And to get a clear picture of your network capacity planning, you must first consolidate all your existing resources, detailed with the current performance that you aim to achieve and the potential changes that you foresee as your business grows to large scale.

Wireless Routers have been equipped with the capacity of accommodating up to 250 devices, which utilize the same network, but when it comes to using a wired router then the narrative changes. Wire routers can’t accommodate many devices and can, therefore, only take on a maximum of four devices. A switch is also a networking device that uses packet switching to receive and forward data.

A switch connects devices to a computer network, the reason you have to ensure that it is of the right capacity for the pending duties. Switch capacity is the total data exchange capability measured in bps; we could also say that a switching capacity is the maximum amount of data capable of being transmitted between a switch interface processor or interface card.

Different types of the switch come with different numbers of ports, so to determine the capacity of your switch you will have to multiply the number of ports, by the rate of the port then multiply by 2 (No of ports x Rate of port x 2). When compared to the router, a switch also has a specified switching capacity that has to be observed if you are to achieve effectiveness.

When it comes to bridge capacity there is a slight difference when compared to a router and a switch. Ethernet bridges are believed to achieve their full capacity if a clear line of sight is provided between the antennas and can, therefore, work well over a distance of up to 10 miles. In networking the bridge works at layer 2 in the OSI model and its main function is to inspect incoming traffic and make a decision of either forwarding or filtering the information.

Gateway just like the other networking hardware allows data to flow from one discrete network to another; it, therefore, enables individuals to send data back and forth. Now when it comes to gateway capacity it mainly concerns coverage, and if the gateway is strategically positioned then the path length of the traveling traffic would be greatly reduced and consequently, gateway coverage would be improved.

Gateway positioning can be done in four different ways, the first one being the semi-mobile, where the gateway is only moved when necessary, we then have the mobile and independent, the mobile and the static, which is placed independent of the ongoing scenario. Important to note is that there are several issues that will possibly limit the moving of a gateway. And the most common one is the network availability that is either wired or wireless, the available sources of power, the terrain type and the physical gateway size.

The number of gateways used will also affect its performance capacity, for example, if you are using only one gateway then the connectivity with the external networks could be threatened in terms of coverage and liability. So if you use more gateways, you will enjoy a working connection to the access network increases and in the case that one gateway fails the nodes will easily send traffic through another gateway.

Hubs connect the segments of LAN, they are normally equipped with several ports, and so if one port receives a packet, it is immediately copied to other ports so that all segments of the LAN can see all the packets. You could, therefore, install a hub in every node, thus two capacity levels are provided for a hub, which are equal to 80 and 140 for node 5, and for node 6 that would be 60 and 100, and for the remaining nodes, it would be 50 and 100.

Position in relation to signal strength

Positioning your router to achieve the best signal strength is not exactly rocket science as all you have to ensure is that there are no obstacles, clear all sorts of interferences including noise, and adjust your router antenna. Wall and metal obstructions should be gotten rid of, then ensure that the router sits in a higher position in your home. And since routers broadcast with radio signals ensure that it is placed in a central location.

Achieving good signal strength with the hub is very easy, and isn’t very different from the rules that you follow when finding the best location for your router. So to get the best out of your hub, keep off the low lying areas like the floor, or the enclosed spaces such as the cupboard, and avoid thick walls that will most likely affect the signal by either breaking or distorting it.

The best place would, therefore, be to place it in a central location, on a high place like on a shelf or top of a table, when it comes to switching positioning then you will have to take a leave away from the norm because here it’s all about topology. And the network that utilizes the switch are the ones that have the true star topology, the latter are mostly utilized in home networks where the central location is the switch.

Switch positioning could either be layer 2 or 3, in the latter, packets will be forward between different networks and the layer 2 switch packets are forward to different segments but that is within a specific network. To get the most out of your gateway in terms of signal strength, it would be best if you positioned it in a central location.

Do not place it close to the floor but rather in an area with plenty of open space, where the device is mostly utilized. Electronic devices have also been known to interfere with the transmission of a gateway, therefore, ensure that it has been placed away from devices such as the microwaves, the Bluetooth speakers or the baby monitor.

And if you can find the best position to help achieve the best signal strength then you will have to invest in Wifi extenders and if the signal strengths still don’t pick up then check on your subscriber services, because your internet speeds are shared between different devices, and if you have a lot of devices then you might want to subscribe to a plan that offers more speeds.

Bridges are known to reduce network traffic on traffic and this they do by subdividing the network communications, and in terms of signal strength bridges also increase the signal bandwidth to individual nodes as fewer nodes normally share a collision domain and bridges reduce collision. The above is for the wired connections.

And when used in a home setting bridge positioning should be within the range of your wireless router’s signal and if you are using it with wired devices then ensure that it is within the length of the cable of the wired devices.

Fixed Antennas

Routers come equipped with antennas that are meant to help enhance coverage and signal strength. And the ones used at home especially are equipped with Omni directional antennas that emit radiations in a single plane. The direction of the radiations emitted is normally perpendicular to the direction with which you point your antenna.

Most Wi-Fi routers are thus equipped with two antennas that enable the radio to run in diversity mode, the best signal is then selected from either antenna thus offering better coverage in the process. You could, however, choose to use one antenna and disable the other as they are normally detachable.

The hub does not utilize an antenna, its job is to connect the devices in a network, the same goes for the bridge, the gateway and the switch, all of which work to connect different devices in a network and ensure seamless flow of information with minimal traffic.

Applications and other support systems

Routers need to be configured with an application before you could use them, but if it doesn’t come with an application then you could use the router’s browser-based user interface. All you need to do is connect your router to the PC using an Ethernet cable.

The networking switch, on the other hand, are available in two types, the managed and unmanaged, the former allows users to control the unit while unmanaged lets you plug and start running the devices in your network. The hub, on the other hand, is not the same as the router but no different with the switch, while some of the networking hardware would need an application before they start running.

While using a plug all you need to do is to plug the power adapter to the power outlet and power on the hub. The hub normally comes with a blue Ethernet cable that you will insert into one of the Ethernet ports at the back of the panel of your internet router. The other end of the blue Ethernet cable will then be plugged into the uplink port which is on the hub.

A bridge is used to expand the Local Area Network by joining two separate computers and enhancing communication. And to effectively install and use one you will have to initiate all the connections from your window 10 OS, then on the network connections option you will choose the network adapter option and the adapter that you want to use in the bridge connection, you will then right-click your selection and tap on the bridge connections.

Gateways are stopping points for data to or from other networks, remember that without the gateway then you wouldn’t benefit as much from the internet. A gateway could be a router, a server or a firewall or just a device designed to enable traffic to flow to and from the network. For example, we could say that a router is a gateway used in the home networks.

Internet Networking Hardware Range

Routers used for home networking are required to cover up to 46m while operating at 2.4GHz band, and when used outdoors the recommended range is 92 meters. So before you adopt a Wi-Fi router for your internet needs, choose one that will offer the best range, such as the Netgear Nighthawk x10, the Tp Link Archer C7, and the D-Link DIR 890L.

Networking switches normally have four or eight connections to the Ethernet devices and this are the consumer-grade switches, whereas the corporate switches have been designed to support up to 132 connections, the least being 32. And to cover a wider range switches could be connected to each other also known as the daisy-chaining method.

When it comes to the hubs they are available in three different types, passive, active and intelligent. Passive hubs have not been designed to regenerate or amplify incoming calls, before rebroadcasting them to the networks. They, therefore, don’t enhance the performance of the Local Area Networks and could also limit the maximum media distances.

An Ethernet bridge can work over a distance of up to 10 miles, to achieve the above, ensure to provide a clear line of sight between the antennas. And with the long-range Ethernet wireless system people can now securely extend their network range for more than a mile, the pre-configured system will connect automatically and begin to transmit to the electronic internet-connected devices.

Gateways are normally found in different IP addresses within the range; it is also found in the second IP address, from the end of the range, and the subnet address is found in the first is found on the first IP address in the range while the broadcast address is found on the last one in the range.

Structure and design

All the above networking hardware have different structural configurations, the router for starters has been made with four main parts, the first is the input port processors, then the output port processors, the switch controller, and the switching network. The router has been designed to forward data packets between computers

A networking switch, on the other hand, is a multiport network bridge known to utilize MAC addresses in forwarding data to layer 2 of the OSI model. Other switches are capable of forwarding data at layer 3 by additionally including routing functionality. The switch is designed to filter and forward network packets from one networking device to another.

Some of the switches are capable of processing data at layer 3 by combining the routing functions. Hubs are connection points for the devices in a network and are used to connect segments of a Local Area Network. Hub is made of multiple ports, and when a packet arrives at one of the ports, it gets copied to the other ports to enable other segments of the LAN to see all the packets.

The Networking Bridge like the other networking devices above is a device that provides interconnection with other networks that utilize the same protocol. They have thus been designed to work in a data link layer of the OSI model and here they connect two different networks while providing communication between them.

A networking gateway is a network node used mainly in telecommunications to connect two different networks with different transmission protocols together. Gateway has, therefore, been designed to be protocol converters that facilitate compatibility between two protocols and operate on any layer of the OSI.

Router, Switch, Hub, Bridge and Gateway- A Comparison Overview

The Router

The Linksys Tri-band router offers good coverage of up to 1,500 sq feet, of Wi-Fi coverage and it can, therefore, cater to 15 wireless devices. Users will also be able to enjoy 4K HD streaming, gaming, and browsing without necessarily encountering buffering problems.

Pros

• Supports NTFS, HSF + and FAT storage file system
• Easily works with the existing modem
• Supports multi wifi connections

Cons

• Best for use by beginner users

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The Switch

 

The Cisco switch is easy to set up even for novice users because of the incorporated intuitive mobile network management tools. And to perfectly match your needs the switch is customizable allows routing and offers a wireless solution thus accommodates every stage of your growing business.

Pros

• Equipped with a built-in security
• Saves time during set up
• Equipped with an extensive portfolio to help address the technical and budget requirements

Cons

• PoE port of the switch not very durable
• Brackets does not match the holes on the switch case

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Hub

The Sabrent hub has been equipped with four downstream ports that offer, high, full and low speeds. The unit features a very thin and simple design thus eats up less space and can easily fit into a traveling bag if you need it. You can also use it with a different operating system that is Windows 2000, XP, Vista, 7/8/8.1 and 10.

The unit can also work with Linux 2.4 or higher or Mac OS 9.1 or higher, the hub tends to work well with recent notebooks that come with a limited number of USB ports.

Pros

• The unit is user friendly as it doesn’t need to set up or installation
• The hub is compact thus occupies little space
• The Hub is backward compatible with 1.1 device and hosts

Cons

• Battery life is affected by the charger
• Ports do not work efficiently

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The Bridge

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The Linksys WET11 wireless Ethernet bridge can effectively work without drivers in macintosh, PlayStation 2 and windows. And to get it up and running, you can easily configure it on your web browser. What’s more, is that you can convert the wired Ethernet devices to wireless network connectivity.

Pros

• Offers wireless cable-free bridging
• Users can easily configure the unit through the web browser
• Can be returned within 30 days

Cons

• The unit at ties fails to work out the box
• Not durable

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Gateway

The one thing that makes Redlink a favorable option is that you can stay connected from anywhere and even better is that you will not have to pay for any monthly fee and you also get a free application download. The new update also enables users to remotely monitor and control their cooling and heating systems and you also get over 90 alerts via the total connect website.

Pros

• Ensures users stay connected
• Upgrade is done automatically
• Users can remotely monitor and control heating and cooling systems

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Conclusion

The most specific benefits of utilizing networking hardware is to enable faster communication, in data sharing, the hardware manages the data security. The above-discussed hardware devices have been designed to solve a myriad of networking issues, while others will exchange relevant information, some have been designed to offer faster internet speeds. Their job, therefore, is to ensure seamless networking among the various network-connected devices.

FAQ’s

1. Are there any key functionalities of an IoT gateway?

Yes there are key functionalities, one which is to support the multiple connectivity protocols

The unit needs to utilize local storage for backup in case of network failure

2. What is the difference between a gateway and a switch?

A switch is used to transmit packets between networking devices without using a gateway, the latter is, therefore, a hardware device that acts as a gate between two networks it may, therefore, be a server, router or firewall.