Which network device copies all packets to all devices on the network?

Which network device copies all packets to all devices on the network?

• A. Switch
• B. Hub
• C. Router
• D. Gateway

Answer: (D)

In a LAN, the device that copies every packet to every connected device is the hub. A hub acts as a physical layer repeater: when a frame arrives, it is transmitted out of all other ports so every device on that network segment can see it. This flood of traffic means every device hears all transmissions, which can lead to collisions if multiple devices transmit at once. A switch handles traffic much more selectively. It learns which devices are reachable on which ports and forwards each frame only to the specific port connected to the destination device, keeping traffic local to the right recipient and avoiding unnecessary broadcasts. A router connects different networks and chooses the best path to forward packets between networks; it doesn’t broadcast to all devices on a single LAN. A gateway provides a bridge to another network or protocol family, often performing translation, rather than simply duplicating frames across all devices. So the hub is the device that copies all packets to all devices on the network.

In a LAN, the device that copies every packet to every connected device is the hub. A hub acts as a physical layer repeater: when a frame arrives, it is transmitted out of all other ports so every device on that network segment can see it. This flood of traffic means every device hears all transmissions, which can lead to collisions if multiple devices transmit at once.

A switch handles traffic much more selectively. It learns which devices are reachable on which ports and forwards each frame only to the specific port connected to the destination device, keeping traffic local to the right recipient and avoiding unnecessary broadcasts. A router connects different networks and chooses the best path to forward packets between networks; it doesn’t broadcast to all devices on a single LAN. A gateway provides a bridge to another network or protocol family, often performing translation, rather than simply duplicating frames across all devices.

So the hub is the device that copies all packets to all devices on the network.