Editing Network topology (section)

===Bridges===
A [[network bridge]] connects and filters traffic between two [[network segment]]s at the [[data link layer]] (layer 2) of the [[OSI model]] to form a single network. This breaks the network's collision domain but maintains a unified broadcast domain. Network segmentation breaks down a large, congested network into an aggregation of smaller, more efficient networks.

Bridges come in three basic types:
*Local bridges: Directly connect LANs
*Remote bridges: Can be used to create a wide area network (WAN) link between LANs. Remote bridges, where the connecting link is slower than the end networks, largely have been replaced with routers.
*Wireless bridges: Can be used to join LANs or connect remote devices to LANs.