Local Area Network Hardware (OCR GCSE Computer Science)

What hardware is needed to make up a local area network?

• Network hardware is a selection of essential components that enable the connectivity and communication of devices within computer networks
• You need to understand the purpose of the following network hardware:
  
  • Router
  • Wireless access point (WAP)
  • Switch
  • Network interface card (NIC)
  • Transmission media

What is a router?

• The router is responsible for routing data packets between different networks
• An example of data the router can direct is, sending internet traffic to the right devices in your home
• The router connects networks together, local area networks (LAN) to the wider internet which is a type of wide area network (WAN)
• The router can manage and prioritise data traffic, which can help to keep connections stable
• The router will assign IP addressed to the devices on the network

What is a wireless access point (WAP)?

• The Wireless Access Point (WAP) allows wireless devices to connect to a local area network (LAN)
• The WAP connects to a Switch or Hub via an Ethernet cable
• The WAP range is limited so the use of multiple Wireless Access Points can be used for complete coverage or a home/business

What is a switch?

• A Switch allows multiple wired devices to connect to a local area network (LAN)
• The Switch is an active device, which means it can inspect network data and route it to the correct device, thus reducing traffic on the network
• A Switch can contain extra Software to allow administration/configuration

What is a network interface card (NIC)?

• The Network Interface Card (NIC) is required for a computer to connect to a network
• A NIC can be both wired and wireless and allows your computer to send and receive data over a network

What is transmission media?

• Transmission media is the phrase used to describe the method of connecting a wired network
• There are 3 main types of transmission media used
  • Unshielded Twisted Pair (UTP)
  • Coaxial (Copper)
  • Fibre Optic

Unshielded twisted pair (UTP)

• A Twisted Pair cable is made up of insulated pairs of copper wires twisted around each other
• Twister Pair is Low Bandwidth and more affordable than the other two cables, so is commonly found in Local Area Networks (LAN)

Coaxial

• A coaxial cable is a medium bandwidth and more expensive than UTP
• Coaxial cables are used to connect large-scale networks such as telephone networks and digital cable/satellite television

Fibre optic

• A Fibre Optic cable, unlike the other two, is unaffected by electrical noise, making it the fastest in terms of data transfer
• Fibre Optic is High Bandwidth and the most expensive
• Fibre Optic is commonly used for high data volume networks and long-distance connections such as between cities/countries