Advantages and disadvantages of Repeater

Repeater could also be a network device that retransmits the data from the sender to the receiver side of the network. The Incoming data are often within the type of wireless, electrical signals, and optical signals. The Repeaters transfer the data through an outsized area distance. 

The transmission of signals makes them somewhat weaker and. This process is known as Attenuation. Repeater could also be a quite networking device that accepts incoming signals from routers and strengthen them so that the signals are often retransmitted to the devices. A touch sort of a hub too works at the physical layer of the OSI model.  

Generally there are 3 kinds of repeaters. Those are the phone repeater, radio repeater and optical repeater. Repeaters are especially useful when signals are being distorted because of transmission loss.

Advantages of Repeaters :

1. Cost –
   The cost of repeaters is less than compared to the other network. They’re going to be purchased at minimal expense. However, that does not deny the actual fact that it requires other kinds of expenses. One such is that the utilization of electricity.
   
2. Network Performance –
   Repeaters don’t always depend on a processing overhead. So that’s why the performance of the system is also affected.
   
3. Enhance Signal –
   Whenever a computer and a router is placed far apart, it’ll end in weak signals. Repeater has the potential to strengthen signals so as that they are often retransmitted much stronger with better performance.
   
4. Network Extend –
   Other than enhancing signals, repeaters has the facility to extend the length of the transmission. It means it can extend the whole distance covered by the network albeit it is a wired or a wireless medium.
   
5. Physical Barriers –
   Physical hurdles may lead to the weakening the overall signals of wireless connectivity. Employing a wireless repeater, these impacts are often reduced so as that there will be an assurance that signals are getting to be delivered to the computers.
   
6. Media Support –
   In repeaters, networks are often connected for reception and transmission using various physical media. The foremost popular kind of media is that the cables.

Disadvantages of Repeaters :

1. Network Traffic –
   Repeaters are unable to segment network traffic. Hence, they lack the potential to reduce congestion also as network traffic.
   
2. Specification – 
   Repeaters are also unable to connect networks of varied architectures. For this purpose, either a gateway or a router is required.
   
3. Number of Repeaters –
   There is a restriction on the number of repeaters that can be implemented on a selected network. If more of them are deployed, it’ll create noises on the wire and increase the possibilities of packet collision.
   
4. Network Segmentation –
   Repeaters don’t have the potential to segment the network. It cannot create separate traffic from one cable to a special.
   
5. Collision Domain –
   The Repeaters cannot separate the devices as all the information is passed to several domains. Moreover, repeaters cannot identify if it is a neighborhood of the same collision domain.
   
6. Bandwidth Usage –
   This repeater transfers the signals in both the direction between the router and the computer. After the stable connection, the bandwidth gets halved