A network card is a piece of hardware that allows a computer (a computer) to connect to a computer network . In this way, the team has the possibility of sharing resources with others.
It is also interesting to know the etymological origin of the two main words that give it shape. Thus, on the one hand, plaque we can say that it derives from the French "plaque." Red, on the other hand, it must be emphasized that it comes from the Latin "rete, retis", which can be translated as "fishing line mesh".
Also known as a network card or network adapter , the network card is currently usually integrated into the motherboard ( mainboard , motherboard or motherboard ). This means that most computers today have this type of connectivity without the need to incorporate other elements.
The network cards integrated into the motherboard use the Ethernet standard. The chip in question connects to the PCI or PCI Express bus.
However, originally, network cards were added as expansion cards . The user, if he wanted to connect to a network , was forced to buy this product and attach it to a bus on his computer.
We cannot ignore that there are different types of network cards, among which we highlight the following:
-Ethernet cards or plates, which are characterized because they use connectors. They can be connected over hundreds of meters and have in their favor the fact that they do not suffer corruption or alterations due to external factors such as electromagnetic waves.
-Token Ring cards, which have low speed and have a much higher price than others on sale. Currently, precisely because of these two aforementioned characteristics, they are in disuse.
-Wifi cards, which stand out because they have remarkable speed and offer optimal performance. They are wireless type and there are two varieties: external wireless network cards, which connect to the computer's motherboard through what is an empty bus, and integrated wireless network cards. The latter we can establish that they are those that are fundamentally used on devices such as mobile phones or tablets. They are really very popular and are among the most used today, without any doubt.
-Arcnet network cards or plates, which use both ports and connectors. Specifically, they work with a BNC type connector and an RJ-45 port.
In addition to everything indicated, it should be noted, on the other hand, that each network card has a MAC address (acronym corresponding to Media Access Control or, in our language, Media Access Control ). This address does not vary depending on the network protocol. The network interface of a computer that uses the IP protocol , meanwhile, is identified through an IP address .