Which Layer 2 device is used to connect devices in a specific network and allows them to communicate efficiently within the network?

Which Layer 2 device is used to connect devices in a specific network and allows them to communicate efficiently within the network?

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

Answer: (C)

At Layer 2, devices like switches manage how frames are forwarded inside a local network. A switch learns which devices are reachable on which ports by reading the source MAC addresses on frames, builds a forwarding table, and then sends each frame only to the port where the destination MAC is known. This keeps traffic confined to the necessary segment, reducing unnecessary transmissions and collisions. Each switch port becomes its own collision domain, enabling simultaneous, efficient communication as more devices talk at once. A hub simply repeats incoming frames to all ports, causing many collisions and wasted bandwidth. A bridge does similar filtering at Layer 2 but is older and less scalable than a modern switch. A router operates at Layer 3 and connects different networks, not just devices within the same network. So the device that best fits connecting devices in a specific network and enabling efficient intra-network communication is a switch.

At Layer 2, devices like switches manage how frames are forwarded inside a local network. A switch learns which devices are reachable on which ports by reading the source MAC addresses on frames, builds a forwarding table, and then sends each frame only to the port where the destination MAC is known. This keeps traffic confined to the necessary segment, reducing unnecessary transmissions and collisions. Each switch port becomes its own collision domain, enabling simultaneous, efficient communication as more devices talk at once.

A hub simply repeats incoming frames to all ports, causing many collisions and wasted bandwidth. A bridge does similar filtering at Layer 2 but is older and less scalable than a modern switch. A router operates at Layer 3 and connects different networks, not just devices within the same network.

So the device that best fits connecting devices in a specific network and enabling efficient intra-network communication is a switch.