<p style="text-align: justify; "><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 18px;"><b>1. Repeater:</b></span></p><p style="text-align: justify; "><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 14px;">Devices that amplify signals to ensure data transmission are called repeaters. A repeater receives a signal and before it gets attenuated or corrupted, it regenerates the original signal. We can use a repeater to extend the physical length of the LAN. A repeater only connects devices in the same LAN. Repeaters operate at the physical level of the OSI model and they deal with the actual physical signals.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify; "><span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Tahoma;"><b>2. Hub:</b></span></p><p style="text-align: justify; "><font face="Tahoma"><span style="font-size: 14px;">The general meaning of hub is any connecting device. It is specifically a multiport repeater. Hub is normally used for connecting stations in a star topology. It acts as a central location for all the nodes/stations. A hub organizes the cables and relays signals to other media segments. There are three main types of hubs:</span></font></p><ol><li style="text-align: justify;"><font face="Tahoma"><span style="font-size: 14px;">Passive hub</span></font></li><li style="text-align: justify;"><font face="Tahoma"><span style="font-size: 14px;">Active hub</span></font></li><li style="text-align: justify;"><font face="Tahoma"><span style="font-size: 14px;">Intelligent hub</span></font></li></ol><p style="text-align: justify;"><font face="Tahoma"><span style="font-size: 18px;"><b>3. Bridges:</b></span></font></p><p style="text-align: justify; "><font face="Tahoma"><span style="font-size: 14px;">The bridge is the device that creates a single aggregate network from multiple communication networks or network segments. This function is known as network bridging. A bridge can operate in the physical layer as well as in the data link layer of the OSI model. It can join two separate computer networks. It can regenerate the signal that it receives and it can check the physical (MAC) address of the source and destination. The major difference between the repeater and the bridge is that the bridge has a filtering capacity. There are four types of bridges:</span></font></p><ol><li style="text-align: justify;"><font face="Tahoma"><span style="font-size: 14px;">Simple bridges</span></font></li><li style="text-align: justify;"><font face="Tahoma"><span style="font-size: 14px;">Multipoint bridges</span></font></li><li style="text-align: justify;"><font face="Tahoma"><span style="font-size: 14px;">Transparent bridges</span></font></li><li style="text-align: justify;"><font face="Tahoma"><span style="font-size: 14px;">Source routing bridges</span></font></li></ol><p style="text-align: center;"><img src="/media/django-summernote/2022-10-06/9f9571e6-2e5c-4fab-b334-88783551cf46.webp" style="width: 493.5px; height: 219.903px;"><font face="Tahoma"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><br></span></font></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><font face="Tahoma"><span style="font-size: 18px;"><b>4. Router:</b></span></font></p><p style="text-align: justify; "><font face="Tahoma"><span style="font-size: 14px;">The router is a networking device that forwards data packets. It performs the traffic directing function on the internet. The two important functions performed by the routers are the determination of path and packet forwarding. Routers work at the network layer of the OSI model. Types of routers are:</span></font></p><ol><li style="text-align: justify;"><font face="Tahoma"><span style="font-size: 14px;">Wired routers</span></font></li><li style="text-align: justify;"><font face="Tahoma"><span style="font-size: 14px;">Wireless routers</span></font></li><li style="text-align: justify;"><font face="Tahoma"><span style="font-size: 14px;">Core and Edge routers.</span></font></li><li style="text-align: justify;"><font face="Tahoma"><span style="font-size: 14px;">Virtual routers</span></font></li><li style="text-align: justify;"><font face="Tahoma"><span style="font-size: 14px;">Broadband routers</span></font></li></ol><p style="text-align: justify;"><font face="Tahoma"><span style="font-size: 18px;"><b>5. Gateways:</b></span></font></p><p style="text-align: justify; "><font face="Tahoma"><span style="font-size: 14px;">A gateway is a connecting device that connects two dissimilar networks. Gateways can connect systems with different communication protocols, languages, and architecture. The gateway can operate through all seven layers of the OSI model and all five layers of the internet model.</span></font></p><p style="text-align: justify; "><font face="Tahoma"><span style="font-size: 18px;"><b>6. Switches:</b></span></font></p><p style="text-align: justify; "><font face="Tahoma"><span style="font-size: 14px;">A switch is a device that provides bridging functionality with greater efficiency. A switch acts as a multiport bridge to connect devices on LAN. It connects devices using packet switching to receive, process, and forward data to the destination. Switches generally operate in the data link layer but some switches do operate at the network layer also. Types of switches are:</span></font></p><ol><li style="text-align: justify;"><font face="Tahoma"><span style="font-size: 14px;">Store - and - forward switch</span></font></li><li style="text-align: justify;"><font face="Tahoma"><span style="font-size: 14px;">Cut-through switch</span></font><br></li></ol>