We've talked a lot about devices, primarily servers and clients, but there are some other devices on a network that are very important because without them, well, the network just doesn't work. And the first that we will talk about is called the network switch, or we just use the term switch. This is a device that we plug our computers and our other devices up to. So my computer has a network cable plugging it into a switch, and that's what gets my computer onto the network.

So my computer has a network cable plugging it into a switch, and that's what gets my computer onto the network. And you can have as many switches as you want. Of course, in a home network, it's typically one switch, but in a business network, well, you can have as many switches as you need. But what about wireless devices? How do wireless devices get onto a network? They do. So using a device called a wireless access point, it's essentially a switch for wireless devices.

So using a device called a wired access point, it's essentially a switch for wireless devices. In fact, the access point is plugged 99% of the time up to a switch. So that is first of all, how the access point gets onto the network and switches direct data to the correct device using Mac addresses. So a switch has a reference table or a cross-reference table to

So a switch has a reference table or a cross-reference table to where it will match an IP address with a MAC address, and then directs that data to the correct device. So when it comes to managing traffic on a LAN, switches are responsible for that job. But when it comes to communicating with devices on other networks, that's where another device comes into play. And it's called a router.

where another device comes into play. And it's called a router. A router is another smart device that connects at least two networks together. Typically, we would use a router to connect to our LAN to the internet. So the roads that all come to a single intersection are other networks. And this router is what is directing the traffic. So if I wanted to communicate

And this router is what is directing the traffic. So if I wanted to communicate with the device on your network, it would have to flow through my router and it would have to flow through a few other routers because that data would have to be routed accordingly so that it could reach your network. But of course, that's not a very safe thing to do. I mean, I'm not gonna do anything to your devices, but there are plenty of people out there that will.

I mean, I'm not gonna do anything to your devices, but there are plenty of people out there that will. So we need some kind of security for our networks, and that's where a firewall comes into play. They typically sit in between the router and your first network switch. Although here recently we have devices that are called next generation firewalls, which contain firewalls as well as routing capabilities. But a firewall, well, it essentially builds a wall

firewalls as well as routing capabilities. But a firewall, well, it essentially builds a wall around your network. It is a perimeter, and it controls what data can come into your network from outside. It can also control the data that flows out of your network to the internet. In the next episode, we will talk about how much data can actually travel on our networks

In the next episode, we will talk about how much data can actually travel on our networks with the concept of bandwidth.