Network Topologies - Word Drop

A topology is the physical ______ of how devices are connected together, by wire or wirelessly. In a bus topology all computers connect to one shared ______. A ______ at each end stops the signal reflecting back. A bus is cheap, and it is easy to add a computer. But it slows down as more computers join, and every computer receives all the data. A break anywhere on it stops the whole network, so a bus is now ______ used.

Star topology connects all devices to a central ______. A server connects to it like any other device. Some devices connect by wire, others wirelessly using a ______. If one computer or connection fails the rest keep working, and data goes only to the intended device. Star costs more than a bus. Its central device is a single point of ______, so if it breaks the whole network stops.

Mesh topology connects devices directly to each other, with no central device. A ______ mesh links every device to every other device, while a partial mesh passes data through other devices. Smart light bulbs using ______ form a home mesh, and mesh keeps working when one device fails. Wired mesh is expensive, needs an ______ to set it up and is hard to maintain.

Comparing them, mesh is the most ______, because data can take many routes. A star handles a broken connection better than a bus, because only one computer is affected, not the whole network.