Which term best describes a device that connects a computer to a network and uses a copper interface?

Which term best describes a device that connects a computer to a network and uses a copper interface?

• A. NIC
• B. PAN
• C. VLAN
• D. LAN

Answer: (A)

A device that enables a computer to connect to a network over a copper interface is a network interface card. The NIC provides the actual physical and data-link connection to the network, with a copper Ethernet port (typically RJ-45) that uses twisted-pair cables like Cat5e or Cat6. It can be integrated into the motherboard or added as a PCIe/network card, giving the computer its Ethernet address (MAC) and the ability to send and receive frames over the network. The other terms describe types of networks or network configurations rather than a hardware interface. A PAN refers to a very short-range network for personal devices, not a single device connecting to a network; a VLAN is a logical segmentation of a network, not a hardware interface; a LAN is the network itself, not a device.

A device that enables a computer to connect to a network over a copper interface is a network interface card. The NIC provides the actual physical and data-link connection to the network, with a copper Ethernet port (typically RJ-45) that uses twisted-pair cables like Cat5e or Cat6. It can be integrated into the motherboard or added as a PCIe/network card, giving the computer its Ethernet address (MAC) and the ability to send and receive frames over the network.

The other terms describe types of networks or network configurations rather than a hardware interface. A PAN refers to a very short-range network for personal devices, not a single device connecting to a network; a VLAN is a logical segmentation of a network, not a hardware interface; a LAN is the network itself, not a device.