Configuration of
Network Cards
Er. Sakshi Dogra
Contents
Ø Introduction
Ø Wireless Network Cards
Ø Wireless Internet
introduction
Ø A network either allows one or multiple computers to
connect to each other (LAN), or it allows them to connect
to the Internet (WAN)
Ø In order for a computer to be able to talk to other
computers, or to an Internet service provider, it needs
what is called a Network Interface Card, or NIC
Ø It is also known as a network adapter, network
interface controller, or LAN adapter
Ø A network interface card, is a computer
hardware component designed to allow computers to
communicate over a computer network
Ø It is both an OSI layer 1 (physical layer) and layer 2 (data
link layer) device, as it provides physical access to a
networking medium and provides a low-level addressing
system through the use of MAC addresses
Ø
Ø It allows users to connect to each other either by using
cables or wirelessly
Ø This card, usually found inside the computer, is the gateway
into which you plug an ethernet cable
Ø An ethernet cable is standard for connecting your computer
to a high-speed Internet modem, or to a network within
your home
Ø Every Ethernet network card has a unique 48-bit serial
number called a MAC address, which is stored
in ROM carried on the card
Ø Every computer on an Ethernet network must have a card
with a unique MAC address
Ø Whereas network cards used to be expansion cards that
plug into a computer bus, the low cost and ubiquity of the
Ethernet standard means that most newer computers
have a network interface built into the motherboard These
either have Ethernet capabilities integrated into the
motherboard chipset or implemented via a low cost
dedicated Ethernet chip, connected through the PCI (or
the PCI express) bus
Wireless
Network Cards
Ø A wireless network interface controller (WNIC) is
a network card which connects to a radio-based computer
network, unlike a regular network interface controller
(NIC) which connects to a wire-based network such
as token ring or ethernet
Ø A WNIC also works on the Layer 1 and Layer 2 of the OSI
Model. A WNIC is an essential component for
wireless desktop computer. This card uses an antenna to
communicate through microwaves. A WNIC in a desktop
computer usually is connected using the PCI bus. Other
connectivity options are USB
Ø A WNIC can operate in two modes:
ü Infrastructure mode
In an infrastructure mode network the WNIC needs
an access point: all data is transferred using the access point
as the central hub. All wireless nodes in an infrastructure
mode network connect to an access point. All nodes
connecting to the access point must have the same service
set identifier (SSID) as the access point, and if the access
point is enabled with WEP they must have the same WEP key
or other authentication parameters
ü Ad-hoc mode
In an ad-hoc mode network the WNIC does not require
an access point, but rather can directly interface with all
other wireless nodes directly. All the nodes in an ad-hoc
network must have the same channel and SSID
Ø
Specifications
Ø WNICs are designed around the IEEE 802.11 standard which
sets out low-level specifications for how all wireless
networks operate
Ø Specifications commonly used in marketing materials
for WNICs include:
ü Wireless data transfer rates (measured in Mbit/s): these
range from 2 Mbit/s to 54 Mbit/s
ü Wireless transmit power (measured in dBm)
ü The 802.11b and 802.11g standards are the most
common
Wireless
internet
Ø A WiFi hot spot, usually a wireless router or access point,
first receives information from the Internet through wires
Ø It then translates that data from the binary form (the
computer code of 1s and 0s) into radio waves
Ø Next it broadcasts those radio waves into the surrounding
area
Ø Wireless signals typically travel between 75 feet and 150
feet (23 meters and 46 meters). In a wide open area with
no obstacles, however, they have been known to transmit
up to 1,000 feet (305 meters)
Ø Wireless Internet cards within the range of the radio signal
pick it up using a tiny antenna and translate it back into
binary code for your computer to read
Ø The process also works in the opposite direction, with the
card translating your computer's information into radio
waves to send to the router, where it is put back into
binary form and sent to the Internet over the wires
thankyou
