Local Area Network Hardware


Local Area Network Hardware

What hardware is needed to make up a local area network?

  • Network hardware is a selection of essential components that enable the connectivity and communication of devices within computer networks

  • You need to understand the purpose of the following network hardware:

    • Router

    • Wireless access point (WAP)

    • Switch

    • Network interface card (NIC)

    • Transmission media

What is a router?

  • The router is responsible for routing data packets between different networks

  • An example of data the router can direct is, sending internet traffic to the right devices in your home

  • The router connects networks together, local area networks (LAN) to the wider internet which is a type of wide area network (WAN)

  • The router can manage and prioritise data traffic, which can help to keep connections stable

  • The router will assign IP addressed to the devices on the network

router

What is a wireless access point (WAP)?

  • The Wireless Access Point (WAP) allows wireless devices to connect to a local area network (LAN)

  • The WAP connects to a Switch or Hub via an Ethernet cable

  • The WAP range is limited so the use of multiple Wireless Access Points can be used for complete coverage or a home/business

wap-

What is a switch?

  • A Switch allows multiple wired devices to connect to a local area network (LAN)

  • The Switch is an active device, which means it can inspect network data and route it to the correct device, thus reducing traffic on the network

  • A Switch can contain extra Software to allow administration/configuration

switch

What is a network interface card (NIC)?

  • The Network Interface Card (NIC) is required for a computer to connect to a network

  • A NIC can be both wired and wireless and allows your computer to send and receive data over a network

nic-

What is transmission media?

  • Transmission media is the phrase used to describe the method of connecting a wired network

  • There are 3 main types of transmission media used

    • Unshielded Twisted Pair (UTP)

    • Coaxial (Copper)

    • Fibre Optic

Unshielded twisted pair (UTP)

  • A Twisted Pair cable is made up of insulated pairs of copper wires twisted around each other

  • Twister Pair is Low Bandwidth and more affordable than the other two cables, so is commonly found in Local Area Networks (LAN)

Coaxial

  • A coaxial cable is a medium bandwidth and more expensive than UTP

  • Coaxial cables are used to connect large-scale networks such as telephone networks and digital cable/satellite television

Fibre optic

  • A Fibre Optic cable, unlike the other two, is unaffected by electrical noise, making it the fastest in terms of data transfer

  • Fibre Optic is High Bandwidth and the most expensive

  • Fibre Optic is commonly used for high data volume networks and long-distance connections such as between cities/countries


Worked example

One piece of network hardware is a router. State 3 tasks carried out by a router. [3]

To answer the question you must simply identify 3 tasks a router does.

1 mark each to max 3 e.g.

  • Receive packets

  • Forward/send packets

  • Maintain a routing table 

  • Identify the most efficient path to the destination / correct IP / correct location

  • Assign IP addresses to nodes / devices

  • Converts packets from one protocol to another