Wireless Ethernet Cards

A wireless Ethernet card is used to connect any networking device (such as a laptop or PDA) to a wireless Ethernet network. Also known as a Network Interface Card or NIC, a wireless card enables computing mobility, essential to taking advantage of the increasingly sophisticated development of emerging mobile tools and applications. Unless otherwise stated, wireless Ethernet cards are built into computing devices and are about 100 times faster than standard Internet modems.

Function

1. Wireless Ethernet cards use radio waves to transmit data. This is different than DSL (digital subscriber line) or cable Internet connections, which transmit data via a hard-wire phone line.

Features

2. Although wireless cards and networks rely on radio waves, the communication is done at higher frequencies than cell phones or radios (2.4 or 5.0 GHz) and at three different frequencies; allowing wireless cards to handle more data.

Signal

3. Under normal conditions, the signals of wireless Ethernet cards and networks typically travel 75 to 150 feet. Though they're stronger than regular radio signals, they are still vulnerable to the interference caused by physical obstructions.

Considerations

4. Communication and data transferred across a wireless network is easier to intercept by hackers and eavesdroppers than transfers over hard-wired networks.

Fun Fact

5. According to the Wi-Fi Alliance, perfect conditions (wide open areas, no obstacles) have shown that wireless signals can transmit data up to 1,000 feet and have even been documented to reach 1 mile.