Since this is being set up for one car dealership instead of a chain of dealerships, a SOHO
network may suffice. I will recommend all of the devices I’ve described below, except for a
hub.
Hub - A hub is similar to switches, but older and less secure. It will broadcast all packets to
all devices regardless of MAC address. This results in less bandwidth and is less efficient.
Bridge - A bridge can create a single network out of multiple networks. May be useful if the
car dealership was a larger chain of dealerships.
Switch - Most routers have switches, but an extra switch can allow for more wired
connections to the network, which may be useful depending on the amount of staff. Most
routers are designed with a limited amount of ports, as little as four, so even a small business
would eventually need a switch. Most home users are connected wirelessly and only need a
few wired devices, which typically aren’t connected simultaneously. Manufacturers like
Linksys may design the switch to stack easily on a router to maximize space-efficiency, such
as the SE4008 WRT Switch.
Router - A router manages traffic between multiple networks. It will create the most efficient
path for traffic to move from one network to another. A former teacher of mine referred to it
as a hallway. This will be required in order to connect to the internet.
Modem - A modem will process the signal from ISP being carried over cable with the home
network. This is where the router will be connected to. Essentially if you only need to use
one wired device, you would only need a router.
Gateway - Essentially routes traffic from a computer to the internet. It is similar to a router
and I have seen the term has been used interchangeably before. However, gateways
specifically will route traffic between two different networks.
Repeater - A repeater can boost the coverage of a wireless network and can even have ports
for more ethernet connections. This can be beneficial for a large building where an employee
may require the use of the network outside. Access Point - A wireless access point can
create a separate wireless network, which the car dealership can use to offer guests free wifi.
If I had to guide Susan on how to upgrade the network in the offices at a auto dealership, I
would tell her that it is a process and certain things have to be done in a certain order. First
she will need to make sure that she has all of the equipment needed to make this a easy
transition. After researching the common architecture devices Susan will need a Hub which
connects multiple wires from different branches, she will need a Repeater which regenerates
the signal over the same network before it becomes too weak after extended time periods on
the same networks. She will need Gateway which is a passage that connects two networks
together with two different network models, a Bridge which filters content by reading the
MAC addresses of destination and source , a Switch which is meant to boost efficiency and
performance, a router which routes data packets based on IP addresses and a Brouter which
is basically a bridge router it combines features of both the bridge and router. After
gathering these items she should be good to go. While upgrading the network in the auto
dealership office, various components need to be integrated to make the network
architecture. Firstly, there is a need to use devices that can help in filtering the data so that
its overall efficiency can be increased. Some of the main elements that must be considered
include hub, bridge, switch and router.
Hub –
In the network architecture, the hub would function as the central connection point for the
Local Area Network (LAN). After receiving a packet, the hub would transmit the same to all
the ports to the other networking devices.
Bridge –
The bridge would be responsible to connect and pass the packets between two network
components that utilize the same communications protocol.
Switch –
A switch is a vital element of the network that is primarily responsible to receive
information from a source that is connected to it. Further it dispatches the information to the
destination that is appointed only .
Router –
This networking device is responsible for forwarding the data packets between the computer
networks. It carries out the traffic directing activity and thus directs a packet on its journey
to the next network.
Each of these devices must be integrated into the network architecture of the auto dealership
office. Guiding Susan on this process should be common sense. We are going to need a few
things to give her an efficient network setup. The two most important pieces we will be
using are going to be switches, and routers. The switch facilitates the sharing of resources
between all connected devices. The router is what is used to gain connectivity to the internet,
it connects multiple switches to a network to form an even larger network. We will also need
a hub so that we are able to connect multiple devices to the LAN. Additionally, outside of
these physical pieces of equipment we would want to recommend to our friend Susan, to
make sure she is protected using her network setup and has some sort of software in place to
do so. Additionally, we could make the recommendation that if her business grows, she may
want to invest into a gateway. A gateway is used to connect devices to each other on
different networks. So if she opened up another office and needed to be able to have access
to devices on both networks, for file sharing purposes, etc. we would install this network
gateway. I would inform my friend of the devices she should expect to see with her office
upgrade is network card(if needed), hubs, switches, routers and network software. I would
inform her of the network hub needed to be the centralized point to transmit data from one
computer to the next as well as network switches which assigns each computer in the
network a specific mac address and allows LANs using a network switch to route info to
individual computers. The router will be used to connect networks to one another, and we
would want to ensure that the network software is the fastest that it can be, secure and
operating at best capacity . I would ask my friend of the price range she has in mind to spend
for the upgrade and let her know that she would be looking at 600 being the low-end range
to get all of the equipment required for her upgrade. The first one is a Hub. Hubs connect
multiple computer networking devices together. A hub also acts as a repeater in that it
amplifies signals that deteriorate after traveling long distances over connecting cables. The
next one up is switch. Switches generally have a more intelligent role than hubs. A switch is
a multiport device that improves network efficiency. The switch maintains limited routing
information about nodes in the internal network, and it allows connections to systems like
hubs or routers. Routers help transmit packets to their destinations by charting a path
through the sea of interconnected networking devices using different network topologies.
Routers are intelligent devices, and they store information about the networks they’re
connected to. Most routers can be configured to operate as packet-filtering firewalls and use
access control lists (ACLs). Then the next one you have is Bridges.Bridges are used to
connect two or more hosts or network segments together. The basic role of bridges in
network architecture is storing and forwarding frames between the different segments that
the bridge connects. They use hardware Media Access Control (MAC) addresses for
transferring frames. I would definitely help my friend Susan with upgrading the network in
her office. Upon doing some research the main things I see needed are a Hub, Switch,
Router, Bridge, Gateway, Modem, Repeater, and Access Points. You can find this for a fair
price but the price can also be high depending on the quality and specifications you are
wanting, if you are setting it up the network for a business you want it being secured along
with fast, you don't want a slow connection for the company, while setting the upgrade up
you want everything is secured and protected you do not want anyone being able to mess
with your network within or out of your company. If you are going with a modem/router that
would be more reliable for your business and would provide better connection and speed
which is a great thing to have especially if you are consistently sending emails back and
forth, or downloading files you wouldn't want it taking forever or risking your device not
being able to connect. After a little bit of research, I found out that there are 5 main
components used in your average LAN. These 5 pieces of equipment are router, switch, hub
, firewall, and wireless AP. There are also less common parts that can sometimes be used
such as modems, transcievers, transponders, bridges, taps, and SFP's etc. A router is a device
that communicates between the internet and the devices in your home that connect to the
internet. As its name implies, it “routes” traffic between the devices and the internet. A
network switch is a small device that centralizes communications among several connected
devices in one LAN. A hub is a network hardware device for connecting multiple devices
together and making them act as a single network segment. A firewall is a feature on a
network that blocks or prevents unwanted access. Wireless access points (APs or WAPs) are
networking devices that allow Wi-Fi devices to connect to a wired network. I would think
that Sally wouldn't need much more than a Router with good range and possibly a Wireless
access point would be beneficial for her customers. If my friend was wanting to upgrade
their network, and wanted me to oversee the project here is what I would suggest or look out
for. Since the network is already in place, then one can assume certain hardware is already
being utilized such as patch panels. If upgrading, the first question that I would ask my
friend would be. Are there any embedded systems, hardware, or software that is critical?
Next I would think that whoever is doing the upgrade would be attempting to make it more
efficient through integrating multiple hardware devices into as many multi-functional
devises as possible. If the network uses passive hubs, then upgrade to active hubs for added
efficiency. Hubs can get pricey, so I would recommend the mid-level small business model
such as the Cisco WS-C3560cx. It is a switch and hub combination, and retails for $850.00
on serversupply.com. I would look to routers next. For this I would go with a Cisco c891f. It
retails for $550.00 on AllHDD.com. It is hard to know exactly what my friend needs without
knowing more specifics, but I think if she looks toward integration, she will have a good
start. Most networks are small think of a small office or home and even large networks are
often divided into smaller segments. That smaller segment is set apart from the larger
network by a device that can filter data and help the network be more efficient.
These were four devices that filter traffic are called connectivity devices, and there are
several different types:
• Bridge
• Hub
• Switch
• Router
A solid understanding of the types of network devices available can help you design and
built a network that is secure and serves your organization well. However, to ensure the
ongoing security and availability of your network, you should carefully monitor your
network devices and activity around them, so you can quickly spot hardware issues,
configuration issues and attacks. Controlling traffic. Large networks need a way to filter and
isolate data traffic. Connectivity. These devices can connect different types of networks
using different types of network protocols. Hierarchical addressing. Segmenting the network
with connectivity devices provides an actual example of delivering actual data to the right
destination through the IP address's network ID and host ID. The hubs can be used with both
digital and analog data, provided its settings have been configured to prepare for the
formatting of the incoming data. For example, if the incoming data is in digital format, the
hub must pass it on as packets; however, if the incoming data is analog, then the hub passes
it on in signal form. In sense of compacted data. Using switches improves network
efficiency over hubs or routers because of the virtual circuit capability. Switches also
improve network security because the virtual circuits are more difficult to examine with
network monitors. You can think of a switch as a device that has some of the best
capabilities of routers and hubs combined. A main device that my friend could use to
analyze their network are the routers because they are general-purpose devices that
interconnect two or more heterogeneous networks. They are usually dedicated to special-
purpose computers, with separate input and output network interfaces for each connected
network. Because routers and gateways are the backbone of large computer networks like
the internet, they have special features that give them the flexibility and the ability to cope
with varying network addressing schemes and frame sizes through segmentation of big
packets into smaller sizes that fit the new network components. The common list I found and
would tell my friend which devices to expect include the following. A hub, the simplest in
networking connection, allows both analog and digital connections that also amplify the
signals that wouldn't work in longer distances. Next is a switch, which is a more precise hub,
will boost network efficiency and will read the addresses of hardware via packets that are
entering the network. The Router, the most common of the bunch, allows packet travel by
using LAN and WAN connections as well as your first line of defense as a firewall in
connections. A Bridge will connect a host to another host or network segments to other
segments as they try to split larger networks into smaller easier maintainable networks. The
a Gateway, usually acting as a transport, translate the functions between technologies which
helps make most of the process autonomous throughout the whole process. Then the
modem's role is transmitting digital signals from the router, into analog signals by telephone
or ethernet lines to further reduce the stress of multiple connections to the wireless network
being ran. Repeaters, also tieing into a hub, amplify the signal it receives to transmit at a
higher level or power to further increase the range of the connection. Finally, an access
point, involving wired or wireless connection, is a security checkpoint of signals traveling to
and from the router. Through research I found that the common network devices are a hub,
switch, router, bridge, gateway, modern, repeater, and access point. A hub us a common
connection point for devices in a network. Hubs are devices commonly used to connect
segments of LAN. The hub contains multiple ports. When a packet arrives at one port, it is
copied to other ports so that the segments of the LAN can see all packets. The switch has a
set of input ports where data messages come in and a set of output ports where data
messages are delivered. Routers are equipped to serve two main functions, process routable
protocols and use routing protocols to determine best path. A bridge is a device that connects
and passes packets between two network segments that use the same communications
protocol. Bridges operate at the data link layer (layer 2) of the OSI reference model. A
bridge will filter, forward or flood an incoming frame based on the Mac address of that
frame. A gateway is a node router in a computer network, a key stopping point for data on
its way to or from other networks. The modern basically allows computer to permanently
retain large amounts of data. Repeaters are network devices operating at physical layer of the
OSI model that amplify or regenerate an incoming signal also known as signal boosters. A
access point is basically is a wireless access point, or more generally just access point, is a
networking hardware device that allows other WIFI devices to connect to a wired network.
The ap usually connects to a router as a standalone device, but it can also be an integral
component of the router itself. I have found through research you can get all the components
to build a computer on NEWEGG.com. After doing my research and looking at all the
options for this specific type of business. You would first need a modem that would support
the amount of employees using the internet and also something that has solid speed and
good reliability. My recommendation for this would be Netgear C7100V. It has both good
speed and solid capability to support multiple devices and it has good speed that way the
business runs smoothly. Next thing you need is a router to take the signal and dispute it
between all the devices and this is important because it is how the internet gets to you for
them to work. My recommendation would be the T-P Link Archer A7. It pairs really well
with the modem and gives the best options for speed an reliability. After they have the
pairing of modem and router you next need to get Ethernet cords to distribute to the whole
company. These help make sure you have the fastest possible internet connection and makes
sure its clean and crispy. After all that the company should be able to run smoothly and
properly. After a little bit of research, I would first recommend a fast modem. which is what
gets your analog data and makes it digital for your router to send to your computers. it is the
main piece of your setup. With a bad modem. you will bottleneck your whole network. My
pick would be the Motorola MB8600 for $159.99. It can handle up to 1,000 mbps on Cable
connections. It has been proven to get more mbps even sometimes were offered. After that I
would get a router. The router is the middle unit of your network. It takes all the info flying
around and sends it to the right computer, then back to your modem. That is why I chose the
Asus RT AC5300 tri band gigabit for $299.99. which I currently own. It can handle pretty
much anything you want to throw through it. it would allow for the whole office to be doing
a video chat without any issues. Even at the 2.4, its still rated for up to 1,000 mbps. So, you
will never have to feel like you could be getting more out of the router. Next would get the
Netgear 8 port gigabit switch for $49.99. Make sure everyone in the automotive office can
be able to get onto the internet. With its easy plug and play ability. Will make set up a
breeze. Lastly, I would get the ethernet cables. I found what seemed like a pretty good deal
at Walmart. CAT7 10 gigabit flat cable. Which comes in with a 150 ft length. Allow to
reach all corners of the office. With a price of $26.99 per cable. The network devices you
would most commonly see include Hub, Switch, Router, Bridge, Gateway, Modem,
Repeater and Access Points. A router is something most of us know of. Routers send packets
of information to specific destinations. The router is what you would connect to using a
password through your smart device or computer. A hub connects an array of network
devices into one junction and are used to form LAN. Packets of information arrive at hubs
and is mimicked to other ports inside the hub. A switch is a “multiport device that improves
network efficiency”. The switch keeps small amount of network data pertaining to nodes in
a network system. A bridge conjoins two or more networks together similar to the name’s
implication. A network gateway is often used in telecommunication services and allows
networks to transfer data between. This type of data transfer is safe because of all the
protocol put in place to protect it. A access point when pertaining to networking is a device
that allows devices or networks to connect to it. A access point acts as a second point of
connection in a Lan and allows more users to connect to it. A repeater intensifies the
connection between devices. A router is the basic common ground and cheapest place to
start but, it is safe to assume she is looking to upgrade past one. If she expects to grow the
business drastically and wants customers to be able to connect to a Wi-Fi than I would
suggest an access point with switches.
To ensure this business is running at top speed, we will need a couple of items.
Modem- Nighthawk 32 x 8 DOCSIS 3.1 Cable Modem- $219.29
Router-Cisco RV340-K9-NA Dual WAN Gigabit VPN Router-$198.22
Hubs-WS-C2960-8TC-L CISCO CATALYST 2960 8-PORT 10/100, 1 SFP
$125.00(depending on the size of the dealership, this could vary with the quantity of offices
and monitors involved.)
Wireless access point- FORTINET FORTIAP-U221EV / FAP-U221EV INDOOR
WIRELESS ACCESS POINT $332.00
Total cost of upgrade- $874.51
Most of these items if not all of them vary on the size of the dealership offices I believe. I
wasn't concerned about price since it is a dealership. A stronger and faster modem provides
the dealership with quicker internet. Depending on how many computers there are in the
office, the router could change in price. Wiring all connections from computer to the router
makes a substantial difference in performance. Having an access point for WiFi can
definitely benefit the customers and salesmen to try and finalize an agreement. Either from
the customer needing to contact bank, check accounts it would all be available to them.
There are a few things I would get for this business’ network, first thing is to get a modem
that is powerful enough to transmit the fastest speed from the ISP. I decided the surfboard by
ARRIS was a fine fit for an auto dealership. Along with this I would pair it with an access
point for the computers. UNIFI Dream Machine is going to offer a wired connection for the
devices that can bring the most stable connection. There are ways to control these connected
computers, which can manage their speeds and what authorization they have, what sites they
can access, which will help network congestion. Managing WIFIconnections is a way to
limit bottlenecks in the network, which in turn helps the speed of sales processes and
especially with clients who connect to the network. I feel for a dealership it would be nice to
have at least 2 access points for clients connecting through WIFI, this way they can have
strong signals in the event they would need to download or utilize an internet connection.
Susan has an isp provider (internet service provider) and a LAN line provider. I am going to
assume Susan would like to encourage sales to generate more revenue. This means mobility
and flexibility for the sale team to capture a potential buyer quickly. The finance department
would need to communicate with the potential customer a little quicker. This upgrade will be
for existing wired network connection enhanced indoor and outdoor wireless capability. For
both wired and wireless network connections will include the following:
• 1-Router Cisco Meraki MR74 (with 4 Antennas) = $1,355.92
• 3 year license
• Offers 2.5 Gbps
• Bluetooth, smartphones, laptops/tablet,scanner-gun in case Susan has inventory bar-
codes on her cars to access product information, security cameras and sales
transactions (just in case someone is paying cash).
• Easy to manage: plug and play deployment; self-configuration which means refresh
will most often fix this issue if it’s not a network issue; which means you engage the
ISP provider to troubleshoot the network connection itself. (We do not want our
friend Susan to increase her payroll by having to hire new employees for this
upgrade)
• Easy installation; seamless which mean this upgrade will not disrupt business there
will be no down time.
• 1-Switch Fortinet Fortiswitch 112D-POE Ruggedized Layer LAYER 2 POE
SWITCH 8X =$1,442.00
• 8x POE/POE+ capable ports
• 4x GE SFP Slots
Total Cost of Network Upgrade: $2797.92
I chose these twice devices because I believe it gives Susan room to grow and are reliable
products. The port compliant each other and once again easy to install, doesn’t increase
maintenance demands or troubleshooting for the staff that is currently support the current
network structure that’s in place. I could not come up with an easier solution.If she has to
upgrade her ISP; which is recommended; if you upgrade your hardware you should upgrade
your network delivery and consolidate all services (web, e-commerce, phone, etc..)
• ISP (internet service provider) upgrade package( managed wifi) best possible
package with Cbeyond or Verizon less than 200 a month.
I have designed and managed the role out of many large wired and wireless networks over
the last ten years. Building a network for a business is not the same as one for a home or a
small home office/ storefront. There are special requirements that have to be taken into
account, such as the type of devices that are connecting to the network; some devices do not
support current standards and encryption.For an auto dealership, the requirements will
probably be wired connectivity for workstations with telephony. Secure wireless for
employee use that must cover internal building space, maintenance garages, and the
inventory parking lot. Will an open Wi-Fi network be present for customers? Does the
network need a firewall with a VPN appliance for remote workers? Is the router or a server
going to be managing DHCP? These factors must be taken into consideration..
For the type of network described above this, the equipment list is as follows.
Modem (ISP provided)
Gateway appliance (Bridge the internal networks to the ISP's network, assigns Vlans for
routing)
Firewall appliance (Provides port filtering and traffic management)
Switches with level 3 management and Power over Ethernet (POE for telephony, Level 3
management for VLAN management)
Wireless controllers (Configures and manages AP’s, connects the wireless networks to the
main networks)
Wireless Access points (Provides Wi-Fi access with separate SSIDs for both secure and
open networks)
Outdoor rated wireless access points (For outdoor inventory wireless network coverage)
Patch panels ( For Ethernet connections from the wall drop to the switch in the data closets)
When a network is being installed the first and most important thing i would say would be a
NAS (Network attached storage) case for the network’s storage. Depending on the company
requirements i would recommend either a raid 5 or raid 10 array. Once the network storage
is in place then a Gateway can be installed to allow multiple computers to access the server
and by having a network Hub which will physically connect the computers to the network.
Another would be a router or a bridge that is password protected and encrypted for wireless
network access for employees with laptops or mobile OS devices that need to perform work
within radius of the router but not hard connected to the network. If the building is larger
than the radius of the router a repeater may be necessary for the radius to expand. This
router will need to be connected to an access point for the internet and can be accessed
through a modem for this purpose. Summary i feel that a raid array will help with local
storage and the network will be used to access the devices to the internet via either hard wire
or wireless.
