Any modern computing system is a complex of devices interacting with each other, each of which performs any specific function. For example, a video card is designed to generate signals that are converted by the monitor into an image; sound - for audio output; network card - for the connection of several computing systems, etc.
All of them, being assembled into a single system, form a computer. That is why it is so important to understand the features of the devices, to know their main characteristics. The topic of our article today is the network card.
Currently, the market offers several modifications of such devices, which differ among themselves by the manufacturer, the communication chip used, the maximum speed, the way they connect to the computer's motherboard and the data transfer medium. Let's consider each moment in more detail.
Manufacturer
There are several companies that manufacture such devices. When choosing, it is worth paying special attention to the chip used - it is precisely its characteristics that determine the opportunities that are implemented. These may be products of Realtek, Intel, Qualcomm, i.e. all those directly involved in the production of communication equipment.
Despite the fact that the main task of the devices is the same, the "firewood" for the network card (the program in the operating system that controls the work) from different manufacturers may have various additional capabilities. For example, intelligent power management, the way to process the wake-up command, setting the frame size is not present in all solutions, and the implementation may differ. If the network card must support specific capabilities, then the choice must be approached, only thoroughly prepared. For ordinary users, any network card is suitable, the main thing is that the speed correspondence is fulfilled and the transmission principle is suitable.
In addition, the cost of functionally identical solutions is highly dependent on the manufacturer. When buying products from a renowned developer, you often have to overpay "for the name." It is believed that these models have higher reliability than budget ones. This is partly true. At the same time, a D-Link network card (as well as any other manufacturer) can be purchased for a different amount. The reasons for this we will indicate below.
Hardware features
In order to process the digital data stream in a certain way, the network card performs a fairly large amount of calculations - it forms packets in accordance with the standards, controls the reception / transmission, etc.
And for this, the resources of the central processor core are used. That is why with a large amount of transmitted data, a general slowdown can be observed. To solve this feature, the chips in some models of network cards are able to independently process the data stream without using the
central processor. This is called hardware processing. It can be full and partial. Thus, for organizing a simple network, an inexpensive program-controlled card is suitable, but for more complex nodes it is recommended to pay attention to more advanced models.
Speed
Performance is one of the key characteristics of such devices. According to the standard, cards can support data transfer rates of 10, 100, and 1000 megabits per second. All modern solutions that use an RJ-45 connector to connect the cable are compatible with each other, that is, models with 10 and 1000 Mbps can be connected with the same cable. In this case, the protocols will be automatically reconfigured at a lower speed. Thus, if you need to connect two computers to a 1 Gb network, then, having the right cable and cards, this can easily be done. However, if there is an intermediate element between them, for example, a 100 Mbit switch, then the overall speed will be limited to them.
Wednesday
For data transmission , a cable (twisted pair), as well as radio frequencies, can be used. Cards using the latest solution most often work according to the Wi-Fi standard. Now they are very popular, since networking is much easier. The transmission speed when using the radio channel does not exceed 300 megabits.