Verkkoliitäntään

Verkkoliitäntään refers to a network interface in Finnish. It is a hardware component or a set of protocols that allows a computer or device to connect to a network. This connection can be wired, such as through an Ethernet port, or wireless, like Wi-Fi. The network interface is essential for devices to send and receive data packets over a network, enabling communication with other devices and access to network resources.

In computing, a network interface card (NIC) is a common example of a network interface. It is a printed circuit board that plugs into an expansion slot of a computer, providing a physical connection to the network medium. For wireless networks, the network interface is often integrated into the device as a Wi-Fi adapter. The interface handles the transmission and reception of data according to specific network standards, such as IEEE 802.3 for Ethernet or IEEE 802.11 for Wi-Fi.

Beyond the physical hardware, the term verkkoliitäntään can also encompass the software and protocols that manage the network connection. This includes device drivers and network protocol stacks like TCP/IP. These software components work in conjunction with the hardware to ensure data is correctly formatted, addressed, transmitted, and received, facilitating seamless communication within the network. Different types of networks, such as local area networks (LANs) and wide area networks (WANs), utilize various forms of network interfaces.