What is an Edge Device?

Related Terms: Gateway, Industrial Gateway
 

What is an Edge Device?

The term edge device is used often as a synonym for gateway, since gateways reside at the “edge” of the network and monitor and control data flow from one network to the next. However, the term can be used to address a wide range of network and telecom hardware that provides entry and/or exit points for local networks.

 

For instance, an edge device can be used to refer to task specific gateways such as an IoT gateway, email gateway or XML gateway, or to general purpose network devices like routers and switches. It can also refer to network security gear like integrated access devices (IADs) that manage authentication and access at the edge. And it can be applied to devices like streaming network video recorders that transact video data to remote networks or the cloud.

 

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