Welcome to the 3Com NIC Finder. Simply answer a few questions and this powerful tool will recommend the right NIC for your needs. It's our way of radically simplifying the way you find the right connection.

But first, here's a little information to get you started.

All PCs require some type of network adapter or network interface card (NICs) to make the connection for network use. When choosing a NIC (also known as a network adapter) for a PC you should consider:

 The speed of your network-Ethernet (10 Mbps) or Fast Ethernet (100 Mbps)

 The type of cable connector you need-RJ-45 for twisted pair or BNC and AUI for coaxial cable

 The type of adapter slot in your PC or notebook-ISA, PCI, USB, or PC Card

If you are setting up a network that uses twisted-pair cabling, you will need a NIC with an RJ-45 connector. This is an Ethernet or Fast Ethernet network.

10BASE-T: The industry standard for 10 Mbps Ethernet that runs on unshielded twisted pair (UTP) copper cable. It looks like a phone cable, but the modular plugs at the end-RJ-45 connectors-are slightly larger. The cabling is rated Category 3, 4, or 5 UTP.

Phoneline networks use telephone wiring and RJ-11 cabling.

10BASE2: This is Ethernet running on thin coaxial copper cable. As a result, it is often called "thinnet" or "cheapernet." This Ethernet standard runs at a data transfer rate of 10 Mbps with a distance limit of 185 meters per segment.

Range can be increased with power boost. Master/slave architecture for a personal area network (PAN).

USB delivers complete plug-and-play capabilities to devices as well as hot-swap capability. This means that USB-connected devices can be plugged or unplugged without powering them down. They also pass-through support similar to parallel port connectors, so you can daisy chain up to 127 USB devices. And because of the small size of the USB connector, it can be used on notebook and handheld computers.

802.11b WLANs share many technologies with the original 802 Ethernet standard. Any Ethernet-compatible LAN application, operating system, or protocol-including TCP/IP and Novell NetWare-will run over an 802.11b WLAN. For end users on the move, DHCP, Mobile IP, fallback rates, and load balancing ensure continuous WLAN connectivity. The wireless transmissions are secured at various levels including, access control, domain identification, and encryption.

Some common words found in the essay are:
Infrared IR, Mbps Ethernet, Engineers IEEE, RG-58 A/U, Serial Bus, FireWire IEEE, Type IEEE, Phoneline Networking, NIC It's, Mobile IP, 10 mbps, 80211b wlans, industry standard, copper cable, phoneline networks, 5 utp, phone calls, ieee 80211b, networks run, category 3 4, wireless technology, 3 4 5, 4 5 utp, coaxial copper cable, cabling rated category,
Approximate Word count = 1526
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)