The Internet arose recently, but has already managed to “grow” with specific terms, such as, for example, a router, gateway, network adapter. All these names indicate the methods and types of Internet connection and sometimes have the same meaning. Most common
Network access means a network card or adapter. It serves as a transmitter between a network cable and a computer system.
There are many types of network cards, but they perform the same functions. Firstly, they transmit and receive data, forming packets from them. They are formed in the buffer, and the adapter interacts with the computer’s memory via RAM. In addition, Internet cards encode or decode data using parallel or serial codes (depending on whether this information is received or transmitted).
According to the method of integration, the network adapter is divided into three varieties: external, internal and built-in. The built-in adapters are part of the motherboard. The connector to which the network cable is connected and the information processing chip are located directly
It’s on the PCB, and additional functions of the built-in adapter are implemented by the
central processor. Almost all motherboards are equipped with such cards.
An internal network adapter is a chip installed in the system unit. It connects to the system board via PCI, PCIe, or ISA connectors. The external type of network card is enclosed in a plastic casing and is connected to the system via a USB interface. Such cards are used where there is no built-in or internal adapter, or it is broken.
More recently, an Internet card was the only way to access the Web. However, this device was gradually superseded by wireless communications. One of them is a wireless network adapter (or Wi-Fi). In fact, Wi-Fi is an antenna that allows you to connect to the network "over the air." Such adapters are also external, internal and built-in. Built-in Wi-Fi is integrated into the system board. Internal very often are a "hybrid"
antennas and network card. External Wi-Fi adapters are very similar to the now fashionable 3G modems. They are necessarily equipped with an antenna - either built-in or external - and the latter have a much higher speed.
Network cards differ not only in the way of integration, but also in their capabilities. Some adapters have slots for installing their own software. Others differ in the capacity of the system bus or the presence of additional ports. There are Internet cards equipped with RAM and LED indicators. In addition, the network adapter has several types that differ in how they interact with a computer system and in operating modes. The card can interact with the system both through the control bus and through direct access to the memory. According to the operating modes, these devices are divided into two types: cyclic input / output and memory sharing.
The speed of the Internet card depends on these properties. A network adapter that has at least half of these features will provide a very quick and comfortable access to the network.