|  | 5.4 | Layer 1 Components and Devices
| 5.4.7 | Repeaters
Repeaters regenerate, and retime signals, which then enables cables to extend farther to reach longer distances. They only deal with packets at the bit level, therefore they are Layer 1 devices. Repeaters are less common than they once were, because hubs now offer the benefits of concentration and connectivity as well as the typical features of repeaters. Repeaters are internetworking devices that exist at the physical layer (Layer 1) of the OSI model. They can increase the number of nodes that can be connected to a network, and thus, the distance over which the network can extend. Repeaters re-shape, regenerate, and retime signals before sending them on along the network. The disadvantage of using repeaters is that they cannot filter network traffic. Data (bits) that arrive at one port of a repeater are sent out on all other ports. The data gets passed along to all other LAN segments of a network regardless of whether or not it needs to go there.