Difference between Fast Ethernet and Gigabit Ethernet
Main difference
Ethernet is a local area network, which is used to connect different people working in one place. It is the opposite of the Internet, which is for use by people who want to surf on their own. Ethernet helps people work in groups to get work done quickly. It is the most widely used technology in its field and contributes to keeping multiple computers connected to each other or to a central computer and is mainly used in different organizations where multiple people are performing a task. There are many types of Ethernet to use, but there are two main types of Ethernet that are currently used more frequently: Fast Ethernet and Gigabit Ethernet. Both have some similarities and differences between them, the latter will be discussed in this paragraph. The simplest difference between them is their speed. An Ethernet, which operates at a speed of 100 Mbps, is known as Fast Ethernet, while one that operates at 1000 Mbps is known as Gigabit Ethernet. This is the basis for why they are named differently even when they both use the same bandwidths and modes, such as half and duplex. A gigabit Ethernet works 10 times faster than a fast Ethernet. It can also be assumed that a fast card can operate at speeds of 10 Mbps and 100 Mbps, while a gigabit card can operate at speeds of 10, 100 and 1000 Mbps respectively. Due to these characteristics, gigabit is more expensive than fast . If someone wants to upgrade from fast Ethernet to Gigabit, it won’t cost much and the process will be simple. If the upscaling is gigabit to fast, it can cost a lot more and the process will be complicated. That said, there are more connectivity and networking issues in the gigabit version because most technologies have yet to upgrade to the working standard at such high speeds. Most of the fast Internet runs at a frequency of 125MHZ, while the Gigabit rate is slightly higher.
Comparative chart
| Fast ethernet | Gigabit Ethernet | |
| Definition | Ethernet operating at the maximum speed of 100 Mbps | The one that works at the speed of 1000 Mbps |
| Delays | Plus | Less |
| Rank | Has a range of 10 km | It has the limit of 70km |
| Setting | Less complicated in setup | More configuration errors on gigabit Ethernet |
| Relationship | Can’t work as Gigabit | Can work so fast |
Definition of Fast Ethernet
Most of the properties of a fast card are the same as the previous 10 Mbps version, but the main difference is the delay which has decreased considerably from 51.3 milliseconds to 5.12 milliseconds. This has led to a speed increase that is 10 times more than the previous version. An Ethernet, which has a speed of 100 Mbps, is known as Fast Ethernet. It makes use of 10BaseT which results in faster speeds and less lag. It hit the market in 1995 and has different characteristics as it has several PHY layers. There are still original Ethernet MAC operators in this version, but they are higher speed. The length of the cable network can be up to 10 km. There were fewer lags compared to previous versions, giving it the edge over others.
Definition of Gigabit Ethernet
The simplest definition of this type of Ethernet is that it operates at a speed of 1000 Mbps, which is why it was called gigabit. It uses an 803.2 frame format and also has half duplex and full duplex working modes. The maximum length of this system can be up to 70 km, which is why most universities and larger branches use it. It has different versions of itself such as 1, 10, 40 and 100 gigabits where the system works at this speed per second. It also has a different CSMA / CD and agriculture format, while the external physical work is also variable. The time slot is also higher and can reach 512.
Differences in a nutshell
- An Ethernet that operates at the maximum speed of 100 Mbps is known as Fast Ethernet, while one that operates at the speed of 1000 Mbps is known as Gigabit Ethernet.
- There is more delay in Fast Ethernet while in the Gigabit version it is less.
- Fast Ethernet has a range of 10 km, while a Gigabit Ethernet has the limit of 70 km.
- Fast Ethernet is less complicated in configuration, while there are more configuration errors in Gigabit Ethernet.
- A Gigabit Ethernet can work on Fast Ethernet, but vice versa is not possible.
Final Thought
Ethernet is a system that helps people gain privacy on the Internet, but there are different types that have different uses. This article has looked at both types of this type and explained them adequately so that a person who wants to make use of them can know what they are looking for in terms of specifications.
