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Home > Archive > alt.certification.a-plus > March 2003 > router or hub?
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| Feejis 2003-03-30, 9:23 am |
| I am just wondering the difference between the two when it comes to sharing a
DSL or Cable Modem connection. Don't both a router and hub allow you to share
DSL or Cable? Why would you buy one over the other? Can you share resources
using a router? Thank you!
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| hootnholler 2003-03-30, 9:23 am |
| Hey Feejis,
A hub connects 2 or more computers via ethernet. A router connects 2 or
more computers via ethernet, plus has a connection to a wan (bridge) and
sometimes to a printer (print server).
To share cable or dsl via hub: You would need to setup one machine as a
proxy server to the net, usually involves putting 2 Nic's into this pc. One
for the internet connection, the other for the hub connection. The second
pc uses the first pc to access the internet. The first pc 'routes' all
traffic to the second pc, when the second pc asks for info off the net. All
resources can be shared, depending on configuration.
To share cable or dsl via router: Connect both pc's to the router, which in
essence, acts as a hub between the 2 for resources. The 2 pc's will access
each other, the same as a hub. Then, you add your broadband connection to
the router. The router is then assigned an ip address, and each pc is
assigned an ip address. When pc 1 asks for information from the wan/net
(router knows this by ip address) it sends the packet out with the router ip
address, retrieves the information, then 'routes' back to the pc 1 ip
address. The same works for pc 2.
This is a very simplistic setup, but hopefully explains your question. Some
people call all routers a 'hardware firewall' due to the fact that all
packets have to run through the router. The same can be said for pc1 in the
hub setup. But, newer technology on routers have made them better, due to
packet filtering, etc... The definitions are usually used freely, since a
pc can act as a router, etc.. it does not need to be a little black box. It
depends on the configuration.
Hoot
"Feejis" <feejis@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20030330092822.00564.00000079@mb-ce.aol.com...
> I am just wondering the difference between the two when it comes to
sharing a
> DSL or Cable Modem connection. Don't both a router and hub allow you to
share
> DSL or Cable? Why would you buy one over the other? Can you share
resources
> using a router? Thank you!
| |
| Ghost 2003-03-30, 10:23 am |
| In article <20030330092822.00564.00000079@mb-ce.aol.com>, feejis@aol.com
(Feejis) wrote:
> I am just wondering the difference between the two when it comes to sharing a
> DSL or Cable Modem connection. Don't both a router and hub allow you to share
> DSL or Cable? Why would you buy one over the other? Can you share resources
> using a router? Thank you!
Two differnet animals- entirely.
A Router connects two different networks.
A Hub as a method of mutiple computers using the same network.
In the case of a Router connecting to DSL or Cable, more commonly it is
not really a full "router" but rather a "Residential Gateway"- but it is
called a Router none-the-less. The difference is meaningless for this
application.
If you hook up a hub to your Cable or DSL transceiver (not really a modem,
either)- you will not be able to share the connection between computers
unless special arrangements are made with the provider for multiple IP
addresses (and more $$$).
The Router (or Residential Gateway) takes that single IP address coming in
and allows you to share it with many computers on the network.
Many Residential Gateways are hybrid units, also inclduing either 4 or 8
ports in either a hub or switch configuration, which allow the same unit
to perform both functions.
Netgear also adds yet another function to the same 4 port and 8 port
residential gateway- a basic firewall. As far as I know, NetGear is the
ONLY unit that provides a firewall in the same unit.
| |
| Barry Watzman 2003-03-30, 11:23 am |
| While a switch and a hub are somewhat similar, a router is a totally
different device than either of them. Also, you should understand, that
the device that you are calling a "router" is actually a router and a
switch in the same box.
It would be just about impossible to quickly or easily explain the
differences here, but a router [and here I mean router in the true sense
of the word and not the retail product sense [where router = router +
switch in the same box] is a very complex device and very different from
a switch or hub.
For your purpose, to share a DSL or cable connection, you need both a
router and a switch (which the "retail" routers will give you,
pre-configured in a single package). It is possible to share such a
connection with only a switch or hub and no router, but doing so in this
manner will require a separate, unique public IP address for each
computer on the network, while doing it with a router will accomplish
the taske with only a single public IP address. Although your cable
company will provide you multiple public IP addresses if you want to go
that way, they will probably charge you an additional fee ($10 per month
is typical) each month for each public IP address. Also, even if money
is no object, if you go this route (no router and separate public IP
addresses for each computer), you system will be FAR more vulnerable to
attacks and hacks than if you had used a router.
Please note, as I've said several times, that the "retail" routers are
actually routers and switches in the same physical box. Your computers
don't connect directly to the router part, rather they connect directly
to the switch part only, and yes, you can share resources. Within the
retail router, the switch (and only the switch) connects to the router,
but this is all internal to the device.
Feejis wrote:
> I am just wondering the difference between the two when it comes to sharing a
> DSL or Cable Modem connection. Don't both a router and hub allow you to share
> DSL or Cable? Why would you buy one over the other? Can you share resources
> using a router? Thank you!
| |
| The PC Guy 2003-03-31, 9:23 pm |
| Hello:
Another way to look at it is how many IP addresses the broadband
provider is willing to give you.
Some providers only let you have one IP address under the basic package
and will charge you more for additional IPs.
If this applies to you, then a router is what you want to use. With a
router, you have just a single IP address connected to the Internet. The
Internet never sees your internal IP addresses.
If you use a hub, each computer on the network will need to have its own
IP address on the Internet.
If your provider charges by the IP address, this can get expensive.
--
regards,
bruce
The PC Guy
Bruce Von Deylen
South Bend, Ind. USA
Serving the computer impaired in northern
Indiana and southwest lower Michigan
E-mail: brucevd<at>michiana<dot>org
"Barry Watzman" <Watzman@neo.rr.com> wrote in message
news:3E872694.80201@neo.rr.com...
> While a switch and a hub are somewhat similar, a router is a totally
> different device than either of them. Also, you should understand, that
> the device that you are calling a "router" is actually a router and a
> switch in the same box.
>
> It would be just about impossible to quickly or easily explain the
> differences here, but a router [and here I mean router in the true sense
> of the word and not the retail product sense [where router = router +
> switch in the same box] is a very complex device and very different from
> a switch or hub.
>
> For your purpose, to share a DSL or cable connection, you need both a
> router and a switch (which the "retail" routers will give you,
> pre-configured in a single package). It is possible to share such a
> connection with only a switch or hub and no router, but doing so in this
> manner will require a separate, unique public IP address for each
> computer on the network, while doing it with a router will accomplish
> the taske with only a single public IP address. Although your cable
> company will provide you multiple public IP addresses if you want to go
> that way, they will probably charge you an additional fee ($10 per month
> is typical) each month for each public IP address. Also, even if money
> is no object, if you go this route (no router and separate public IP
> addresses for each computer), you system will be FAR more vulnerable to
> attacks and hacks than if you had used a router.
>
> Please note, as I've said several times, that the "retail" routers are
> actually routers and switches in the same physical box. Your computers
> don't connect directly to the router part, rather they connect directly
> to the switch part only, and yes, you can share resources. Within the
> retail router, the switch (and only the switch) connects to the router,
> but this is all internal to the device.
>
>
> Feejis wrote:
> > I am just wondering the difference between the two when it comes to
sharing a
> > DSL or Cable Modem connection. Don't both a router and hub allow you to
share
> > DSL or Cable? Why would you buy one over the other? Can you share
resources
> > using a router? Thank you!
>
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