In: Categories » Computers and technology » Hardware » Network Devices Have Speed Limits
|
Ethernet cards and hubs are available in different speeds. The most common are 10BaseT (10 megabits/second, or Mbps) and 100BaseT (100 Mbps, sometimes cleverly called Fast Ethernet). Note, however, that the speed of the network has no effect on your computers' Internet speedWeb surfing, email downloading, and so on. The reason: even the slowest network operates far faster than your Internet connection. Remember, the top speed of a cable modem or DSL connection is between 512 and 4,096 kilobits/second (Kbps)still 10 to 20 times slower than the slowest home network (10BaseT network). Even a T-1 line, a permanent leased telephone line commonly used for corporate Internet connections, costing thousands of dollars a month, runs at only 1,544 Kbps. So why does a faster network matter? Primarily to save time when you're transferring big files between the PCs on the network. For example, you can play MP3 music files stored on another computer over a 10BaseT connection with no problems at all. However, if you plan to install video cameras all around your palatial estate and want to watch all of the video feeds simultaneously, opt for Fast Ethernetor even Gigabit Ethernet, the current Ethernet speed champ (1,000 Mbps). Much of the Ethernet equipment on the market today is designed to run either at Fast Ethernet speed, or at both 10 and 100 Mbps. If you buy a dual-speed router or hub (often labeled "10/100"), each PC connected to it will run at its own maximum speed. If one computer has a 10BaseT network card and one has 100BaseT, they'll still be able to communicate. But if your hub operates only at 100BaseT speed, then 10BaseT cards won't work at all. The bottom line? As you shop for gear, buy Fast Ethernet (or 10/100) hubs, which aren't much more expensive than the slower, 10 Mbps hubs. You may as well go for the higher speed, so you'll be ready for any high-bandwidth application that comes down the pike.
|
legal disclaimer
1) Our website is not responsible for the information contained by this article as well for any and all copyright infringements by authors and writers. E-articles is a free information resource. If you suspect this article for any copyright infringements, please read the Terms of service and contact us to investigate the problem.
2) The E-articles directory team is not responsible for inaccuracies, falsehoods, or any other types of misinformation this tutorial may contain and will not be liable for any loss or damage suffered by a user through the user's reliance on the information gained here. Please read the Terms of service
Useful tools and features
If you like this article (tutorial), please link to it from your web page using the information above. Linking to this page, this is the only way to help us improve our service, the same time providing your visitors with a way to improve their online experience.
related articles
In this article, when you see the term system resource, I would like you to think of a setting assigned to a device that allows the device to work with the computer. A device is anything that you can install on the computer—for example, a network card, a modem, or a sound card. The three major system resources that can be assigned to different devices are I/O addresses, IRQ addresses, and DMA addresses. A fourth system resource, called a memory address, can sometimes be assigned to devices a...
2. Types of Memory
Read-only memory Read-only memory (ROM) is a type of memory that cannot be written to. Information is written to ROM chips by the manufacturer, and this information cannot be changed. In the past, if ROM information needed to be updated, you had to remove the original chip and replace it with an updated ROM chip. Software written to ROM chips is called firmware. One of the major uses for ROM is to store the system BIOS, which contains Power- On Self-Test (POST) routines and other routines that ini...
3. Some Information about the Most Common Computer Ports
When connecting devices to your computer, you should first look at the different types of ports that can be found on it. You may already be familiar with some of the common ones, such as serial, parallel, and USB. This section will discuss IEEE-1394 ports as well, which are often called FireWire. Serial versus parallel Two of the most common ports on the back of your computer are the serial ports and the parallel ports. Most computers have one parallel port and two serial ports. They are used to co...
4. Small Computer System Interface (SCSI) ~ How to Install SCSI Host Adapter in Windows 2000
This article discusses a type of hard disk that is more popular in high-end machines (servers) than in personal desktop computers. First, I will discuss SCSI and some of its benefits. Then I will take a look at the steps involved in configuring SCSI devices. SCSI overview SCSI is an acronym for Small Computer System Interface. The important part of this term is “small computer.” SCSI environments use a SCSI controller that is responsible for managing all SCSI devices and ...
DRAM is the most popular type of memory used in systems today. It is also the most popular type of memory that computer users are adding to their computers for the purpose of upgrading memory. Therefore, you must understand the different types of DRAM and what types of DRAM outperform others. Standard DRAM Memory is organized into rows and columns like a spreadsheet. The information is stored in the different cells or blocks that make up these rows and columns. With standard RAM, the CPU reques...
6. An Overview of IDE Devices ~ IDE versus EIDE devices ~ The Master Slave Concept
In this article, you will learn to install and troubleshoot IDE devices. First, you’ll be given an overview of IDE devices and some of their features, and then you’ll be shown a number of different configurations for installing IDE devices into a computer system. IDE overview The hard drive controller is responsible for converting signals made by the system CPU to signals that the hard disk can understand. These signals include instructions on where to find data and how to...
7. How Does a Printer Work ~ The printing process ~ Types of Printers
Although many different manufacturers make printers, you’re likely to encounter only three real categories of printers (so far). The three types of printers discussed in this article are: Laser Printers Inkjet Printers Dot-matrix Printers The exam touches base on each of these, but the wise technician should focus on laser printers, not only for the exam’s sake, but because these printers are the most common type in today’s computing environm...
8. Pocket PC Installation
Installing Pocket PC programs is fairly straightforward. Palmtop computers use an interface with a hosting laptop or desktop computer. The handheld is updated and installed through this interface. This interface also provides a means to install third-party programs onto the iPAQ. The procedure typically is as follows: The program is downloaded to the desktop. The user installs program from desktop, just like any other program. ...
9. General Bus Architectures
On the system board are a number of expansion slots that are used to expand on the computer’s capabilities. When it is first purchased, a computer only has so many capabilities—the nice thing is that you can expand on those capabilities. Expansion slots expand on what the computer can do. The problem is that there are different types of expansion slots in the system, so when you go to purchase that sound card or network card, you have to make sure that you purchase the right type. In the following sections...
10. Basic Motherboard Components
When you look at the motherboard inside your computer, you notice that there are a number of different items connected to this board. The memory sockets are installed on this board; the CPU socket is located on the motherboard, and the BIOS chip is also located on the motherboard. In this section, we will identify the different system board components. Processor One of the easiest items to recognize on the motherboard is the processor. The processor is usually the l...