Do you know what is repeater? what are the Advantages & disadvantages & the use of repeater in computer network? If you do not know about it then you have come to the right site. Here the complete details about the repeater have been told.
The signal you send from the computer through the wire medium or wireless medium reaches the destination through many other devices. Out of that, the repeater is a device. Its main purpose is to maintain the signal strength till the end which goes through the internet.
So without delay, know what is a repeater in computer networking and all its functions.
What is Repeater in Computer Network
Repeaters are devices used in computer networks to increase the range of a signal. A repeater receives a signal, regenerates it, and transmits it out again. It is commonly used in the home and small office networks and also used in large networks to increase the range of a signal.
Repeaters are devices that allow multiple devices to share the same signal. This is helpful in cases where the signal is weak or unavailable. When a signal becomes weak, the repeater copies that bit signal and regenerates it.
It is used in the physical layer of the OSI model. It is a pure hardware device. Just as MAC address works in the data link layer and IP address works in the network layer, similarly, all networking hardware devices are used in the physical layer.
Repeaters are also called extenders. The first repeaters consisted of a simple model. it is a two-port device. In which one input was given and the output came out from the other port. Ethernet cable is used in this repeater.
Even today it is available in the market. But nowadays, the repeaters come in a WIFI model. Which does not require many cables and is easy to install which is called the plug and play technique.
Use of Repeater in computer Network
If we use 200 meters ethernet cable. That cable also connects different networking devices. When the signal is sent through that cable, then that signal can go up to 200 meters only. After that, the signal will be weak. Due to this, the signal will be lost.
To avoid weakening that signal, a repeater is installed. So that the signal can be forwarded through the ethernet cable.
In some exams, it is asked that do amplifier and repeater work in the same way? The answer would be no. An amplifier amplifies the signal, which means if the strength of a signal is X, then an amplifier, amplifies it by 2x, 3x or even more. But a repeater regenerates the signal and Forwards it in X strength.
Due to the repeater being a normal hardware device, error detection or any control cannot be done in it.
In some exams, this question asks whether the repeater filters the signal? If there is an Ethernet cable connected to the repeater on one side and 2 devices connected to that cable.
The device sends a signal to another device and another device receives that signal. Still, that signal reaches near the repeater. Then the repeater should filter that signal but it does not. Because the repeater does not have any software to filter the signal.
In repeater, there is a maximum number of collision domains. Where do conflicts take place? The device which has the buffer has less collision. It happens that wherever there is a signal, it stores it and then forwards it. But due to the lack of this feature in the repeater, there is a collision in it.
What’s the use of WIFI repeater?
Wireless repeaters are available in the market. It is similar to a wireless router. It is used to increase the range of wireless networks. Ethernet wire is not used in this. If you are using the net from a wireless router in your home or office and this network signal is not covering the entire place, then you should use a wireless repeater.
Which repeater do you want, press the button below
The wireless repeater also helps reduce signal attenuation. It gives more strength to the wireless signal and regenerates the weak signal.
Also, Read
- What is transport layer
- Input and Output devices
- Purpose of IP addresses?
- Top 3 Types of Computers
- computer memory & types of memory
- Network Topology and its types
Different types of repeaters in network
Repeaters are classified into two types according to the type of signal.
- Analog Repeater: Analog repeaters are used to amplify the amplitude of the signal which is transmitted in an analog medium.
- Digital Repeater: in the digital repeater, data can be transmitted in the form of binary digits like 0 or 1.
Repeaters are classified into two types, according to the types of the connected networks.
- Wire Repeater: These repeaters basically used in an ethernet connection. It is a normal hardware device with 2 ports. One is input and the other is output
- Wireless repeater: These are used in wireless networks.
Advantages and disadvantages of repeaters
Advantages of Repeater
- The repeater has the main advantage that it can regenerate the week signal and forward it Ahead.
- The repeater has the ability to carry the signal over a long distance.
- Its price is cheaper than the other networking devices.
- It increases and maintains the performance of the signal
Disadvantages of Repeater
- If the signal is to be sent over a long distance, then many repeaters are required.
- Collision and traffic cannot be controlled in the repeater.
- Can’t connect to different types of networks through the repeater.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it is a common hardware device that is used to regenerate network weak signals. If you are using WIFI internet at home or office and that signal is not reaching everywhere, then you can increase the strength of that signal by using the repeater.
Through this article, I have told you everything about the use of repeater in computer network. If you do not understand anywhere in this post or where there is a need for improvement, then you can tell us the problem in the comment box. We will try to solve your problem.
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