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Flip to reveal answersWhat is the difference between a switch and a router?
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All 5 Flashcards — Network devices
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Question
What is the difference between a switch and a router?
Answer
A switch moves traffic within one network, delivering each frame to the device it is addressed to; it cannot read IP addresses. A router moves traffic between networks, reading the destination IP address to choose the next hop.
Question
What does a gateway do?
Answer
Joins two networks that use different protocols, translating between them so traffic can cross. A plain router only forwards; a gateway also converts.
Question
What do a modem, a NIC and a wireless access point each do?
Answer
A modem converts between the network's digital signal and what the physical line carries. A NIC connects one machine to the network. A wireless access point lets devices join the LAN over radio instead of cable.
Question
Which TCP/IP layers do network devices work at?
Answer
Network access: switches, network interface cards, wireless access points and modems, handling frames and bits inside one network. Internet: routers and gateways, reading IP addresses to choose routes.
Question
What does a hardware firewall do?
Answer
Sits where the network meets the outside world and inspects traffic against its rules, blocking anything forbidden — on outgoing traffic as well as incoming.
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Topic 2.1 hub
Network fundamentals
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