What is a Webcam, Thumb Drive and More!!

By: Dean Barnard

What is a webcam?

A webam is basically a digital camera connected to a computer. A webcam has the capability of taking photo's, recording video and recording sound. Webcam's have become very popular in modern time as connection speeds have increased therefore enabling streaming video from other sides of the world.

What is a thumb drive?

A USB thumb drive is a small device hence the name "thumb drive", that is able to hold data. Thumb drives are an excellent source for portable data.

To use a thumb drive you simply plug it into the USB port in the computer and windows will automatically find the hardware and install it for you. A thumb drive is re-writeable and you will most likely find they hold 256MB, 512MB, 1GB or 2GB of data, depending on which one is efficient for you.

What is a router?

A router is the most intelligent device, it connects two networks together, for example a LAN to a WAN. It makes decisions about which Internet traffic will follow. Routers use headers and a forwarding table to determine where packets go and they use protocols such as ICMP to talk to each other and configure the est route between any two hosts. You are able to configure a router to block ports or allow ports, routers are also used as firewalls to protect your network.

What is a switch?

A switch is a lot like a hub, it is a device that connects multiple nodes (computers) together with a few differences. A switch is a more intelligent device than a hub, unlike hubs switches are able to check packets being sent and recieved. Switches support 10Mbps, 100Mbps, 1000Mbps. Switches utilize network bandwidth much more effectively than hubs ever did.

What is a hub?

A hub is a device that connects a number of devices or nodes (computers) together. It acts as a central unit. You would normally see a hub hidden away because there as usually so many Ethernet cables plugged into it. With a hub you do not need to configure anything, it is a very simple device you just plug the Ethernet cables from your nodes (computers) or other devices like another hub or switch.

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