OSI Layer: 1 (Physical)
Function: Receives electrical signals on one port and repeats them to all other ports.
Use‑Case: Largely obsolete—original Ethernet “dumb” repeaters that create one big collision domain.
OSI Layer: 1 (Physical)
Function: Receives electrical signals on one port and repeats them to all other ports.
Use‑Case: Largely obsolete—original Ethernet “dumb” repeaters that create one big collision domain.
OSI Layer: 2 (Data Link)
Function: Learns MAC‑to‑port mappings and forwards frames only to the destination port, isolating traffic and reducing collisions.
Features: VLAN support, port‑based QoS, link aggregation for higher bandwidth.
OSI Layer: 2 (Data Link)
Function: Connects two LAN segments, filtering by MAC address; essentially a two‑port switch.
Use‑Case: Early traffic‑segmentation tool; today largely replaced by multi‑port switches.
OSI Layer: 3 (Network)
Function: Examines IP headers and forwards packets between different IP subnets using routing tables or dynamic protocols (OSPF, BGP).
Features: NAT, firewalling, VPN termination, policy‑based routing.
