Hub, switch, router

A hub is a central nodal point for star-shaped computer networks. These networks come into being when several computers are linked with an RJ-45 cable and the hub.

A switch is a hub that specifically regulates communication within a network. In contrast to a hub, which transmits a network request to all stations, the switch establishes a connection between two specific stations. Moreover, it simultaneously allows data to be sent and received at maximum speed, which increases the overall performance of the network.

A wireless access point is nothing more than a wireless hub that communicates with different recipients and receivers by radio (instead of the RJ-45 cable). When a wireless network is set up, the different stations do not establish a wireless connection with each other, but rather with the access point. The wireless access point also functions as a bridge between the wired and the wireless stations.

A router, however, is a device that can interconnect two independent networks. Home users most often use it as a link between the Internet and the local network. A router is only required if you want to connect several computers to the Internet via the same port. Put simply, the router remembers which computer requests which Internet address and transmits the reply to the respective computer. On the Internet, a network that is connected by a router appears as a computer.