Repeater

A repeater is a network component that receives incoming signals, regenerates them and retransmits them at amplified strength. This extends transmission links beyond the maximum length of a single segment, for example with Ethernet cabling, fibre optic runs or wireless connections. The repeater operates at the physical layer of the OSI model and does not evaluate addresses or protocol information. In wireless environments, a repeater receives the signal from an access point and retransmits it, which increases coverage but reduces available bandwidth and increases latency. In corporate networks, additional cabled access points or mesh systems are therefore preferred. In copper networks, repeaters have largely been replaced by switches, while amplifiers remain relevant in fibre optic and wireless technology.