What's the difference between a Hub, a Switch and a Router?

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Only if you plan to hang a hundred machines off of it, or there's going to be a LOT of machine-to-machine network traffic. In those cases a switch might be preferable. But in the common case either will do quite nicely.

I have a real quick question. I have a DSL connection (with multiple IPs), and I don't want/need to connect the computers through a router. I have been using a 4-port 10/100 hub for a couple of years, without a problem. When I watch the hub, the collision light does go off quite often, but I am not sure what effects they really have on the individual computers. My question is, for 4 computers connected to a DSL connection, whould I change it from a hub to a switch? Thanks.

Unless the collision light is pegged all the time, or unless you're noticing a bottleneck copying computer to computer, I wouldn't worry. The DSL speed itself is your limitting factor, and collisions are inevitable.

Hi there,

I was wondering if you could help. I am rather confused. My computer is connected to the internet through a cable connection not DSL. Now i want to connect a second computer so we can share the interent. Also i only have one IP address. Do I need to use a hub or a router? Which one is better? I mean they all seem to be doing the same thing..

Thanks, Evi.

You'll want a router. Did you read the article? It explains the differences - if something was unclear there do let me know so I can improve it.

Hey Leo, great job on clearing this up for me. But one thing is still confusing. Most routers I am looking at say they have a "built in" 4 port or 8 port switch. Does this mean I will not be getting "true" routing function out of these routers? Or, does it mean that in addition to routing, it acts as an internal network switch? Also, wouldnt that mean, I can go get a single port router, and a 16 port switch and hook them together and it will funtion just like a 16 port router? Thanks!

It means in addition to routing you get switching. It's kind of a sales ploy, because really when I think routing it includes switching, but as the article points out the terminology is subject to enough interpretation that it's certainly clearer to say that the router "includes" switching.

And as to your 16 port router ... yes, sorta. The simple router scenario that we think of in the home with a broadband router can certainly be made to happen as you describe ... with a small router and a larger switch. In reality, commercial routers can do a lot more that most of us don't care about. So I'd just be careful - you're building a 16 port router, of sorts, just not a true, commercial, 16 port router. If that makes any sense.

Hi Leo this is some valuable information. However you failed to state what a hub switch and router are capable of. Now I will ask you this question because maybe I have been lead to beleive something that is not true. I have always been told that if you are attempting to set up a basic network a hub will work great with the same explanation you have in your article however the tech guys have always added a hub will not allow you to share internet. They have told me a switch will and with you same discription above in you article they add that it will allow you to share the internet. Now I have always beilieved this till now when you didn't mention anything about this. Whats funny about this though is I have tried using a hub to share a cable connectionit didn't work for more than what the techs told me it would. And the switch did. So is this true?

SO MUCH depends on the specifics of your situation. A hub can easily share the internet if your ISP gives you multiple IP addresses, for example. A switch *might* in some cases (though I can only think of some rather obscure scenarios), but in reality it's a router that does the job for true sharing of a connection to the internet.

The other problem, of course, is terminology. As I mentioned in the article, the terms "hub, switch, router" and even "gateway" are all used and missused by many people. To me it sounds like you're working with a router, not a switch.

I have two remote sites connected to the same DSL modem. Each is 300' away from the modem. At the modem, I have a router. I can use the internet at either remote site, with one computer.

Question 1: To add wireless at the remote sites, can I just get additional wireless routers for them?

Question 2: To use more than one computer at the remote sites, would I need a switch because of the distance? or would a hub do?

Thanks

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