What Is a Relay Network?

A repeater (RP repeater) is a connection device that works on the physical layer. It is applicable to the interconnection of two identical types of networks. The main function is to extend the distance of network transmission by resending or forwarding data signals. Repeaters are network devices that reproduce and restore signals: physical layer devices of the OSI model.

Repeater

Repeater advantages

• Increased communication distance.

• Increased the maximum number of nodes.

• Each network segment can use different communication rates.

• Improved reliability. When a network fails, it generally affects only individual network segments.

• Improved performance.

The main advantages of repeaters are simple installation, convenient use, and relatively low price. Not only does it play a role in network distance, it can also connect networks of different transmission media together. The repeater works at the physical layer and is completely transparent to higher-level protocols. ^[2]

Repeater disadvantages

• As the repeater regenerates (recovers) the received attenuated signal to the state it was in, and forwards it, increasing the delay.

• The MAC sublayer of the CAN bus does not have a flow control function. When the load on the network is heavy, overflow may occur due to insufficient storage space in the buffer in the repeater, resulting in frame loss.

• If the repeater fails, it will affect the work of two adjacent subnets.