▷ Hub or hub: what is it, uses in computing and types that exist

Surely you have heard on some occasion talk about a HUB or Hub device, when talking about computing, especially in the field of networks. If computers and computing devices distinguish today, it is their wide connectivity, especially in networks, the use of internal LANs is a widespread practice in companies of all kinds and even at the domestic level.

That is why it is worth studying a little more closely what a HUB or hub is and what types exist, we will also see their applications not only in networks.

What is a hub or hub

The first thing we must do is know what type of device a HUB is, and for this the best way to explain it is to place ourselves in the field of computer networks, Ethernet networks. And if we talk about HUB we will also have to talk about Switch, since it is, so to speak, the "smart" version of it.

Well, a HUB, or better known in Spanish as a hub, is a device through which we can connect several devices together, so that they can communicate. Spoken in terms of networks, this section is capable of creating a network of computers connected to each other and also with the possibility of expanding through other similar devices.

If we remember what the OSI model is and what it consists of, the Ethernet HUB works in the physical layer of this model, or in the medium access layer if we talk about the TCP / IP model. In other words, a Hub is in charge of receiving a data signal and repeating it to send it through its different ports. So basically we are talking about a repeater.

The HUB works as a central connection point and repeats the signal it receives to as many ports as equipment has been connected to them. Then each team will be responsible for identifying if the information they receive is useful and belongs to them, or is intended for another.

Differences between a Switch and a HUB

Currently, little is said about the HUB and much more about the Switch. Both devices are capable of "repeating" the data signal from a source to the equipment that is connected to it, but there is an important difference.

A HUB is not able to distinguish if the information that passes through it is directed to one computer or another. This device is limited to receiving the information and repeating it for all its ports, regardless of what you have connected to them. This is called broadcasting, receiving one and sending to all. One problem with HUBs is rapid bandwidth saturation, due to massive data repetition.

For its part, a Switch is a smart version of a HUB, in this case it is a device that works in the data link layer of the OSI model and that is why they are the most widely used in networks today. Physically it is similar to a HUB, but inside there is a computer program or firmware that is capable of understanding the information that it travels and send it only to the node that needs it. So the advantage is obvious, the bandwidth will be much more optimized and we will be able to communicate computers with each other independently and without having to send all the information to all the ports.

Of course, a HUB cannot be managed, since it does not have any type of accessible software, while a Switch does have this possibility (not all), these sections incorporate firewalls, QoS, MU-MIMO, etc. This is why they are the most used devices today to create high-speed and efficient internal wired networks.

Other types of computer HUB

Now we leave the field of LAN networks to talk about other types of HUB that are on the market. We will not only have them with the typical RJ45 Ethernet, since there are also USB HUB, HDMI HUB, and also multi-card readers.

The good thing about HUBs is that they can be built for virtually any type of data connectivity that exists on a computer. It is very common to find USB hubs, which have several USB ports so that, with only one cable connected to our computer, we can have several extra ports to connect other devices to it. While it is true that these devices are equipped with a certain intelligence to optimize multiple data transfer operations, but, ultimately, they are a HUB.

There are also Hubs with an SD card reader, these will be connected via USB almost always and will allow us to extend the connectivity of our PC to read and write data on memory cards.

Another application of the HUB is in the connectivity of the monitors. There are hubs capable of duplicating the video signal to different screens simultaneously, both with the HDMI port and with DisplayPort. These are useful when we need several screens to work or we need several people to view the same image, such as the famous VAR of Soccer.

There is also a HUB outside of computing

Without departing from the field of computing, we also have the presence of HUB, if you stop to think, you have a HUB under your feet. That's right, the electrical outlet strip is also a HUB, in this case electrical, which allows you to take power from a single outlet and connect multiple devices to it. In this case, there may also be saturation in the bandwidth, but the result will be somewhat more abrupt than in a computer HUB, for example, that a cable burns.

Another example of HUB is in television signal concentrators, those that are placed in the installation to connect several televisions on the same antenna. If your house has antenna inputs in all the rooms, it is because there are several coaxial HUBs spread out there, in the electricity registration boxes.

When should we buy a HUB

We have already seen that there are many types of HUB, so the time to buy one will be when we do not have enough connectivity in our computer, home, or television to enjoy various ports to connect our devices.

If we refer to the field of networks, a HUB will be interesting when we want to set up a small network of two or three computers to share a printer, or handle small volumes of data. HUBs are much cheaper than Switchs, but also slower, so they are not worth it except in low demand cases. Also, remember that you have a router in your house, and it has the Switch functionality on its Ethernet ports (if it has them) so in that aspect you are covered.

The USB, HDMI, or DisplayPort HUB will be useful when we want to expand the connectivity of our PC, either because it is old, or we need more connectors for cards, displays or external storage units.

It will always be very important to look at the specifications of the product to see that it is compatible with those that we ask, for example, that the USB be 3.0, or that the HDMI connectors support high resolutions.

Well, with this information you already have an idea of ​​what a hub or HUB is, what types are on the market.

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