In information technology, what is the difference between a hub and a router? A hub is a device that connects multiple computers, usually through a local area network (LAN). It cannot tell one computer apart from another, and passes all information from all of its ports to all of the others. When two computers try to send data at the same time, collision occurs. A router, on the other hand, filters data before it sends it to all devices in the network.
In information technology, a hub is a device that connects computers on a local area network (LAN). It has multiple ports and computers plug into one of these ports. Data frames arriving at one port are broadcast to all of the hub’s other ports. A switch is another type of device. It uses packet switching to transmit data from one computer to another. A hub is the simplest of the three.
Essentially, a router and switch function by reading the header of incoming packets to determine the best route. Both devices may perform filtering or encapsulation. A hub is not an intelligent device, but it can have an amplifier or repeater. A switch passes a message to a selective device, which inspects its IP address and determines a routing path. A router can read the MAC or IP address of a message and send it to the device it is intended for.
