A network switch is a small hardware device that joins multiple computers together within one local area network (LAN - for the technically minded, network switches operate at layer two (Data Link Layer) of the OSI model.

Network switches appear almost identical to network hubs, however, a switch generally contains more "intelligence" than a hub. Unlike hubs, network switches are able to inspect data packets as they are received, determining the source and destination device of the packet and forwarding it on appropriately.

By delivering each package only to the connected device it was intended for, a network switch conserves network bandwidth and generally gives better performance than a hub - As with hubs, Ethernet implementations of network switches are the most common.