Have you ever wondered how your computer connects to a network to send and receive information? A network interface card (NIC), a hardware component in the form of a chip or a circuit board enables your computer to connect to a network through a wireless or wired connection.
Read on as I talk more about these NICs. I’ll show you how they work, their types, and how you can choose an appropriate card for your device.
How an NIC Works
Network interface cards follow the OSI model for enabling communication. To give you an idea, the model comprises seven layers. Each layer has a specific role in enabling communication from one device to another. In the image below, you can check the seven layers:
The NIC spans both the physical and the data link layers. As a part of the physical layer, it provides the necessary circuits to help the device process and send data through a network. It also extends into the second layer, the data link layer. Here, it creates and executes the processes needed for data transmission.
An NIC acts like a transceiver to transmit and receive information simultaneously. It sits at the data link layer when a client initiates communication. Network interface cards also create the data packets needed to send information to the server. In this sense, the NIC acts as an interface for the TCP/IP protocol as it creates data packets that meet this protocol’s specifications.
Next, these data packets get transmitted to the physical layer. The network interface card converts the data packets into a digital signal. To reach the network, it transmits the digital signal through a connector, like PCI connector, PCI-E, USB, ISA connector, etc.
This brings up the following question: Does an NIC know how to choose between a wired and a wireless connection? Yes, it can. It depends on the type of NIC. Let’s take a look at these types.
Types of NICs
Broadly speaking, NICs come in 4 types:
Ethernet or wired
USB
Fiber optic
Wireless
As the name suggests, each NIC type connects your computer to a network in a particular way. Let’s dive into each of these types in more detail.
1. Ethernet or Wired NICs
Ethernet NICs come with a slot for you to plug in one end of a cable while its other end gets plugged into your modem. Initially, these NICs used the Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) cards, and later they started using the Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) standard.
Today, you’ll mostly find PCI cards, and their manufacturers install these as part of the computer assembly. They come in desktops whose motherboards don’t have an onboard Ethernet port. A more common form of Ethernet NIC is the Personal Computer Memory International Association (PCMCIA) card. These are small credit card-like NICs that can also get inserted into laptops and mobile devices.
2. USB NICs
USB NICs enable computers to connect to a network through USB ports. These cards don’t get built into the computers, so you’ll have to plug them in through your USB port.
This network interface card also behaves like a USB adapter on one end and a Ethernet controller on the other. The USB NIC also sends and receives frames. In turn, the device drivers tell the OS how to connect to the internet.
3. Fiber Optic NICs
These NICs are one of the most sophisticated ones available today. They have to handle high speeds and network traffic. You can combine two or more NICs to achieve high-performance standards.
You can also insert these NICs into a motherboard’s expansion slots. The fiber optic NIC converts data packets into electrical signals and gets transmitted through the network when you do so.
4. Wireless NICs
Designed for wireless connections, these NICs handle radiofrequency waves to send and receive information through a wireless router. Wireless network interface cards are one of the most common types of NICs.
You should look out for the NIC’s speed rating in the description section. This rating tells you the maximum speed that the NIC can handle.
How to Select an NIC
It isn’t too challenging to select the correct NIC. If you’re going for the NIC types I mentioned above, you should consider these 4 factors:
1. Speed
The most crucial aspect you must consider is speed. You want an NIC that’ll help you leverage the internet speeds offered by your service provider. At the same time, your device must also be capable of handling these speeds.
For example, you can’t get a 10GB speed with a 10GB NIC if your device can only handle 1 GB. Likewise, if the maximum speed offered by your ISP is only 1GB, then you’re wasting your money on a 10GB NIC.
It’s better to understand these aspects before buying an NIC. It’ll also help you select a card that fits your network and device. Ethernet or fiber optic NICs offer higher speeds than the other four types.
2. Multiport Redundancy
Sometimes, you may need more than one NIC for a device. For example, if you have a server, you might want to use one NIC to transmit data and another to receive sensitive information. The use of multiple ports can also offer redundancy. That’ll help you avoid network-related delays and downtimes.
Achieve connection redundancy with USB NICs!
3. Connector Type
The choice of NIC largely depends on your device’s connector type. For example, if you have an RJ45 connector, you want to pick a fiber optic NIC that uses SFP+ or QFSP+.
4. Portability
If you want to add an network interface card to a portable device, USB and wireless NICs are the best choices. You should also note that they’ll be highly limited based on the speeds of the USB ports and the routers, respectively.
Here’s a snapshot of how you can choose an NIC.
Final Thoughts
Network interface cards connect your device to a network. They work at the physical and data link layers to create data packets, convert them to signals, and transmit them through the network.
NICs come in 4 types, each with unique functionalities and compatibility. In this article, I showed you what factors to consider when selecting a network interface card. For example, you should consider the NIC’s speed, multiport redundancy, connector type, and portability. That way, you’ll get a card that works best for your device and network speeds.
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