Networking hardware, also known as networkequipment or computer networking devices,

are physical devices which are required for communication and interaction between devices on a
computernetwork. Specifically, they mediate data in a computernetwork.

Types of Network Hardware.

Cables & Wires. Everything may be turning wireless nowadays but at least 2-3 wired connections have to
exist somewhere in a computer network. ...
NIC. Network interface cards is easily one of the most important components of a computer network. ...
Hubs. ...
Modems. ...
Routers. ...
Gateways. ...
Wireless Access Points.

Network criteria A network must be able to meet certain number of criteria. The most
important are Performance,Reliability and Security.
Performance: Can be measured by transit time and response time. Transit time is the amountof time
required for a message to travel from one device to another. Response time is theelapsed
time between an inquiry and a response. The performance of a network depends onthe number
of users, the type of transmission medium, the capacities of the connectedhardware and
the efficiency of the software.Reliability: Is measured by the frequency of failures, the time it takes
a link to recover fromfailure and the network robustness in a catastrophe.
Security: This refers to the ability to protect data from unauthorized access.

Network Topology refers to layout of a network. How different nodes in a network are
connected to each other and how they communicate is determined by thenetwork's topology. Network
Topology refers to the layout of a network and how different nodes in anetwork are connected to each
other and how they communicate
1. Mesh Topology
Mesh Topology: In a mesh network, devices are connected with many redundant interconnections
between network nodes
2. Star Topology
Star Topology: In a star network devices are connected to a central computer, called a hub. Nodes
communicate across the network by passing data through the hub.
3. Bus Topology
Bus Topology: In networking a bus is the central cable -- the main wire -- that connects all devices on a
local-area network (LAN). It is also called the backbone
4. Ring Topology
Ring Topology: A local-area network (LAN) whose topology is a ring. That is, all of the nodes are
connected in a closed loop. Messages travel around the ring, with each node reading those messages
addressed to it.
5. Tree Topology
Tree Topology: This is a "hybrid" topology that combines characteristics of linear bus and star topologies.
In a tree network, groups of star-configured networks are connected to a linear bus backbone cable.