Connectivity

• To connect a computer system to a network, a Network Interface Card (NIC) is required
• Typical network speeds

  A physical connection may be made using:

  • a copper cable, with typical data transfer speeds of between 100 Megabits per second (Mb) and 1 Gigabit per second (Gb)
  • a fibre-optic connection which has typical data transfer speeds of between 1 and 10 Gb
• Wi-Fi connections have typical data transfer speeds of 54–108 Mb but can go much higher. However, this can be severely affected by the distance between the device providing the Wi-Fi connection and the computer system. The data transfer speed can also be severely affected by atmospheric conditions, such as the weather, and building infrastructure.
• Circuit switching


  Type of networking technology that provides a temporary but dedicated link between two stations or nodes. Example is a landline telephone.

  Advantage:

  • Reliable
  • Fast

  Disadvantage:

  • Takes time to establish connection
  • Should anywhere on the route fail, the connection will be broken