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Hub vs Switch: what is the difference?
In short: A hub is an old Layer 1 device that copies every signal to all ports, so devices share bandwidth and collide. A switch learns MAC addresses and forwards each frame only to the right port, giving every device full speed.
Hub vs Switch in one sentence
A hub blindly repeats every signal to every port, while a switch learns where each device is and sends traffic only to the right port.
Side-by-side comparison
| Feature | Hub | Switch |
|---|---|---|
| OSI layer | Layer 1 (physical) | Layer 2 (data link) |
| Forwarding | Copies to all ports | Only to the destination port |
| Collision domains | One shared domain | One per port |
| Duplex | Half duplex only | Full duplex |
| Bandwidth | Shared by all devices | Full speed per port |
| Security | Anyone can see all traffic | Traffic only goes where it should |
| Today | Obsolete | Standard everywhere |
What is Hub?
A hub is a simple repeater with many ports. Whatever arrives on one port goes out of all the others. Only one device can send at a time; if two send together, their signals collide and both must try again.
What is Switch?
A switch reads MAC addresses and builds a table of which device is on which port. Each port is its own collision domain and can send and receive at the same time (full duplex), so a busy network stays fast.
Which one should you use?
Use a switch. Hubs have not been sold for normal networks for many years. You may still meet the idea in exams, and network engineers sometimes use a network tap or switch port mirroring (SPAN) when they want to copy traffic for analysis, which is the only job hubs used to be "good" at.
Common mistakes and myths
- Calling a cheap unmanaged switch a "hub". It is still a switch.
- Thinking a switch stops broadcasts. It does not; routers and VLANs do.
Learn more
Key takeaways
- Hubs repeat everything; switches forward intelligently.
- Switches give each port its own collision domain and full duplex.
- Hubs are obsolete; use switches or port mirroring for captures.
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