An interface controller is computer hardware specially designed to connect a single computer to a whole computer network. An interface controller is a network card installed on the motherboard of a computer to connect the computer to a computer network or simply the Internet. It can be installed on a single slot of expansion cards on the computer’s motherboard.
What Does an Interface - Controller Do?
A network interface controller (NIC), often called a network interface card, network adapter, LAN adapter, or physical network interface, is a piece of hardware that links a computer to a network. They are installed for the connectivity purpose of the computer to connect to the Internet to share and acquire resources. These controllers utilize the Open System Interconnection (OSI Models) to transfer signals on the physical layer, broadcast the signals at the network layer of the OSI model, and work as an interface on internet protocol (IP) and transmission control protocol (TCP).
Different Types of Interface - Controllers
There are several types of Interface-controllers used according to the user choice, which include:
- Fiber optics - These NICs are connected to an electronic device using a fiber optic cable.
- Wired - Wired NICs are interface controllers connected to a computer using input jacks made of wires.
- USB - These are NICs that are connected to a computer using a USB port of the computer. These NICs are designed to connect an electronic device to a network through a USB port.
- Wireless - These NICs are wirelessly connected to a computer using radio frequency waves. They often use an antenna or wireless frequencies to be connected to a network or the Internet. A typical example of this technology is Wi-fi.
Advantages of Interface - Controllers
There are numerous advantages offered by interface controllers, but the most important ones are given below:
NIC offers a more dependable, quick, and secure connection when compared to wireless network cards. We can distribute mass data among numerous users thanks to NIC. It facilitates the use of several NIC ports to connect peripheral devices. Communication moves quickly.
Additional Features
- The hub-to-hub information transfer is incredibly reliable.
- Between several customers, a tremendous amount of information can be transferred or shared.
- The internet speed needed to make correspondence possible is typically high in gigabytes.
- A few peripherals can be halted using the many available NIC card ports.
- The Internet offers high-speed communication, often measured in gigabytes.
- The multiple ports on NIC cards can be used to connect a variety of peripheral devices.
- Large amounts of information can be split up between many customers.
Application Areas of Interface - Controllers
Interface controllers are used by the following fields,
- Electronic Machines
- Computers
- Mobile phones
- GPS
- Network servers
