# what exactly does a "switch" do?



## Easy Rhino (Jan 23, 2008)

what exactly does a "switch" do?


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## Namslas90 (Jan 23, 2008)

Try here.


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## Easy Rhino (Jan 23, 2008)

Namslas90 said:


> Try here.



ahhh k, so im guessing there is no real reason to have a switch for a home network?


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## Polaris573 (Jan 23, 2008)

Easy Rhino said:


> ahhh k, so im guessing there is no real reason to have a switch for a home network?



If you have a home router it already has a built in switch.  However, if you need more ports your better off buying another switch rather than a hub since they're roughly the same price.


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## Easy Rhino (Jan 23, 2008)

Polaris573 said:


> If you have a home router it already has a built in switch.  However, if you need more ports your better off buying another switch rather than a hub since they're roughly the same price.



excellent. it was like you read my mind!


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## Completely Bonkers (Jan 24, 2008)

If you have a switch you cannot snoop traffic that's passing through. With a hub you can.  Hubs are therefore still attractive for logging and/or hacking and/or anti-hacking. Often a hub is put "upstream" so an administrator can have a look at whats going in-out of the WAN port or network bridge.


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## Pinchy (Jan 24, 2008)

Completely Bonkers said:


> If you have a switch you cannot snoop traffic that's passing through. With a hub you can.  Hubs are therefore still attractive for logging and/or hacking and/or anti-hacking. Often a hub is put "upstream" so an administrator can have a look at whats going in-out of the WAN port or network bridge.



But a switch is a lot faster as it is full duplex.

You wont often get a hacker on your home wired network, unless your family hates you ...


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## erocker (Jan 24, 2008)

Pinchy said:


> But a switch is a lot faster as it is full duplex.
> 
> You wont often get a hacker on your home wired network, unless your family hates you ...



Lol, I wish we had "home networked" computers as a child!  Both of my brothers PC's would be useless!


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