[Ashly Jackson]

The four network devices are hubs, routers, gateways, and modems. A hub is a physical layer network device used to connect multiple devices on a network. Typically used to connect computers on a LAN. A hub has many ports. Computers that connect to the network are connected to one of these ports. Routers form networks and manage the flow of data within and between those networks. Modems, on the other hand, connect those networks to the Internet. Modems connect to the Internet by converting signals from your ISP into digital signals that connected devices can interpret. A modem receives a signal from your ISP and converts it into a signal that local devices can use, and vice versa. The connection between your home and the Internet is called a wide area network (WAN). Each modem is assigned a public IP address that identifies the modem on the Internet. A gateway is a computer on a network that provides an interface between two applications or networks that use different protocols. Also used to connect to the Internet. Gateways in a network convert information from one protocol to another and send it over the Internet.