Network Interface Card (NIC)
A Network Interface Card (NIC) is a hardware component that enables a computer or device to connect to a network. It provides the physical and logical interface for sending and receiving data over LANs (Local Area Networks), WANs (Wide Area Networks), or the internet. The network interface card (NIC) grew out of Ethernet, invented by Robert Metcalfe at Xerox PARC in 1973. 🧩 1. Types of NICs Type Description Use Case Ethernet NIC Wired connection via RJ-45 port; supports 10/100/1000 Mbps or 2.5G/5G/10G+ Desktops, servers, routers Wireless NIC (Wi-Fi) Connects to wireless networks (802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax/be) Laptops, tablets, mobile devices Fiber NIC Uses SFP/SFP+ or QSFP ports for fiber-optic links Data centers, high-speed servers Virtual NIC Software-defined NICs in virtual machines Cloud...
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