Difference Between Hub and Repeater

A hub is defined as a network device that connects multiple devices coming from different branches into a single network whereas The repeater is defined as a device that is used to amplify and retransmit the signals of incoming packets to the other side of the segments. Let’s discuss them in detail in this article.

What is a Hub?

A hub is defined as a network device that connects multiple devices coming from different branches into a single network. Hub has many ports. It works at the physical layer of the OSI model. Hub is also known as a multiport repeater. The data packets that are received at the hub are directly forwarded to all the connected devices as the hub cannot filter data. Hub makes use of shared bandwidth. Hub is not an intelligent device as compared to the repeater. Hubs do not have the feature of switching. It is majorly used in star topology for connecting multiple sub-stations together.

Hub works as a Multiport Repeater to form a hierarchical network

Types of Hub

The three types of network hub are as follow:

• Active Hub: Active Hub is defined as a type of hub that requires an external power supply. Before broadcasting the received signal to all connected devices it amplifies and regenerates it.

• Passive Hub: Passive Hub is defined as a type of hub that does not require any external power supply. It only amplifies the received signals and broadcast them to all the devices connected to the network.

• Intelligent Hub: An intelligent hub is defined as a type of hub that provides the administrators with the provision to monitor the network traffic, manage network traffic, configure network settings, and port mirroring.

For Advantages and Disadvantages of Hub, refer to Advantages and Disadvantages.

What is a Repeater?

The repeater is defined as a device that is used to amplify and retransmit the signals of incoming packets to the other side of the segments. Repeater helps to increase or extend the distance of the network. A repeater is used for devices connected with ethernet in the network. It has the advantage that repeaters remove unwanted interference and noise from the signals in order to maintain their quality throughout the network. The repeater is majorly used in applications where the distance between two devices connected in the network increases. The repeater layer works at the physical layer of the OSI model.

Repeater used to connect to Segments

Types of Repeater

The two types of repeater are as follow:

• Analog Repeater: Analog Repeaters are defined as a type of repeaters used to amplify and regenerate analog signals used in analog networks such as telephony networks.

• Digital Repeater: Digital Repeaters are defined as a type of repeaters that are used to amplify and regenerate digital signals used in digital networks such as Ethernet networks.

For Advantages and Disadvantages of Repeater, refer to Advantages and Disadvantages.

Difference Between Hub and Repeater

Parameter	Hub	Repeater
Definition	Hub is defined as a network device that connects multiple devices coming from different branches into a single network.	A repeater is defined as a network device that is used for extending the network where devices are connected with ethernet.
Main Function	The data packets that are received at the hub are forwarded to all the connected devices in the network.	Repeaters amplify and retransmit the signals of incoming packets to the other side of the segments.
Number of ports	Hub has multiple ports.	Repeater has two ports.
Addressing	Hub addresses the incoming packet to all other ports.	The repeater addresses the incoming packet to another port.
Intelligence	A Hub device is not considered an intelligent device.	The repeater is an intelligent device as compared to the hub.
Isolation of network traffic	Hub makes use of the same domain and sends the packet to all other nodes, therefore, isolating the network traffic.	Repeater does not isolate the network traffic as the received packet is being sent only to the desired system or port.
Cost	Hub is less expensive than a repeater.	Repeaters are more expensive than hubs.
Types	There are three types of Network Hub: 1. Active Hub 2. Passive Hub 3. Intelligent Hub	There are two types of Repeaters: 1. Analog Repeaters 2. Digital Repeaters

FAQs: Hub vs Repeater

1. Can we use Hub or Repeater for securing our Network?

No, Hubs or Repeater are not used for network security. There are different devices that are used in Network security. These devices and methods are firewalls, Intrusion Detection Systems, encryption techniques using algorithms, and some other devices.

2. Is there any alternative for Hub and Repeater?

Switches are one of the best alternatives for Hub and Repeater, switchh actually has better data management and also has less network congestion as compared to Hub and Repeater. Along with this, Signal boosters are also one of the alternatives that can replace repeaters in terms of wireless networks.

3. Explain why the repeater is known as a level-1 relay.

Repeater works at the physical layer of the OSI model. It consists of two ports, one port is used for incoming packets and second port is used for outgoing of packets. Data that is received by one port is sent to another port bit by bit. The contents of data packets are not checked before sending. Therefore repeater is known as a level-1 relay.

4. Are the switch and repeater the same?

No, the switch and repeater are not the same. The switch only sends incoming data to the specified port. Whereas, the repeater amplifies and retransmit the data to another port.