Chances are your home or office internet connection depends on some type of ethernet technology. As we stream more HD video, join virtual meetings, or battle lag in online games, our wired networks must keep pace. Speed and reliability become paramount. So to avoid frustration, we need to understand the differences between an ethernet switch vs. ethernet hub.
Why This Matters
At first glance, you‘d be forgiven for feeling switches and hubs fulfill similar networking roles for our vast array of devices. After all, they both allow multiple connections via ethernet cables to expand wired capacity, right?
True, but the capabilities prove staggeringly different, especially as bandwidth demands escalate to support new innovations like the metaverse, augmented reality, cloud storage, and beyond.
To help clarify this crucial decision for your connectivity needs both now and into the future, I‘ll be your guide through the origins of ethernet itself onto an insider‘s tour of how switches and hubs function in practice – spoiler alert, it‘s no contest! With insights ranging from security and speed to cost and practicality for home and small business scenarios, you‘ll gain the knowledge to upgrade wisely.
Let‘s get connected!
Brief History of Ethernet
During the early days of bulky PCs and office networks at Xerox PARC in 1973, the first ethernet technology emerged to transmit data between stationary computers at 10 megabits per second (Mbps). This represented a seminal moment as previously disjointed word processors and mainframe terminals operated independently.
Ethernet connectivity made local "in-room" communication between devices possible for the first time. By 1980, the very first commercial ethernet products released could only manage speeds up to 2.94 Mbps initially.
Thankfully by 1983 however, ethernet formally standardized at the faster baseline of 10 Mbps after the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) adopted the technology as IEEE Standard 802.3. This kickstarted rapid iteration year after year…
- Cat 3 and Cat 5 cables in the 1990s boosted speeds to 100Mbps
- Cat 5e and Cat 6 in the 2000s took speeds up to 1000Mbps (1 Gigabit per second)
- Modern Cat 8 cable transfers an incredible 40 Gbps!
Meanwhile as ethernet cables and ports pushed performance boundaries, the networking hardware evolved substantially too.
Hubs to Switches: Innovating the Hardware
Early general-purpose devices called "hubs" linked multiple PCs together as one "network segment." They couldn‘t manage bandwidth efficiently though, so more advanced "switches" emerged by the late 90s with specialized processing to intelligently handle traffic between individual connections.
This combination of improved cabling and smarter networking hardware gave ethernet capabilities far beyond 1990s expectations, and completely reshaped consumer reliance at home/work in favor of stable wired connectivity.
Now spanning five decades, ethernet persists as the gold standard underlying tech that‘s long since escaped the sleepy office and entered our living rooms (hello gaming and Netflix!) Indeed the need for speed shows no signs of abating.
Let‘s compare ethernet solutions…
Ethernet Switches vs. Hubs
Before analyzing how switches upgrade connectivity from a primitive hub approach, check the key contrasts covering functionality, capacity, investment protection and security:
| Ethernet Switch | Ethernet Hub | |
|---|---|---|
| Ports | 5-128 typical | 4-16 max threshold |
| Price | $30-$3,000+ | <$30 used market only |
| Key Purpose | Connect devices to one LAN efficiently | Link devices as one congested segment |
| Year Obsoleted | Still Relevant | Officially 2011, IEEE Standard |
| Security | MAC address filtering, ACL support | None. Open to sniffing/attacks |
Already we‘re seeing massive advantages of current-generation switches over aging hubs now fading into tech history. Let‘s analyze some reasons why in detail…
Contrast #1: Number of Connections
Ever tried streaming a 4K movie but the picture quality tanks or buffers constantly? What about gaming lag so severe you can‘t pull off your signature devastating finishing move? Providing consistent bandwidth to all connected devices simultaneously so nobody‘s left hanging lies at the heart of our first major contrast.
Simply said, more wired devices divides up a finite pool of bandwidth. Ethernet hubs can accommodate maybe 16 PCs before performance falls off a cliff. Too many users tapping finite resources! Ethernet switches however intelligently prioritize and direct data using advanced packet processing, avoiding clogs.
By segmenting traffic dynamically to only necessary pathways, quality and speed persists even for 50-100 wired clients accessing the network concurrently. Pretty cool right!
You can visualize this key difference regarding scale and throughput between hubs flooding all packets blindly, leading to collisions VS smarter switches transmitting directly to each intended receiver only after analyzing packet destinations in real-time:
Photo by Mathew Schwartz on Unsplash
Thanks to specialized hardware called application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), today‘s switching silicon achieves multi-million packet per second processing optimized for identifying device addresses, locations, and ideal data routes dynamically. So you enjoy max speeds simultaneously across devices instead of taking turns!
Clearly when planning your future-friendly home network capacity requirements, switches support seemingly unlimited growth.
Contrast #2: Pricing Differences
You‘ll typically spend $30 all the way upwards of $3,000+ scaling to larger managed ethernet switches exceeding 48 ports. More computing muscle and memory equals higher costs. But don‘t let sticker shock deter you! Consider it an investment into performance and longevity.
Outdated hubs cost marginally less used, but literally fade into obsolescence by limiting expansion flexibility. They became legacy technology last decade when 10Gbps, not to mention 40Gbps ethernet emerged. At under $30 used, don‘t believe claims of "savings." You invariably pay more long-term replacing limited hubs repeatedly as needs dictate.
It‘s no coincidence professional network engineers unanimously specify new deployments with modern switches, NOT discontinued retro hardware. One supports growth, the other guarantees eventual friction.
Contrast #3: Intended Purposes
Finally, let‘s contrast appropriate applications to cement why ethernet switches serve most user needs better than antiquated hub approaches of yesteryear:
Ethernet switches aim to connect your multitude of wired PCs, smart TVs, game consoles, network printers and other ethernet-hungry gadgets to one central source like your high-speed cable/fiber modem using individual port segmentation.
Advanced packet inspection supports up to 40 Gbps today, intelligently sharing capacity across all devices plugged into available ports as required. This keeps throughput maximized.
Think of ethernet switches as efficient automated traffic controllers, preventing pileups and congestion by routing vehicles (data packets) uninterrupted to precise destinations nonstop.
Green lights all around!
Ethernet hubs take the opposite primitive approach. They simply repeat incoming ethernet frames randomly out ALL connected ports by "flooding." No inherent intelligence. Send it everywhere blindly!
This worked temporarily in the early 1990s with maybe one office computer per user. But the chaotic free-for-all hub method simply doesn‘t scale. Collisions and corrections snowball as more modern high-bandwidth services and devices share finite resources. Like a clogged highway without exit signs, frustration abounds!
The hub resembles an overwhelmed person during busy times forwarding phone calls haphazardly. Some callers inevitably wait endlessly, their needs unmet. Limited human circuitry processes only so much parallel traffic effectively. Hubs similarly stumble to meet surging digital network demands.
Bottom line? Hubs waste bandwidth. Switches optimize it!
Alternatives Beyond Switches and Hubs?
While I‘ve focused primarily on switches versus prior-generation hubs, a few creative connectivity alternatives also exist:
Ethernet splitters literally bisect ethernet signals across a single cable length. Best coupled with their reversing hybrids called combiners, this special-case gear costs more than switches/hubs but serves specific applications like tapping 1930s era abandoned copper telephone trunk lines across the country to glean antique bandwidth.
Retro indeed!
Ethernet over Powerline products inject network data into household electrical wiring. Clever but very limited performance ceiling.
WiFi range extenders and newer mesh systems surpass such gimmicks I‘m afraid!
Decision Time! Ethernet Switch Versus Hub
Let‘s recap key learnings to reach an informed recommendation on whether obsolete hubs or modern switches best satisfy networked requirements:
- Hubs max out at 10-16 port capacity before speed/reliability declines severely
- Switches support between 5 up to 128 wired connections comfortably as needs dictate
- Discontinued hubs no longer receive security updates leaving networks vulnerable
- Forward-thinking managed switches actively safeguard against threats
- Primitive hub flooding triggers constant collisions, corrections and errors
- Switches elegantly avoid this by analyzing destinations before transferring packets precisely
As you can see, nearly all advantages fall overwhelmingly in favor of ethernet switches over aging hub infrastructure. With investments starting reasonably under $50 for basic models up to enterprise-caliber devices, reliable wired expansion unfolds smoothly as desired.
Equip yourself with future-proof technology scaled to ambitions. Discover newfound freedoms moving upstream fast minus turbulence!
You‘ve reached informed expert-level perspective. May all your ethernet endeavors enjoy responsive untangled highways ahead!
I welcome your thoughts or questions anytime.
Summary
Ethernet switches represent the current gold standard to flexibly segment expanding wired network capacity across devices without speed/security compromises.
Discontinued ethernet hubs utilized primitive blind "flooding" which couldn‘t effectively manage bandwidth, exposing limitations as internet demands grew exponentially throughout the 2000s.
For future-friendly connection scalability, always choose Ethernet switches over obsolete generation hardware guarantees to maximize your enjoyment of burgeoning high-capacity DSL/cable modem or direct fiber feeds.
The choice becomes obvious if we value our time and peace of mind!
Jason
Senior Network Infrastructure Analyst
ExtremeTech Partners
P.S. Please reach out if you need any specific ethernet switch recommendations fitting your budget/performance requirements! I‘m always happy to help friends and family optimize their connectivity.
