Ethernet or USB?

Dcully

Should i use ethernet or usb for my eircom broadband?
Currently using USB.
Do i need an ethernet card if its best go ethernet?

mike65

If you are using USB without problems dont change. If you are having software-hardware glitches and want to change then you may need a different modem and a pci 10/100 network card.

Mike.

azezil

You can use either, but yes if you want to use ethernet you need a network card, you can get one for as little at 10euro.

On that combi modem it really won't make a difference, in regards to performance, which you use.

If people have the option I'd tell them to use ethernet but that's only because you don't have to install any extra software

mike65

Also ethernet link does'nt use CPU cycles whereas USB does.

Mike.

infomat

Dcully wrote:

Should i use ethernet or usb for my eircom broadband?
Currently using USB.
Do i need an ethernet card if its best go ethernet?

I was advised by Eircom that Ethernet was the better option if I planned to connect more than one computer to the Internet. I don't know how true this is but I have 2 pcs, a tablet computer (via wireless) and a showcentre media server connected to my network and they can all access the Internet.

Of course there is additional expense and complexity.

azezil

well yeah ethernet is faster than usb so if you have a lan clearly the better option :P

daveirl

This post has been deleted.

MrVestek

Jaysus people. Ok ethernet without a doubt. First of all, as was said earlier, it doesn't use any CPU cycles. Secondly, if you're connecting via usb then you're doing a whole load of conversions of packets that don't need to really be done in the first place. Connecting via usb works like this:
1: Modem receives Ethernet packet
2: Converts it to a format that can be sent over USB
3: PC receives this and converts it back into an Ethernet packet that can be read by the networking software in the pc.
4: Then the packets are reassembled.

When ya connect via Ethernet none of this goes on, it just reassembles the Ethernet packets on the pc, end of story. Why does this matter you ask? Well if you're connected via USB you're basically emulating ethernet which takes up a fair amount of CPU cycles, also every once in a while the connection on the USB hub can be interrupted for even a split second and your net connection will go down for about 10 seconds (I know this from experience). This might not sound like much but it's a hell of a bother when you get disconnected from all manner of things and have to log in again etc etc etc...

So all in all Ethernet is the better, and simpler, solution.

Capt'n Midnight

USB only works with things that have USB drivers for the USB device.

Ethernet can be got to work with lots of other things beside computers, you can get PCMCIA, CF, ISA,PCI, USB and Parallel port Ethernet adaptors

USB is really only an option if you have minimal budget, windows, and will never have a second PC

Talliesin

Ethernet is better, but I wouldn't bother buying a card for it if you don't already have one. Unless you're of the every-cycle-counts persuasion when it comes to performance you won't really notice.

Xcellor

Ethernet. Uses less resources and no drivers needed (most network cards use generic already built in drivers)

X

Dcully

Cheers guys.Can anyone recomend a decent ethernet card i could maybe pick up in PC world or should i buy from komplett etc?

MrVestek

*shudders* ergh, PC World... no no stay away, next you'll be asking about Dixons.

http://www.marxcomputers.ie/html/mainpages/netw.html

First in the list... bam.

mike65

Jasus I would'nt get too precious! I bought my card from PC world as they can be seen from my front garden!

Mike.

Infini

Ya can pick up cheap E14.99 cards from Maplin but if your going to get a card you can get Gigabit LAN cards from Unity Retail for about E40 in town.

padraigf

Just pick up any form of el cheapo ethernet card you find. These days theyre all absolutely grand (in my experience).

Capt'n Midnight

Infini wrote:

Ya can pick up cheap E14.99 cards from Maplin but if your going to get a card you can get Gigabit LAN cards from Unity Retail for about E40 in town.

Marx had a pair for €35

jimmycrackcorm

Dcully wrote:

Should i use ethernet or usb for my eircom broadband?
Currently using USB.
Do i need an ethernet card if its best go ethernet?

Is it possible to get a Pc that has usb but not an on-board ethernet port?

The Fool

very possible, many home pcs have no ethernet port but have usb.

Personaly best reason for using ethernet is to preserve precious usbs for something else, never seem to have enough for printer/camera/mouse ect ect

Xcellor

The Fool wrote:

Personaly best reason for using ethernet is to preserve precious usbs for something else, never seem to have enough for printer/camera/mouse ect ect

Could just use a USB hub. Cheap and can help with lack of USB.

ozmo

Infini wrote:

Ya can pick up cheap E14.99 cards from Maplin but if your going to get a card you can get Gigabit LAN cards from Unity Retail for about E40 in town.

Maplin.co.uk sell Gigabit cards for less than stg15 pounds. So about 25 Euros in Blanch.
http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=42563&TabID=1&source=15&WorldID=&doy=21m2