what is the difference between router and hub?
do router have there own ip address? because my isp is design only for one computer...
Public Comments
1. A hub is typically the least expensive, least intelligent, and least complicated of the three. Its job is very simple: anything that comes in one port is sent out to the others. That's it. Every computer connected to the hub "sees" everything that every other computer on the hub sees. The hub itself is blissfully ignorant of the data being transmitted. For years, simple hubs have been quick and easy ways to connect computers in small networks.A router is the smartest and most complicated of the bunch. Routers come in all shapes and sizes from the small four-port broadband routers that are very popular right now to the large industrial strength devices that drive the internet itself. A simple way to think of a router is as a computer that can be programmed to understand, possibly manipulate, and route the data its being asked to handle.
2. Routers will distribute IP addresses to all computers on the network.
Your ISP doesn't design their hardware for ONE computer. What you have, most likely, is a line coming into your house with a modem on the end, and then there is a cable coming from that to your computer. If you plug in a router, and take the cable going from the modem to your computer into the WAN, or INTERNET (however it is labeled) in the router, and then take another ethernet cable from the router (in one of the # ports, 1,2,3,4,5 etc), into your computer, you can distribute your internet to multiple computers. Now, your router may need setup, ie: username and password for your internet etc, but your ISP will walk you through setting that up on the phone, or have one of their guys come do it for you.
Now a hub, just basically takes the traffic and just moves it to different machines, it doens't assign IP addresses. With a hub, there is more setup, and more risk of a collision, which, exactly as it is with cars, will stop everything, and your internet will most likely crash (for the computers downstream of the hub), until you reset the hub. Now, if you mean a Switch and not a hub, thats different (considering hubs are obsolete). a switch works downstream from a router, to assign more ip addresses in correlation with the router, and to allow more computer on the network.
I suggest you talk to your local computer store (not Future Shop, Staples, or Best Buy, they are not computer shops, they are box stores), to get more information and to talk to someone face to face on what you need. The problem with asking a question over the internet like this is you get information that is a little vague because we can't actually show you the stuff. And, no offence, but i don't think you are high in the technical skills because of the wording of the question, so i would go talk to someoen face to face.
I hope this helps, i wasn't trying to explain the entire thesis on a network to you, but explain what each one does. If you need help, feel free to email me.
DWilly92
3. Routers are Layer 3 devices meaning they make their decisions based on IP address and also chooses the bath path to transmit packets.
Hubs are layer 1 devices and they dont have no knowledge to where packets go to.They simply act as a point of interconnecting network end devices for broadcast transmissions.
4. Router is wireless. Hub is wired.
Routers automatically obtain their own IP Address unless it is set to manual.
