What are the Advantages and Disadvantages of Using a Switch? - Discussion About Wireless Routers

If you are accustomed to internet connectivity, you have heard both of these words, switch, and router.

Switch is a networking device through which data is transferred to the addressed host. First, it checks the address and sends the data to the right destination.

A switch operates at the data link layer, which is also known as layer 2 in the IT world. A switch operates completely in duplex mode and can transfer data from 1mbps-100gbps. A best network switch is available in various configurations and as it offers port to port data transmission, the chances of packet collision can be avoided very easily.

Here in this article, we are going to discuss the advantage and the disadvantages of the switch first.

Advantages of switch

• Switch can increase the bandwidth speed of the network
• The switch helps to decrease the workload on the other system hosts
• Boost the speed of the network
• Networks that use switches will face less frame collision
• You can connect a switch directly to the workstations

Disadvantages of switch

• If we are to compare the switch with network bridges according to the price, a switch is costlier
• If you face any connectivity issue, it becomes very tough to trace the problem
• A switch will become vulnerable to cyber-attacks if it’s in promiscuous mode
• You must design switches properly to handle multitasking

What is a wireless router?

A wireless router is popularly known as a Wi-Fi router, which is mainly used for home internet connectivity. A wireless router is a hardware device, which helps you to connect with the internet through your internet service provider. Best 4G wireless router is one of the popular routers in the market today as it provides lightning fast internet speed for your home network.

Different types of wireless routers

Desktop wireless router

Desktop wireless router is the most common router people use at home or office. This is the most common way for one or a small group of users to connect with the internet wirelessly. A desktop wireless router looks like a box with antennas or you can say it looks more like a set-top box. The antennas are used to broadcast signals throughout the room or the office space, but a user must stay within the rage, otherwise, they will lose their connectivity.

Mobile hotspot

You can use your smartphone as a wireless router too. Just, open your network connections and activate the hotspot. Using tethered connections, you can provide internet access to the other devices, such as a desktop or laptop or other smartphones

Portable Wi-Fi

Like your smartphone, you can also buy a portable Wi-Fi router that works like a mobile hotspot. It’s a much smaller device than a smartphone, which offers better portability. You can use both, 3G or 4G networks to broadcast internet connectivity. A portable Wi-Fi hotspot is considered to be more reliable than public Wi-Fi networks. Like your mobile phone, you can choose data plans for your portable Wi-Fi too.

Difference between a router and a switch

• The job of a router is to connect different networks simultaneously, where a switch connects different devices.
• A router works in a network layer, which is also known as layer 3, but a switch works on layer 2 or the data link layer.
• A router can be used by both, LAN and WAN, but a switch can only be operated by LAN.
• A router sends data as packets, but a switch sends data as both, packet and frame.
• A router is compatible with NAT, but a switch isn’t.