LOCAL AREA CONNECTION VS ETHERNET PROFESSIONAL

If you've ever passed through a tunnel while listening to your car radio or picked up on your neighbor's signal with your stereo, you know that radio waves are prone to interference. First, Wi-Fi signals are actually transmitted via radio frequencies. While setting up a wired LAN is a bit more costly and time-consuming than a WLAN (Wireless Local Area Network), it has some undeniable perks. If your device doesn't have an Ethernet port built-in, you may be able to use a USB-to-Ethernet adapter. These cables run from your modem or modem-router combo (known as a gateway) to the Ethernet ports on your online-enabled devices, like computers, laptops, or smart TVs. These support both traditional and Fast Ethernet, while Category 5e and Category 6 (CAT5e and CAT6) cables can handle Gigabit and 10 Gigabit Ethernet respectively. Most commonly, you'll see Category 5 (or CAT5) Ethernet cables. Though it's currently limited to businesses on the cutting edge of the tech world, 10 Gigabit Ethernet with speeds of up to 10,000 Mbps is also on the way.ДЄs a wired protocol, the type of Ethernet cable you use matters. Fast Ethernet eventually bumped data transfers up to 100 Mbps, but after huge technological strides, today's Gigabit Ethernet supports speeds of up to 1,000 Mbps. Ethernet: Speeds, Cables and SetupД«ecause Ethernet has been kicking around since the early 1970s, traditional Ethernet speeds clocked it at only 10 megabits per second (Mbps). In a world where Wi-Fi seems to rule our connected lives, you might be wondering: Is there even still room for that rectangular Ethernet port on your laptop? From serious business people to serious gamers, that answer is 'yes, there definitely is.' And here's why. What Ethernet is not, though, is wireless. You might even be connected to one as you read this. A LAN-in contrast to a WAN (Wide Area Network), which spans a larger geographical area-is a connected network of computers in a small area, like your office, college campus, or even home. Jargon aside, Ethernet simply refers to the most common type of Local Area Network (LAN) used today. But just plain 'Ethernet' is a whole lot easier to say, and itвЂ™s likely how youвЂ™ve come to know that essential bringer of Internet. And a CAN, of course, is a network made up of multiple LANs that spans a school campus.Technically speaking, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) defines Ethernet as protocol 802.3. A WAN is also made up of multiple LANs, but spans an area greater than a single city and may be connected by different types of technologies, including the internet. Essentially, they are networks that connect together multiple LANs.ДЇor people who do make the distinction, a MAN is a network made up of multiple LANs that are connected together via high speed networks and are all contained within the same city or metropolitan area. They are all somewhat overlapping terms, and nobody really agrees on a firm distinction. YouвЂ™ll even see the term Campus Area Networks (CANs) popping up occasionally. Wide Area Networks (WANs) and Metropolitan Area Networks (MANs) are actually pretty similar.

LOCAL AREA CONNECTION VS ETHERNET PROFESSIONAL

Professional level Wi-Fi access points often allow management of many devices from a single interface, and provide better access control. Professional routers and switches, for example, might service many more simultaneous connections than their home counterpoints do, provide more robust security and monitoring options, and allow a good bit more customization. On bigger LANs, youвЂ™ll typically find the same kinds of networking gear, just on a much bigger scale-both in terms of how many devices are used and how powerful they are. RELATED: Understanding Routers, Switches, and Network Hardware Sometimes, you might also find devices called switches that let you split up a single Ethernet connection into multiple connection points. For example, many ISPs provide a combination unit that serves as a modem, router, and wireless access point.

Sometimes, those functions are combined into a single device. On a typical home or small office LAN, you might find a modem that provides an internet connection (and a basic firewall against intrusion from the internet), a router that lets other devices share that connection and connect to one another, and a Wi-Fi access point that lets devices access the network wirelessly. Ethernet: How Much Better Is a Wired Connection? The two basic connection types used on modern LANs-no matter the size-are Ethernet cables and Wi-Fi. The types of technology used in a LAN is really dependent on the number of devices and the services provided on the network. What Kinds of Technology Are Used in a LAN? On bigger LANs, youвЂ™ll also find dedicated servers that host services like global user directories, email, and access to other shared company resources.

Local area connection vs ethernet