📘 CCNA 200-301 — 1.1.f Endpoints
🔹 1. What are Endpoints?
- Endpoints = end devices that connect to the network.
- They are the source or destination of network communication.
- Without endpoints, the network has nothing to carry — switches, routers, APs only move data between endpoints.
🔹 2. Examples of Endpoints (know these for exam)
- User devices
- Desktop PC
- Laptop
- Tablet
- Smartphone
- IoT devices
- Smart camera (CCTV IP cam)
- Smart speaker (Alexa/Google Home)
- Door sensor / thermostat
- Servers
- Windows/Linux server in a data center
- Virtual server (VMware, Hyper-V, Azure, AWS)
- Other peripherals
- Network printer
- IP phone (VoIP)
📘 What are IoT Devices?
- IoT devices = “smart devices” that can connect to a network (Wi-Fi, Ethernet, Bluetooth, Zigbee, or 4G/5G).
- They have sensors (to collect data) or actuators (to perform actions) and communicate with other devices, apps, or cloud services.
- Unlike normal PCs or laptops, IoT devices are often small, automatic, and task-specific — they run in the background without a user sitting in front of them.
🔹 Simple Examples
- A smart camera → captures video → sends it to storage/cloud.
- A smart thermostat → senses temperature → sends data → allows you to change heating from your phone.
- A smart speaker → receives your voice command → sends it to cloud → responds with music or answers.
🔹 3. How Endpoints Connect to Network
- Wired → Ethernet cable to a switch port
- Wireless → Wi-Fi → Access Point → Switch
💡 Endpoints always connect first to access layer devices (switches/APs).
🔹 4. How Endpoints Are Identified
Every endpoint has:
- MAC Address → hardware ID (Layer 2)
- IP Address → logical address (Layer 3)
Switches use the MAC address to forward frames.
Routers use the IP address to forward packets.
🔹 Where to Find a MAC Address?
A MAC address is the hardware address burned into the network interface card (NIC) of a device.
It’s always tied to the network card, not the whole device itself.
🔹 Key CCNA Point
- MAC address = on the NIC (network card).
- It can appear on the device label for easy identification.
- The operating system can display it in network settings.
🔹 5. Endpoint Roles
- Source of traffic (e.g., a laptop sending an email).
- Destination of traffic (e.g., a web server hosting a website).
- Some devices act as both (e.g., a smartphone downloads data and also shares hotspot).
🔹 6. Endpoint Security (important for exam awareness)
- Endpoints are the weakest link in a network.
- Common protections:
- Antivirus / EDR (endpoint detection & response)
- Strong authentication (passwords, certificates, 802.1X)
- Regular patching and updates
🔹 7. Why Cisco Puts This in Exam
- All networking exists to connect endpoints together.
- Exam will ask things like:
- “Which is an endpoint?”
- Answer: Laptop, smartphone, printer, IP phone, server
- Not: Switch, router, firewall, AP (those are network infrastructure devices).
✅ CCNA Exam Takeaway
- Endpoints = end devices on the network.
- Examples: PCs, laptops, servers, printers, IP phones, IoT devices.
- Connect via wired (Ethernet) or wireless (Wi-Fi) through access layer.
- Identified by MAC (L2) + IP (L3).
- Need security because they’re the main target for attacks.