In the digital age, the requirement for businesses and organisations to continually develop their digital workspaces is ever increasing. Even home networks are beginning to get more complex.
This complexity can lead to issues when it comes to the day-to-day management of your network. For businesses that rely on their networks to generate the majority of their business, this can cause drastic consequences if not correctly structured.
On that note, for networks with growing complexity, there are plenty of solutions available such as;
A More Powerful Router
This is the obvious one. A more powerful router will enable your network to handle more devices by translating data messages into data signals more efficiently. This will then allow your router to handle more traffic.
Multiple technological advances make this possible. But generally speaking, the primary technical reason more powerful routers are more efficient is that they will use a 5.0GHz band (like the 802.11 ac standard). This is compared to older routers that will be stuck using the 2.4GHz band (like 802.11b and 802.11g standards).
The broader bandwidth will allow more translated data signals to be sent at once. It also means that more inbound data signals can be received. Crucially, it also means that both functions can co-exist simultaneously with higher speeds of transmission.
But sometimes a more powerful router is still not enough.
Switches And Their Role In Networking
For huge networks, such as office buildings, school networks, or server hosts, sometimes using a switch is more beneficial.
A switch is used to help build a more efficient network. It functions by connecting multiple devices to a network and effectively handling the inbound and outbound packets to and from those devices seamlessly. It is worth noting that a switch can also be called a bridging hub, switching hub, or MAC bridge among other names.
Switches can be essential to the smooth running of huge networks.
What Are The Pros And Cons Of Switches?
Switches function with their own central processing unit, power supply, fans, and additional tech that allows them to handle immense amounts of traffic to and from a network.
They have many advantages such as reducing the amount of work individual PC and MAC machines do for one. They also increase the overall performance of a network from a technical standpoint and increase the available bandwidth of a network.
It is also worth noting that they cause fewer frame collisions on a network due to how they function.
But as with any bit of tech, they have disadvantages too.
Switches are not as good as routers for limiting broadcasts, for example. They also introduce some security issues when in a promiscuous mode such as IP address spoofing. Due to the nature of how they function it also becomes difficult to ascertain the cause of connectivity issues within the network when they arise.
That being said, switches are certainly worth a look. Especially for large-scale networking requirements.
In terms of browsing for switches and other multi-device networking solutions, a good place to start is ETB Tech. They have a wide variety of models to choose from. You can click here to see what they have available to get started.
As a last note, it is important that when going down the switch route that you ensure that your switch is set up correctly. Part of their efficiency lies in how they are integrated into the network. With that said, happy networking!
Also Read: What is IoT and How the Internet of Things Works | Pros and Cons