Do you know how your device manages to connect to the Internet ? Have you made a computer to pieces and cannot establish a connection? Do you know what the network card is?
These pieces are usually the forgotten ones of the equipment for reasons such as that they are integrated, we work with «amplifier routers» (which in reality are also network cards, although we do not know it). However, whether in one format or another, these are essential if we want our computers , desktops, laptops, large or small, to connect to a network .
You have no idea what we are 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 is its function 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 doing with a new more capable.
Index:
Network card: What are these boards and what are they used for?
The network card, network board or, similar but not exactly the same, network adapter , is a computer piece of hardware It is installed or connected to computers. With it, this internet connection is provided . This is not done because it has a signal but because this element is responsible for working for the team to communicate with the network provider .
Thus, we speak of a piece, such as a graphics card or a RAM, which includes a specific operating system, a unique design and some controllers 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 features of a board or network adapter ?
Let’s see, point by point, what this piece of computer is for, how it is or what its characteristics are and, of course, how it works.
Network card functions
The function of this piece is to act as a channel to enable communication between the equipment to which it is connected and another device capable of providing this connection to a network . He mediates between both parties (we will see how he does it later). This is achieved 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 you connect to be able to connect to the internet by communicating with an element that provides it .
Thus, talks to the computer and also to the router or another device that provides a network; Hold a conversation in both directions, throwing requests and giving answers .
Features
As for what they include or how they are, we have to:
- All will have their own MAC address printed on their body.
- A connection to a network means the allocation of an IP address with which we will be identified. This is a set of number separated by points. If the network is local the address will be private while if it is public, the IP will also be private.
- The operation of the network card may be hindered by the firewall ; Check it out!
- Jumbo Frame is an essential feature for those who will transmit huge amounts of data , that is, if your board has 1 Gbps or more.
- There are different standards with which each board may or may not be compatible and that involve some or other connection features.
- There are special cards designed to create virtual networks ; these require compatibility with IEEE 802.1q .
- If you are looking for quality in your transmissions , for example, if you stream professionally, you will not want miss the use of the IEEE 802.1p standard.
- Others refer to speed and coverage and we’ll see them later (on existing types of network adapters). >
- The promised speed will never be the one you get, that is, what the card gives us is a theoretical figure that we will never reach, since the different conditions will diminish it little by little.
- The Full-Duplex support doubles the speed .
- They can have status indicators that They will serve to tell us what happens to you at all times.
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How does a network board work?
This hardware element works by interpreting digital signals that are launched by the equipment to which it is connected to provide electrical impulses capable of moving on cable.
This begins by sending a signal to the network , which is produced by by means of a simple voltage , there must be a port that does the connection with another connector so that the messages are sent by means of coding of the electrical signals . Back , you will receive certain electrical impulses, being able to convert them into machine language .
Each signal is divided into an 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 all the same. This process is called voltage change. Depending on the voltage in which the clock pulse has been cut, the signal becomes a 0 or a 1 .
This way in which the transformation is performed can vary and we give, of course, with positive and negative points in each of the three ways in which this is possible:
- NRZ method . There is a cross 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 to work with a base 0. If the high horizontal signal line hits a clock vertical, the number that exists is maintained. When the one that crosses is a low one, it changes to the opposite.
- Manchester Method . In this case, 0 occurs when the low voltage signal and 1 when it occurs in reverse.
For this to happen, everything must start with a communication between the board and the equipment. This is given as follows:
- We started our team (the operating system really).
- This makes a check of hardware items they intervene in the primitive operation of the equipment, including this board.
- The operating system is responsible for loading the network service from which the card is “powered”.
- This service will perform an automatic configuration check, known as DHCP . It can also be achieved manually using a fixed IP address.
- The next step will be to send confirmation to our router, using a simple data packet .
- If it has a network connection, a positive response is given and the connection is possible.
If this does not happen, or if it is the first time you connect one to your device and, for whatever reason, it does not work this way (it would be very rare), you would have only enable it . First check if it works correctly. We do this as follows:
- Going to « Start «.
- Now type in your search bar « Control panel «.
- Click on the option with the same text.
- Click on the menu « System and security «.
- Now do the same by clicking on « Device Manager «. This option is in the area on the left.
- Click on the flechita on the left of « Network adapters «.
- Everything you have installed on your computer will be displayed. Obviously, if does not appear the card you are looking for is because there was a problem with the installation and you must do it again.
- Assuming your adapter appears , to check its operation, do right click .
- Now click on « Properties «.
In the «General» tab you will be informed if it is working correctly or if there is an error .
If you are told of any error , you can search for the corresponding solution. We propose you to resort, in any case, and before going crazy looking for, to enable the adapter just in case. To do this:
- Go to “ Start “.
- Type, again, “ Control Panel ” in your bar.
- Enter the menu of « Networks and Internet «.
- In the area of « Network and resources center «, click on « See network equipment and devices «.
- It is possible that, if this is the first time you enter here, a message appears telling you that the elements are hidden. You just have to click on “Enable” and these will appear.
- 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 boards exist and how do they differ?
These boards are classified, mainly, according to the way they connect to the network. Thus, we find Token Ring, ARCANET, Ethernet, WiFi and fiber optic.
Token Ring
They include an old network architecture that, due to improvements in the sector, has been virtually deprecated in conventional computers. This is because they remain expensive despite offering a minimum speed, incompatible with the user’s current needs.
The connector used is the DB-9, 25-pin and 9-pin , initially. Then they were redesigned to adapt to the Ethernet rosette ; they were known as MAU and IAS ..
ARCNET
Also in practical disuse, they use a BNC connector (coaxial cable) at first and RJ-45 ports years later.
Ethernet
They are the standard today , always leaving, of course, the most modern and worked models. The connections used are both RL-45 , typical of Ethernet, and BNC, AUI, MII and GMII . Its development goes through the incorporation of braided cable to replace the shortcomings of the coaxial, when we saw, clearly, that the trend was the RJ-45 but also the BNC.
Gigabit networks and the use of more than one device per home are the elements that make the RJ.45 ports of the cards multiply, seeing up to 4 of them for each one.
Of course, with the passing of the years the speed has been improving and at present 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
Su característica principal es que no requieren del uso de cables para conseguir una conexión a la red sino que lo hacen mediante ondas. Son las que permiten, como es lógico, que los portátiles se puedan conectar a las redes de una biblioteca o un bar.
These are very diverse and generally are subclassified according to the standard to which they have been adjusted. These are:
- 802.11b . It is the most popular standard. It has a theoretical transmission of 11 Mbits although this is really in about 4 Mbits. The distance they cover is 100 meters straight and unobstructed.
- 802.11g . Its theoretical transmission is 54 Mbits. We see that they actually transmit about 20 Mbits
- 802.11n . They are well above the previous ones, with theoretical speeds of 600 Mbits in channels of 40 MHz and real ones of up to 100 Mbits in optimal conditions.
Fiber optic
They are the fastest, as you can imagine. However, its main feature is in the method of getting the signal, which is given by pulses of light . This allows data to be transmitted at a greater distance, which makes them travel a space in much less time than in the previous cases.
The 5 best current network cards to buy at cheap prices
Of course, after having given you this information, you may have decided to renew yours because, as you have seen, not all are the same. So, surely you will be interested in leaving some good recommendations to buy a network card according to your needs:
ASUS PCE-AC68
The speed reached by this model is 1.3 Gbps under optimal conditions. It is an element, in this case, double band using Broadcom TurboQAM .
In addition, it has three antennas that will give it strength and stability to the signal , something essential if we have the router away and we want to squeeze the connection and we need a remote reception but without giving up Good speed It is 64-bit Windows compatible .
D-Link DGE-528T
This is coupled to PCI 2.1 and PCI 2.2 slots and t works with adapters of type Ethernet . Connect directly to the computer using a Gigabit switch
The speeds we handle in this case range from 10 to 1000 Mbps . It works in an optimal bandwidth that makes this speed, although it is the lowest offered by the models in this list, more than enough for the vast majority of users. The Jumbo Frames packages supported are up to 7 K . Its compatibility starts with Windows 98 , so it is ideal for nostalgics.
StarTech PEX10000SFPI
Thanks to its reach of 10GbE in SPF + we can say that it is, without a doubt, a network board designed to be used with fiber optic connection. Indicate that, in full duplex mode , the speed reaches 20 Gbps.
It has a design that makes it a specific complement for boxes with PCI-E X8 slots . You have it available with one or two SPF ports open . Its chip is the Intel 82599, compatible with most current operating systems , from Linux 2.6.24 or Windows 7.
StarTech ST20000SPEXI
Reach the same speed as the previous one , which is why, of course, it is also intended for use in high-speed networks.
It has the Intel X540 chip, which is very attractive for incorporating functions such as PXE boot, jumbo branches, virtualization, Auto MDIX or LAN tagging . Its format is PCI-E 4X and we see that it has two supports to extend compatibility in low or high cabinets.
UGreen PCI Express
Its interface is PCI Express with a slot of 1 and with the Realtek RTL8111G chip compatible with Windows from its version 7 to the latest update of Windows 10. It has a small size that makes it compatible with ATX or ITX boxes , to which it adapts with its 8 and 12 cm brackets .
Its maximum speed is 2000 Mbpx if we put it to work in full-duplex . This is halved in semi-duplex. It is interesting to know that this adapts to both circumstances automatically .
Includes Jumbo 9K frames, MDIX autocorrect, cross detection, Wake on LAN reset or 802.1Q VLAN tagging .