Hub

A common connection point for devices in a network. Hubs are commonly used to connect segments of a LAN. A hub contains multiple ports. When a packet arrives at one port, it is copied to the other ports so that all segments of the LAN can see all packets.A passive hub serves simply as a conduit for the data, enabling it to go from one device (or segment) to another. So-called intelligent hubs include additional features that enables an administrator to monitor the traffic passing through the hub and to configure each port in the hub. Intelligent hubs are also called manageable hubs.A third type of hub, called a switching hub, actually reads the destination address of each packet and then forwards the packet to the correct port.

A device connected to several other devices. In ARCnet, a hub is used to connect several computers together. In a message handling service, a hub is used for the transfer of messages across the network. [Source: MALAMUD]

A device that connects the cables from computers and other devices such as printers in an ethernet local area network.Traditionally,hubs are used for star topology networks,but they are often used with other configurations to make it easy to add and remove computers without bringing down the network.Smart hubs or switching hubs are often used to improve performance by managing traffic.

A little device that is used to network multiple computers together. It is a central connection for all the computers in a network, which is usually Ethernet-based. Information sent to the hub can flow to any other computer on the network. So basically, if you're planning on connecting more than two computers together, go get a hub. If you only need to network two computers together, a simple crossover Ethernet cable will work and you don't even need a hub.