Hub and Bridge are two computer networking devices that allow regulating data to the other related devices. Both devices are used for different purposes, and they also work differently.
Hubs and Bridges have greatly helped the IT sectors by making their job simpler and time-saving. In this article, we will discuss everything in detail. And, if you require polished data, such devices are very helpful.
Key Takeaways
- Hubs act as central connection points for devices in a network, while bridges connect two separate network segments.
- Bridges can filter and forward data based on MAC addresses, whereas hubs broadcast data to all connected devices.
- Bridges help reduce network traffic and improve overall performance, while hubs do not.
Hub vs Bridge
Hubs are networking devices that send messages to all devices on the network, regardless of the intended recipient. A bridge is a networking device that connects multiple network segments. This makes them more efficient than hubs, as they do not broadcast all messages to all devices on the network.
Hub is a widely used networking device to generate connections between various devices, and hence the data is sent to each related device via ports.
Also, the data served through the hub are not filtered, and hence it causes a lot of traffic and security issues.
On the other hand, Bridge is a comparatively highly efficient networking device than the Hub as it never allows itself to send the data to the devices if that particular address is not selected.
Therefore, it causes less traffic. It comes with two limited ports for data transportation.
Comparison Table
| Parameters of Comparison | Hub | Bridge |
|---|---|---|
| Ports | Generally, hubs come with several ports, counting between 4 to 12. | Only two ports are available in a bridge. |
| Intelligent | Hubs are not that intelligent. | Bridges are comparatively more intellectual than a hub. |
| Link | Hub is considered to be a Physical Layer. | The bridge has been categorized as a Data Link Layer. |
| Filtration | The filtration of data is not processed by the hub. | The bridge always filters the data while transferring. |
| Security | The security service in the hub is a bit weaker. | The bridge has better security. |
What is Hub?
Hub is a networking device that helps to send data to the other devices that are attached to it. The devices are connected via ports; generally, the hub is attached to several ports.
And usually, about 4 to 12 ports, depending on the hub type. Hubs are subdivided into two variants, the active hub and the passive hub.
Active hubs are used to regulate the weak signal during the networking process. And, Passive hubs allow the electrical signal to send a transmission. The main job of a hub is to send the data to each port that is attached to it.
For the first time, the idea of a hub was put forward by US Airlines in 1955, but later around the 1970s, Federal Express again developed it for usage, and since then, it has been largely in use.
The link of Hub is considered as a Physical Layer. And it is placed so that it can connect itself by a single LAN Segment to run the process smoothly.
The hub never filters the data before transferring them to the other devices, so it has a weak security system. And it causes a lot of traffic as the unwanted data are sometimes sent to the unselected address with prior knowledge.
Therefore, unwanted data is sent, which causes major traffic problems.
What is Bridge?
The bridge is a part of Computing Networking, generally, the main supporting device that allows multiple LANs to connect from the major LAN. And this process of networking is known as network bridging.
Even though it connects several LANs, their main protocol is the same for all. The bridge is more advanced and helps to transfer the filtered data to the connecting devices. It was initially released in the year 1980 by the Digital Equipment Corporation.
The bridge has two main ports which connect the other devices. And this allows filtering of the data received by the bridge. Therefore, it causes less traffic and allows the other devices to work smoothly.
In Bridge, we can select the data whether we want to send that particular data or not, and without permission, it never allows the unwanted data to move from one place to the other.
Also, it uses the Data Link Layer. And it mainly uses the Media Access Control (MAC) hardware to transfer the address frames.
The bridge has been divided into three types: Transparent, Translational, and Route. A transparent Bridge is the most common bridge used for controlling the MAC addresses for traffic.
The bridge that binds two different LANs together is known as Translational Bridge. And the last Route bridge is the network that allows the TRILL Protocol to implement as per IETF.
Main Differences Between Hub and Bridge
- There are about 4 to 12 ports in hubs in general, while on the other hand, a limit of 2 ports is placed in a bridge.
- Hubs lack behind Bridge, while on the other hand, Bridge is highly advanced and intelligent.
- Hub is said to have a Physical Layer; however, a Data Link Layer denotes a bridge link.
- While sending the data, the hub does not allow itself to filter, while on the other hand, the bridge filters the data every single time.
- The security protection in a hub is not that good, while on the other hand, the bridge has a highly efficient security system.
- https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/6632033/
- https://pubsonline.informs.org/doi/abs/10.1287/mnsc.1050.0407
Last Updated : 13 July, 2023
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Sandeep Bhandari holds a Bachelor of Engineering in Computers from Thapar University (2006). He has 20 years of experience in the technology field. He has a keen interest in various technical fields, including database systems, computer networks, and programming. You can read more about him on his bio page.
This was incredibly helpful, I’d been meaning to find a clear comparison between the two.
I loved the article. The detailed comparison was very enriching.
It was quite interesting indeed.
I didn’t find it all that compelling to be honest.
It’s a useful article, particularly in the high level of detail it goes into. A very good read.
Definitely helped me grasp some concepts I was struggling with.
Such a comprehensive article, covered all the bases.
This was a great read. Full of interesting content.
Absolutely agree with you, Sebastian.
I found it to be a bit too lengthy and it lacks some depth.
I had hoped for more from this article. It seems a bit superficial to me.
While it is a bit high level, I found it to be very useful.
Some of the technical details were actually misleading, so I didn’t find it very helpful.