Network switch
A switch in a local area network is a device which connects all the different devices together, and allows them to communicate with each other.
A device sends packets of data via the central switch or hub, and the switch will forward the packets to only the intended recipient.
How it works
- A device sends a frame (basically a packet) over the wire to the switch (e.g. via ethernet).
- The switch then looks at the frame, and sees which device it’s meant to be sent to. It does that by looking at the mac address of the frame, which is a unique identifier (basically name) for each device.
- The switch then sends the frame to the correct device, so that it can be received and read / processed by that device.