Network Hardware

Network Hardware:

Network hardware directs the flow of data over the network channels.

Network Interface Card (NIC): It is a network adapter, a small circuit board designed to plug into an expansion slot on a computer motherboard, It accesses the physical media that link computers, receive packets from the network software, and transmits instructions and requests to other computers.

Network Hub: It is a device that joins communication lines together. There are two types of hubs viz, passive hub (which add nothing to the transmission) and an active hub (which may regenerate signals to boost strength as well as monitor activity).

Repeater: A device that amplifies or regenerates the data signals in order to extend the distance of a transmission.

Router: A device that examines the destination address of a message and selects the most effective route. It is used in complex networks where there are many pathways between users.

Bridge: A device that connects two networks of the same type together, a contrast with a gateway.

Gateway: A computer that inter-connects and performs the protocol conversion between two dissimilar types of networks, contrast with a bridge.

MODEM: A modulator and demodulator, a communication device that converts digital signals to A/F (audio frequency) tones, which are in the frequency range that the telephone lines can transmit and also convert the transmitted tones back to digital signals.ATM : Automated Teller Machine, a special purpose device with a keypad and display unit, connected to bank's computer in order to serve the remote financial transaction.