Why are all the manufacturers putting LAN cards in home PCs?

[JeffD78]

This may be a stupid question, but I don't know the answer, so I'm asking anyway. I've noticed that a lot of companies have been putting ethernet/LAN cards in home computers that won't even be connected to a network. Why? Is there some other use for these cards, like a direct cable connection or something of the sort? Or are they just for networks and will gather dust?

[Axel]

Might be because you don't need a hub to connect 2 computers - all you need is a simple cross-connect cable. Also - hubs are getting really cheap these days - for about $65 you can get a little 5 port hub for the house.

I have several friends who cart their computers to each other's houses to do network gaming all week-end.

[JeffD78]

So, is using a LAN card any better than a serial cable? Stupid question again?

[Dominus]

Well, it's about 400 or so times faster... http://www.sysopt.com/forum/smile.gif

[brandon184]

They are putting ethernet or networking cards in all the home computers, because more and more families are connected via high speed internet.. DSL, Cable, etc.

[Target]

I think the reason a lot of manufacturers are doing it is because its cheap to do, gives them one more thing to differentiate themselves from the competition (or keep up), and is a fairly forward looking strategy.

As some have already stated, more and more users have multiple PC's in their homes, and networking them together is becoming more common.

Ethernet NIC's are also the preferred method of choice for installing high speed internet data connections, such as cable modems.

There are probably as many reasons for installing them at sale time as there are different brands of NIC's........

Dominus is correct too. Ethernet connections are WAAAAAAY faster than serial connections.

[JeffD78]

Alright! Yet another exraordinarily useful tidbit I've learned from this site! So if I were to get two NICs, is there a difference between a crossover cable and the other cables you use for connecting a NIC to a network?

[Axel]

Yes - the pin-out of a cross-over cable is different. Pins 1,2,3 and 6 relocate so you match the send-receive connections between the two cards. Also, you have to adjust you TCP/IP settings and set up special IP addresses on the two systems.

For detailed instructions, search the lucent site for "crossover cable" - The info is in several different places on the net, but I don't have any of the URL's handy.

I made a cross-over block at the house with two LAN blocks so I could use regular cables and connect my work laptop to my home computer and transfer files at a much higher rate.

You might also find info for a cross-over cable in a MCSE certification manual as the info is covered on their network test.

[JeffD78]

So if I were to go to CompUSA and get 2 NICs and a crossover cable, I'd be set? Would I need anything else? Both of my computers are running Win98SE, one's a P2-350, the other's a P100. Then I'd be able to share files and play games right? Well, better than with my serial cable at least.... Gotta replace that P100 one of these days...

[wangel]

I heard about this crossover cable a few years ago. I bought cable and some RJ45 connectors and put one together myself. No hub, no router, no switch. Just plugs right into the NIC card. Worked fine. I used it with DOS and drive mapping, but it should work the same with Windows.

[bdunn]

theoretically yes although more often than not CompUsa won't have a crossover calbe. they can be ordered from many places though.

[BBA]

I was pleasently surprised when I was visiting a friend who tried to hook up 2 PC's and lost his power adapter for his hub...we went to CompUSA and after 5 people told me they never heard of a crossover cable, one guy walked by and said "Yea...over here!" CompUSA had at least a dozen of them hangin right in the middle of the other cables. Only $7.95