Should I Use a Switch Or a Hub?
In order for computers to be able to talk to each other you need a piece of equipment that will enable them to form a network. You can use either a network hub or a network switch (along with an Ethernet cable and an Ethernet port). So which one is better to use- a hub or a switch? Let’s take a look at how they both operate. Data is sent from one computer to another in the form of a “packet.” There are three parts to every packet: the header, the payload, and the trailer. The header consists of some basic information, such as which computer sent the packet, where it needs to go, and how many packets are to be sent. The actual data being sent is referred to as the payload section. The trailer section comes last and tells the receiving computer that the end of the packet has been reached. It will also typically contain error checking, a feature which tells the sending computer to resend the packet if an error is found. A hub or a switch is used to send these packets to the right computer
