What Does Hub (Networking) Mean?
A hub, in the context of networking, is a hardware device that relays communication data. A hub sends data packets (frames) to all devices on a network, regardless of any MAC addresses contained in the data packet.
A hub, in the context of networking, is a hardware device that relays communication data. A hub sends data packets (frames) to all devices on a network, regardless of any MAC addresses contained in the data packet.
A switch is different than a hub in that it keeps a record of all MAC addresses of all connected devices. Thus, it knows which device or system is connected to which port. When a data packet is received, the switch immediately knows which port to send it to. Unlike a hub, a 10/100 Mbps switch will allocate the full 10/100 Mbps to each of its ports, and users always have access to the maximum bandwidth – a huge advantage of a switch over a hub.
Common types of hubs used in networking are network hubs, passive hubs, intelligent and switching hubs.