What Is A Star Topology?

Date First Published: 23rd May 2022

Topic: Computer Networking

Topic: Network Identifiers

Article Type: Computer Terms & Definitions

Difficulty Level: 5/10

Learn more about what a star topology is in this article.

A star topology is a type of network topology where every network device has its own cable that connects to a central connection point, such as a router, switch, or hub. It is the most common type of network technology. For example, if three computers in a home network connected to a router through an Ethernet cable, that would be a star topology.

Note:

It is called a star topology as it looks similar to a star that contains a central core.

Advantages and Disadvantages Of A Star Topology

• They allow a network to be conveniently managed from one central hub, switch, or router.
• Since each node is separately connected to the central connection point, if one node goes down, it will have no effect on the rest of the network.
• Since the structure of a star topology requires little cabling for the network to fully function, it is easy to set up and the design is simple. It also makes it easier to add new devices.
• It is easier to identify where performance issues or errors are occurring.

• If the central hub, switch, or router goes down, the whole network will go down and will cause all the nodes to be disconnected.
• The bandwidth, performance of the network, and the number of nodes the network can handle are restricted by the central network device.
• Since this network topology requires the most number of cables and additional hardware (hubs, switches, and routers), it is expensive to install.