Certified Biomedical Equipment Technician (CBET) Practice Exam

The device that can amplify and regenerate network signals without the capability to route or segment them is a repeater. A repeater functions by receiving a signal, amplifying it, and then transmitting the strengthened signal to extend the distance over which data can travel in a network. This is particularly useful in scenarios where signals weaken over long distances due to attenuation.

Repeaters operate primarily at the physical layer of the OSI model, meaning they do not analyze or interpret the data being transmitted, and therefore do not decide where to send signals (routing) or create separate collision domains (segmentation). This makes them significantly different from routers, which direct traffic across networks, and from switches, which manage data traffic between devices on the same network more efficiently.

Understanding the role of a repeater is crucial for technicians who are focused on maintaining robust network communication, especially in larger installations where signal loss can be a concern.