Ethernet and Wifi Chapter 7 & 8

Send and Receive Data network adapter or network interface NIC card the most common wired Ethernet network interfaces Built into the Motherboard RJ-45 & RJ-11 A printed circuit card that mounts inside the computer A PC card that plugs into a laptop computer An external unit connected to the computer through a USB cable

Ethernet ports as standard features

Setting the BIOS Utility a set of controls that load configuration settings when you turn on the computer recognize both the internal and external adapters

Adding a NIC to an Old Computer Ethernet adapters are available both as inexpensive no-name products and slightly more costly brand- name versions To install an internal Ethernet adapter, follow these steps USB Adapters Network Adapters for Laptops

NIC Cards The three indicator lights are: LINK Lights in green when the adapter is connected to a live network 10/100 Lights in yellow when the adapter is connected to a 100 Mbps network; goes dark when it’s connected to a 10 Mbps network ACT Flashes in green as data passes through the network connection in either direction

WIFI networks Chapter 8

Wi-Fi Radio signals instead of Ethernet cables to connect computers and other devices to a LAN Wi-Fi connections are far less secure than wired networks

Types of Wi-Fi Networks

Operating Channels radio spectrum 2.4 GHz band, there are 14 overlapping Wi-Fi radio channels

Wi-Fi signals

Access Points Wi-Fi access points radio transmitter/receivers (transceivers) g or n A Wi-Fi adapter can also exchange data by radio directly to and from another computer in an ad hoc network

Network Interface Adapters Adapters Built into Laptops PC Cards USB Adapters PCI Cards Antennas

Wi-Fi Control Programs Access Point Configuration Programs DHCP IP address Wireless network name Channel number Operating mode

Wireless Connection Programs programs display a list of all nearby Wi-Fi access points and identify those that are using encrypted data Wi-Fi control program should automatically use the password and other configuration Hybrid (Wired-Wireless) Networks Wi-Fi Security