Network equipment is used to split, switch, boost, or direct packets of information along a network. This product area includes network hubs, switches, routers, bridges, gateways, multiplexers, transceivers and firewalls. Often, network equipment is defined by is protocol or port type (e.g., Ethernet switch, USB hub).
Network switches route packets between ports at the OSI layer 2, which means that (in Ethernet) the switches decide where incoming packets are transferred to, based on the NIC's 48-bit address.
