Hub-based networks

It is relatively easy to sniff in a hub-based network topology, because you've got the freedom to place the sniffer at any place you want, as hubs are designed to broadcast each and every packet to all connected devices.

However, due to such design deficiencies, hub-based network topologies face issues in terms of overall performance. Network hubs do not have much capability in terms of prioritizing or forwarding traffic to specific ports only. They often become victims of collision-related problems. For instance, if more than one device connected to a hub start sending data at the same time, there is a high a probability that the packets will collide and fail to reach their destination. The sending side will be informed of dropped packets, which will then be re-sent, but it will cost the network and its administrator in time, improper bandwidth utilization, and performance issues.