You know how your computer gets to connect to the internet? Have you made a computer to pieces and you can not establish a connection? Do you know what is network card?
these pieces they are usually the great forgotten of the equipment for reasons such as that they come integrated, we work with “amplifying routers” (which are actually also network cards, although we do not know it). However, whether in one format or another, these are essential if we want our teams todesktop, portable, large or small, connect to a network.
Have no idea what we’re talking about? Do you want to know more about them? Do you want to know how to improve your connection by buying the most suitable one? We are going to tell you many things about this piece, from what its function is to how it works, going through which are the best or what types there are, so that you can know absolutely everything and, with this information, decide if it is worth getting one. new more capable
Network card: What are these cards and what are they used for?
The network card, network card or, similar but not exactly the same, network adapteris a piece of hardware software that is installed or connected to computers. With her, This internet connection was provided. This is not done because it has a signal but because this element is in charge of work to have the computer communicate with the network provider.
Thus, we are talking about a piece, such as a graphics card or RAM memory, which includes a specific operating system, a unique design and drivers that make such communication possible.
The elements that cannot be missing in this piece are the connector that goes to the slot, responsible for data transmission, the card itself (the chip), the ports and the clamping plate.
What are the main functions and characteristics of a network card or adapter?
We are going to see, point by point, what this piece of computer is for, what it is like or what its characteristics are and, of course, how it works.
network card features
The function of this piece is to act as a channel for enable communication between the equipment to which it is connected and another device capable of providing this connection to a network. He acts as a mediator between both parties (we will see how he does it later). It does this by sending impulses, receiving a response, and transforming it into a language that the team to which it belongs can understand.
In other words, makes the device to which it is connected capable of connecting to the internet by communicating with an element that provides it.
A) Yes, talk to the computer and also to the router or other device that provides network; holds a two-way conversation launching requests and giving answers.
Characteristic
As for what they include or how they are, we have to:
- They will all have their own MAC address imprinted on his body.
- A connection to a network involves the allocation of an IP address with which we will be identified. This is a set of numbers separated by dots. If the network is local, the address will be private while if it is public, the IP will also be.
- The functioning of the network card can be seen hindered by firewall; check it!
- Jumbo Frame It is an essential characteristic for those who are going to transmit huge amounts of datathat is, if your board has 1 Gbps or more.
- exist different standards with which each board may or may not be compatible and that suppose one or the other characteristics of connection.
- There are special cards designed to create virtual networks; they require compatibility with IEEE 802.1q.
- If you are looking for one quality in your transmissionsFor example, if you stream professionally, you don’t want to miss out on using the standard IEEE 802.1p.
- Others refer to speed and coverage and we will see them later (in the types of existing network adapters).
- The promised speed will not be what you will ever achieve, that is, what the card gives us is a theoretical figure that we will never reach, since the different conditions will diminish it slowly.
- The full duplex support double the speed.
- They can count on status indicators that will serve to tell us what is happening at all times.
How does a network card work?
This hardware item works by interpreting digital signals sent to it by the equipment to which it is connected to find electrical impulses capable of moving on a wire.
this begins launching a signal to the networkwhich is produced by means of a simple voltageThere must be a port that makes the connection to another socket in order for the data to be sent. messages by encoding electrical signals. Backyou will receive certain electrical impulses, being able to convert them into machine language.
Each signal is divided into X number of parts that are identical, which is produced by what we call “clock mechanism“. The pulses are emitted on a regular basis, giving a uniform channel capable of working the signal to split it identically throughout. This process is called voltage shift. According to the voltage in which clock pulse has been cut off, the signal becomes a 0 or a 1.
This way in which the transformation is carried out can vary and we give, as is logical, points positive and negative in each of the three ways in which this is possible:
- NRZ method. There is a crossing between the clock signal lines, perpendicular, giving a 1 as a result when the horizontal is high and a 0 when it is low.
- NRZ-I method. In this case, we have that the work starts with a base 0. If the high horizontal signal line hits a vertical clock, whatever number there was is maintained. When the one that crosses is a low, it is changed to the opposite.
- manchester method. In this case, 0 occurs when the signal drops in voltage and 1 when the reverse occurs.
For this to happen, everything must start with a communication between the board and the computer. This is given as follows:
- We start our team (the operating system really).
- This makes a check hardware items that intervene in the primitive operation of the equipment, among which this plate is included.
- The operating system It is responsible for charging the network service from which the card “feeds”.
- This service will carry out a automatic configuration checking, known as DHCP. It can also be achieved manually using a fixed IP address.
- The next step will be sending confirmation to our router, through a simple data package.
- If it has a network connection, a positive response is given and the connection is made possible.
In the event that this does not occur, or if it is the first time you connect one to your computer and, for whatever reason, it does not work this way (it would be very rare), you would only have to enable it. First check if it works correctly. We do this in the following way:
- Going to “Start“.
- Now type, in your search bar “Control Panel“.
- Click on the option with the same text.
- Click on the menu “Security system“.
- Now do the same by clicking on “Device administrator“. This option is in the area on the left.
- hit the little arrow What’s to the left of “network adapters“.
- Everything you have installed on the computer will be displayed in this regard. Obviously, if it does not appear the card you are looking for is because there was a problem in the installation and you have to do it again.
- Assuming your adapter appears, to check its operation, click right click.
- Now hit “Properties“.
In the “General” tab you will be told if it is working correctly or if there is an error.
If any mistake, you can search for the corresponding solution. We suggest you use, in any case, and before you go crazy searching, enabling the adapter just in case. For it:
- Go to “Start“.
- Type, again, “Control Panel“in your bar.
- Enter the menu “Network and Internet“.
- In the zone of “Network and Resource Center“, click on “View your network computers and devices“.
- It is possible that, if it is the first time that you enter here, a message appears that tells you that the elements are hidden. You just have to click on “Enable” and they will appear.
- Beam right click on the adapter in question.
- Among the options, the one you must press is “Enable” or “Enable Internet connectivity”.
What types of network cards are there and how are they different?
These plates are classified, mainly, based on the way in which they are connected to the network. Thus, we find the Token Ring, the ARCANET, the Ethernet, the WiFi and the fiber optics.
Token Ring
include a old network architecture which, due to improvements in the sector, has practically fallen into disuse in conventional computers. This is due to the fact that they are still expensive despite offering a minimum speed, incompatible with the current needs of the user.
The connector used is DB-9, 25-pin, 9-contact, initially. Later they were redesigned to adapt to the ethernet socket; Those known as MAU and NIC did it.
ARCNET
Also in practical disuse, they use a BNC connector (of coaxial cable) at first and RJ-45 ports years later.
ethernet
Are the standard today, always going, of course, to the most modern and worked models. The connections used are both RL-45typical of Ethernet, such as BNC, AUI, MII and GMII. Its development goes through incorporation of the braided cable to make up for coaxial deficiencies, when we clearly saw that the trend was for RJ-45 but also for BNC.
Gigabit networks and the use of more than one device per home are the elements that cause the RJ.45 ports of the cards to multiply, seeing up to 4 of them for each one.
Of course, over the years the speed has been improving and currently we find those that go from 10 Mbit/s to 10 Gigabit/s, which only work with high-frequency twisted cable.
Of course, you should always know that the speeds offered are theoretical, so you will never reach them, even in optimal conditions. Both these and the previous ones require wiring, which goes to our router.
Wifi
Its main feature is that do not require the use of cables to get a connection to the network but they do it by waves. They are the ones that allow, of course, that laptops can be connected to the networks of a library or a bar.
These are very diverse and generally are subclassed based on standard to which they have adjusted. These are:
- 802.11b. It is the most popular standard. It has a theoretical transmission of 11 Mbits although this is actually around 4 Mbits. The distance they cover is 100 meters in a straight line and without obstacles.
- 802.11g. Its theoretical transmission is 54 Mbits. We see that they actually transmit at about 20 Mbits
- 802.11n. They are well above the previous ones, with theoretical speeds of 600 Mbits in 40 MHz channels and real ones of up to 100 Mbits in optimal conditions.
Optical fiber
They are the fastest, as you can imagine. However, their…
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