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ICT1532

1. Hardware devices that are used to connect computers, printers, fax machines and other
electronic devices to a network are called network devices. These devices transfer data in
a fast, secure and correct way over same or different networks. Network devices may be
inter-network or intra-network. Some devices are installed on the device, like NIC card or
RJ45 connector, whereas some are part of the network, like router, switch, etc.

Discuss the following network devices:

(a) Modem

is hardware device that converts data from a digital format, intended for

communication directly between devices with specialized wiring, into one
suitable for a transmission medium such as telephone lines or radio. Digital
signals are converted into an analog format suitable for transmission through
analog carriers and then restored to digital format on the receiving end. The two
main types of modems you will encounter are cable modems and dial-up
modems.

(b) RJ45 Connector

an 8-pin connector used by twisted pair cables in networking. The "RJ" in RJ45 stands for
"registered jack," since it is a standardized networking interface.  It looks similar to a
telephone jack but is slightly wider. Since Ethernet cables have an RJ45 connector on
each end, Ethernet cables are sometimes also called RJ45 cables.

(c) Ethernet Card

device that computers use to transmit and receive signals between each other. It
is card that plugs into a slot on the motherboard and enables a computer to
access an Ethernet network (LAN).

(d) Router

is a networking device that forwards data packets between computer networks.

Routers perform the traffic directing functions on the Internet. Data sent through
the internet, such as a web page or email, is in the form of data packets. A packet
is typically forwarded from one router to another router through the networks
that constitute an internetwork until it reaches its destination node.
(e) Routing table

is a data file in RAM that is used to store route information about directly connected and
remote networks. Nodes can also share the contents of their routing table with other
nodes. The primary function of a router is to forward a packet toward its
destination network, which is the destination IP address of the packet. To do this,
a router needs to search the routing information stored in its routing table. The
routing table contains network/next hop associations. These associations tell a
router that a destination can be optimally reached by sending the packet to a
specific router that represents the next hop on the way to the final destination.
Routing tables are differentiated into three: static routing, default routing and
dynamic routing.

(f) Switch

is networking hardware that connects devices on a computer network by using

packet switching to receive and forward data to the destination device.
Switches manage the flow of data across a network by transmitting a received
network packet only to the one or more devices for which the packet is intended.

(g) Gateway

a piece of networking hardware used in telecommunications for telecommunications

networks that allows data to flow from one discrete network to another. Gateways are
distinct from routers or switches in that they communicate using more than one
protocol to connect a bunch of networks and can operate at any of the seven layers of
the open systems interconnection model.

(h) Wi-Fi Card

A Wi-Fi adapter that plugs into a computer. For desktop computers, Wi-Fi may be added
via a PCI card or USB. For older laptops, Wi-Fi is added via USB or a PC Card.