Difference Between Network Hub and Network Switch | STL | STL Blog

Hubs
and switches have their uses in a computer network. However, they
both have different mods of operation and produce different results.
If you have a small network, you may only need a hub. However, with
improved technology, switches are also available cheaply. In this
article, you will learn to tell the difference
between hub and switch
to help you choose one.

What
is a network hub?

A hub in computer networks is a networking device that operate at the Physical Layer of the OSI model and use electrical orbit signals to communicate. It is a common connection point for different computers to create a network.

Source:
A Network Hub

Types
of Network Hub

Two
types of
network hubs exist.

Active
Hub:
These hubs have their power supply; they can clean, improve and
relay the signal in the network. You can also use an
active hub
as a repeater or a writing centre. Using an active
hub,
you can also extend two or more nodes.
Passive
Hub:
You don’t need a separate power supply to operate this type of hub.
They get the power from another active
hub or
wiring node. They relay signals from the hubs to the network without
cleaning and boosting. In addition, you cannot use them as an
extension of nodes.

Features
of Network Hubs

A
hub has the following features that make it a helpful device in a
network.

It
can broadcast data and share bandwidth.
Hubs
have one broadcast domain and one collision domain.
In
the OSI model, hubs operate at the Physical Layer.
Using
hubs, you can not create a virtual LAN.
Hubs
can transmit in a half-duplex mode.
You
can not span tree protocol using a hub.

Advantages
and Disadvantages of a Hub

Advantages:

HUB
offers shared internet scalability. You can quickly extend a network
using a hub with shared bandwidth.
You
use HUB for monitoring a network.
HUBs
are simple and can provide backward compatibility with older
systems.
You
extend the total distance of a network using hubs.
Hubs
are not intelligent and are cheap.

Disadvantages:

HUB
provides only a half-duplex transmission mode, so you can only send
signals in one direction at a time.
You
can not get dedicated bandwidth by connecting to a HUB.
HUB
does not offer a mechanism to select the best path for data
transmission.
You
can not differentiate the devices connected to a HUB.
A
HUB only can create a small network.
HUB
cannot perform packet filtering. That means it cannot pass or block
data packets depending on the source and destination addresses.
HUBs
only have very few ports, about 4-12.
You
cannot use HUB as a repeater.

What
is a Network Switch?

A
switch is a network device that establishes and terminates a
connection based on the need. Switch operates on the Data Link layer
and connects various devices on a single computer network. In
addition, it can route information to the appropriate devices.

Source:
A Network Switch

Types
of Network Switches

The
types of switches are

Manageable
Switches:
You can manage these switches by setting and configuring IP
addresses using the console port.
Unmanageable
Switches:
You can not configure an unmanageable switch. It is not possible to
assign IP addresses to the switch.
LAN
Switches:
These switches allow connections to a company’s internal LAN and
reduce bottlenecks.
PoE
Switches:
These switches use power over ethernet technology to operate. They
can support power and data transfer on one cable.

Features
of a Switch

A
switch is a Data Link device of the OSI model and works with a fixed
bandwidth. It includes the following features.

Maintaining
a MAC address table to identifying the devices attached to the
switch
Creating
a virtual LAN
Working
as a multiport bridge
Having
24 to 48 ports to create an extensive computer network

Disadvantages
and Advantages of Switches

Advantages
of a Switch:

Switches
help reduce the size of broadcast domains; it will improve data
transfer efficiency.
You
can construct a Virtual LAN using switches by logical segmentation
of ports.
Switches
have a CAM table to store the MAC addresses of the devices
connected. So it can route the data to the appropriate MAC address.
Switches
support broadcast, unicast, or multicast.
You
can use a switch as a repeater.
Switches
have a large number of ports, around 24-48.
Switches
perform packet filtering.
Switches
allow a full duplex; that means it can simultaneously handle single
from both directions.

Disadvantages
of a Switch:

You
cannot efficiently limit broadcasts using a switch.
Communication
between VLAN requires VLAN routing, not supported by a switch.
Handling
multicast packages using a switch requires lots of configuration and
designing.
Systems
connected to hubs are more challenging to hack than those connected
to a switch.
Switches
are expensive as they are intelligent, therefore, complex.

Difference
Between a Network Hub and a Network Switch

Difference
between a hub and a switch in networking
based on specific characteristics.

Network
Hub

Network
Switch

Objective

Hubs
transfer signals to the ports in response to the signal received

Network
Switches
can start or terminate connections as required

Layer

Hubs
are at the physical layer of the OSI model

Switches
are at the data link layer

Transmission
Types

Hubs
can only broadcast the signals

Switches
can broadcast, multicast, or unicast

Ports

Hubs
have only 4-12 ports and are only suitable for small networks

Network
Switches
have 24-48 ports and are suitable for more extensive networks

Collision
Domain

Only
one collision domain exists in a hub

Every
port in a switch has a collision domain; this reduces the actual
collision

Transmission
modes

Hubs
use half-duplex transmission mode

Switches
use full-duplex transmission mode

Cost

Hubs
are cheap because they are simple

Switches
are intelligent and complex; hence they are costly

Types
of Data

Hubs
send electrical signal orbits

Switches
send data frames

Spanning
Tree

Hubs
don’t offer implementation of spanning tree protocol

You
can implement spanning trees using switches. Spanning trees are
essential for path-finding algorithms

Memory

Hubs
can’t store MAC addresses

Switches
can store MAC addresses and can filter data accordingly

FAQ

In
what form does a Hub transmit data?
1. A
  Hub transmits data in the form of binary bits of electrical
  signals. When the hub receives a data packet at one of the ports,
  it sends it as electrical signals to all the other ports. However,
  a switch transmits data in the form of data frames. A switch can
  examine the data frames, figure out the MAC address, and send them
  to the appropriate device.
Do
Hubs have IP addresses?
1. No
  Hub is not an intelligent device; it does not have an IP address.
  The devices communicating via a hub do not see the hub. Therefore,
  you can not assign an IP address to a hub. Hubs only take data from
  one port and send it to all the other ports through electrical
  signals. It doesn’t interpret the signals and cannot understand
  what it’s sending. And without understanding the contents of these
  signals, a device can not have an IP address.
Which
layer of the OSI Model does a switch belong to?
1. A
  switch belongs to the Data Link layer of the OSI or Open System
  Interconnection model. It can understand MAC addresses, so it
  doesn’t have to operate at a physical layer like a hub. But a
  switch does not understand IP addresses, so it can not be at the
  network layer. A switch only concerns MAC addresses and links data
  with the correct device.
What
is the difference between a switch and a router?
1. A
  router connects various networks, while a switch connects multiple
  devices in a network. They also operate at different OSI layers. A
  router is a network layer device; a switch
  in computer networks
  is a data link layer networking
  device.
  In a router, data packets collide less frequently than in a switch.
  Moreover, a router is NAT compatible, and a switch is not. The
  router is more expensive than a switch as the level of complexity
  increases in a router.