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TechKnowSurge Catalog Videos What’s a Networking Intermediary Device?
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What’s a Networking Intermediary Device?

Intermediary devices are the networking components—switches, routers, firewalls, and wireless access points—that connect end devices to each other across a network. Each type of device serves a distinct role in moving data from one point to another.

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About this video

In any network, end devices such as laptops and servers need a way to communicate beyond a simple point-to-point cable connection. Intermediary devices fill that role by providing the infrastructure that moves data between sources and destinations, regardless of the scale or complexity of the network. Without them, expanding a network beyond two directly connected devices would be impractical. The main categories of intermediary devices each serve a specific function. Switches are used to interconnect multiple devices within a local network, and they range from high-end enterprise models with Power over Ethernet support to basic consumer-grade units. Routers handle the job of directing traffic between separate networks, determining the best path for data to travel. Firewalls, such as Cisco's ASA series, add a layer of security by inspecting and filtering traffic to protect the network from unauthorized access. Wireless access points extend network connectivity to devices that connect over Wi-Fi rather than physical cables. These devices can be deployed in many configurations depending on the environment. In an enterprise setting, they are often rack-mounted together in a data center or network closet. In larger deployments, individual devices may be spread across miles of infrastructure, each handling its segment of the overall communication path. Together, they form the backbone that allows end devices anywhere on the network to exchange data reliably.

What you'll learn

What's covered

Intermediary Devices

Aligned to

CompTIA Network+
1.2 Compare and contrast networking appliances, applications, and functions.
Cisco CCNA
1.1 Explain the role and function of network components
CompTIA A+ Core 1
2.2 Compare and contrast common networking hardware.
Cisco CCST Networking
3.3 Describe endpoint devices

Key terms

Switch
A network device that connects devices within a LAN and forwards traffic based on MAC addresses.
Router
A network device that forwards data packets between networks based on IP addresses.
Firewall
A network security device that monitors and controls incoming and outgoing traffic based on predefined security rules.
Wireless Access Point
WAP
A device that allows wireless devices to connect to a wired network using Wi-Fi.
Server
A computer or program that provides services or resources to other devices, known as clients, over a network.
Endpoint
Any device that connects to a network, including computers, smartphones, tablets, and IoT devices.
Intermediary Device
A network node, such as a switch or router, that interconnects end devices and facilitates communication between them rather than serving as a source or destination of traffic.

Transcript

Time to talk about intermediary devices. This is a stack of intermediary devices, so let's get into what they are and how they connect end devices together.

What intermediary devices are

We have our end devices that we want to connect together, and we connect them together using all of our intermediary devices. That's all of the nodes in between that help the communication from one location to another.

Here I have an end device, a laptop, and let's say we want it to connect to this server right here, which maybe is hosting a website. What I could do to be able to download that website onto here, or be able to access the website, is just connect using this Ethernet cable. I'd connect the two, and then this would be up and running. Obviously that's not real scalable, and so what we have to do is interconnect these devices with these intermediary devices.

The stack

At the bottom here we have a switch. This is a 48 port power over Ethernet switch. It's a very high-end switch that's very expensive.

Next one up we have an ASA firewall. This ASA firewall helps protect the network.

Next one up we have just a cheaper, older switch here that can interconnect many devices together.

Then next one up here we have a router. This is what a router looks like.

Then here we have a wireless access point, and that can provide some access wirelessly.

I have another switch. This is a real cheap switch that you can just get online and be able to interconnect different devices here.

And then I have a home router right here, a wireless home router.

All of these intermediary devices work together to interconnect a bunch of devices and connect these two end devices together. These might be split up just by a rack — it might all be mounted on a rack and on top of each other like this — or they could be spread out over miles, depending on which piece of equipment it is. They all serve a little different purpose to interconnect these end devices.

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