2006-12-16 21:12:36 · 4 answers · asked by Ricky Rock 2 in Computers & Internet ➔ Computer Networking
A hub works on the Ethernet level. It lets computers share an infrastructure. Each computer has an address (Ethernet Address). An analogy would be a street, with driveways connecting houses (computers) to the city streets (Ethernet Network).
A router works on another protocol level. It connects local networks to larger networks-of-networks (such as the Internet). It uses a completely different set of addresses (IP addresses). An analogy would be that you use your car to drive over the roads (the hub) to the nearest train station (router). There your car is placed on a train. The train is then using another kind of network (the Internet) to reach another station, your car is removed from the train and you travel the last part trough another city's streets (another Ethernet network, another hub).
Computers connected to the same Ethernet can have quite different IP addresses, and vice versa. The two have nothing to do with each other.
Sometimes, a hub and a router are integrated. Even though it is the same device, you'd better try and separate the different functionalities to understand what's happening.
2006-12-17 02:52:36 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
If you want to have a network between 2 or more computers you should use hub. With a router you can connect all computers on a network in the internet.
2006-12-16 21:30:35 · answer #2 · answered by Cyber707 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
A hub makes the connection between computers but a router distributes the bandwidth between connections without any PCs
2006-12-16 21:27:45 · answer #3 · answered by zandian_m 1 · 0⤊ 1⤋
hubs can work at both Layer 2 (MAC) and 3 (IP). Routers work at Layer 3.
Hubs are used to network computers on the same network. All the computers share the same network address. So if you wanted to network 4 computers to a 4-port hub you could set them up with IP addresses of 192.168.1.0-192.168.1.3
You can also communicate with other computers when connected to a hub just using MAC addressing.
Routers are used to separate computers on different networks. A computer on 192.168.1.0 needs to be connected to a router to communicate to a computer on the 192.168.2.0.
2006-12-16 21:28:13 · answer #4 · answered by lv_consultant 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋