Ethernet

Ethernet is a standard for local area networks.

Ethernet defines the characteristics of cabling and signaling of the physical and the data-link layer of the OSI model.

Ethernet was taken as the basis of the international standard IEEE 802.3,they are usually used as synonyms

How fast is it ?

Ethernet has been around since the early 1970s, the first versions only reached 10 megabits per second (Mbps).

Faster Ethernet would arrive later, raising these rates to 100 Mbps and currently to Gigabit speed, which reaches 1000 Mbps.

Although at this time its use is limited to a handful of leading technology companies, the new standard 10 Gigabit Ethernet (speeds of up to 10,000 Mbps) is on the way.

Since it is a wired connection protocol, the type of Ethernet cable you use defines its performance. The most common types of Ethernet cables are Category 5 (or CAT5). These support both the old standard and Fast Ethernet while Category 5e and Category 6 (CAT5e and CAT6) cables can operate on Gigabit and 10 Gigabit Ethernet respectively.

Advantages

Signal stability

Although installing a wired LAN is a bit more expensive and complicated than a WLAN (wireless local area network) it does offer some advantages.

With Ethernet cable connections interference is not a problem at all.

And since many things in your environment can cause interference (your neighbor’s Wi-Fi signals, your microwave or a wireless headset), this advantage can be decisive.

Without interference, your internet connection is less sensitive to experiencing slowdowns, disconnections or intermittent connections.

This is critical when you are transferring large media files to a client (or playing Valorant).

Flexibility and security

Even if you are using Ethernet cables you still have the flexibility to transfer data up to 100 meters from your modem or router. As most routers are provided with Ethernet ports, it is not difficult to change your installation at home.

You can even go for an intermediate solution and just connect your gaming console or PC by cables while leaving your tablet and phones connected to the Wi-Fi signal.

For more professional-oriented users, the control and security that Ethernet offers is unrivaled.

With a physical connection you can maintain control at all times over who is connected to your network.

This not only alleviates the data traffic load for your users but also prevents undesirable security breaches (which can also be dangerous and costly).

Ethernet network hardware

• Network Interface Card or NIC, allows a computer to access a local network. Each card has a unique MAC address that identifies it.
• Repeater, increases the scope of a physical connection, receiving the signals and retransmitting them to avoid their degradation through the transmission medium achieving a greater range. It is usually used to join two local areas 'of equal' technology and only has 'two' ports. It operates on the physical layer of the OSI model.
• Hub, works as a repeater but allows the interconnection of multiple devices. Its operation is relatively simple since it receives an ethernet frame through one of its ports, and repeats it through all its remaining ports without executing any process on them. It operates on the physical layer of the OSI model.
• Network bridge or bridge, interconnects network segments by changing frames (frames) between networks according to an address table that tells it in which segment a given MAC address is located. They are designed for use between LANs using identical protocols at the physical and MAC (media access control) layer.
• Switch, works like the bridge but allows the interconnection of multiple network segments, works at faster speeds and is more sophisticated. Switches can have other functionalities, such as virtual networks. It works on layer 2 of the OSI (data link) model. This is why they are capable of processing information from the frames; it's most important functionality is in the address tables.