[SOLVED] Questions about basic network stuff

[Nikolis69]

Hello everybody, this is my 1st post. Before I actually place the questions, I feel the need to mention that I'm a higher than average user of PC and internet, also with some programming experience, however I'm a total newbie in networks and well below the average when it comes to understanding hardware and connecting devices with each other.

So, my questions are ;

(1) ethernet cable ; is it an alternative to the USB cables ? E.g. when there is opportunity to connect the PC with a device either through ethernet or through usb, is it the same ?
Meaning that the PC will "read" this device the same way, perhaps e.g. with a slight difference in the speed of transferring the data ?

(2) the term "network", does it include even a "basic" connection like a PC and an external hard disk (or a PC and my mobile phone etc.) or does it need to have a hub (or a server) involved ?
E.g. PC + external hard disk, is this considered as a LAN ?

 

[bill001g]

Pretty much only if you use the word "network" very generically. Most people do not call a USB connected hard disk a network.

Your problem is you are thinking about this at a physical media level rather than look at how the data is transferred. It would take forever to explain the details of how different the communication between devices is. USB cables are just fancier versions of the old serial cables. They are mostly used to directly connect to a single device.

Besides a ethernet cable can go 100 meters where most USB cables can only go about 5 meters. But that is only look at the physical they are not even close when you look at the way data is transferred over the media.

 

[Nikolis69]

@bill001g : Thank you !

I have visited similar posts, exploring the speed differences between usb 3.0 and ethernet connections. More or less the feedback was that usb 3.0 is faster in (capacity of) transferring the data but then the pc's capacity would put a limit to that, so there actually is no difference (let alone plugging and unplugging).

Is that what you mean by "the way data is transferred" or something else ?

In case it helps, the reason I have tried to exploring "networks" is my intention to do live streaming of sports events. So ;

• I got a switcher,
• I have a PC (could do without it, if it wasn't for the stats),
• I also need a router for internet on-the-go

The switcher has usb-c port (to connect to a usb port of the PC) and ethernet port (for the router). And my final goal is to be able to transfer the filmed data as fast as possible, so that I may provide better quality (higher amount of MB) to the uploading for the viewers.

 

[USAFRet]

@bill001g : Thank you !

I have visited similar posts, exploring the speed differences between usb 3.0 and ethernet connections. More or less the feedback was that usb 3.0 is faster in (capacity of) transferring the data but then the pc's capacity would put a limit to that, so there actually is no difference (let alone plugging and unplugging).

Is that what you mean by "the way data is transferred" or something else ?

Ethernet and USB are two different things. They both "transfer data", but they speak different languages.

You can't use them interchangeably.

 

[Nikolis69]

@USAFRet : Thank you !