What layer is a PC NIC?

Everywhere I look it says it operates at both layers..

When I take practice exams they usually only want 1 answer..

So which is it??? The answer seems ambiguous and tricky!

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Comments

Bl8ckr0uter

A physical nic would be layer 1. However it follows the ethernet standard which is defined at layer 1 and layer 2.

DerekAustin26

So for a question with 1 answer but your choices are between layer 1 & layer 2.. Which one do you choose?

blackninja

Layer 1

Picker

DerekAustin26 wrote: »

Everywhere I look it says it operates at both layers..

When I take practice exams they usually only want 1 answer..

So which is it??? The answer seems ambiguous and tricky!

it all depends how the question was ask. I always say the phisical nic is Layer 1 and the mac address operates at Layer 2.

blackninja

The NIC itself is on layer 1 but Operates on layer 1&2

DerekAustin26

So how would a question with the answer of physical nic be worded? And how would a question with the answer of Layer 2 be worded?

notgoing2fail

DerekAustin26 wrote: »

So how would a question with the answer of physical nic be worded? And how would a question with the answer of Layer 2 be worded?

If they are asking about MAC addresses, then you can choose L2. If they are talking about NIC cabling in some way, it's L1.

mikej412

DerekAustin26 wrote: »

So how would a question with the answer of physical nic be worded?

If they're asking about bits, then it's layer 1

If they're asking about frames, then it's layer 2

Forsaken_GA

technically, the transceiver portion of the NIC operates at layer 1, it's what actually puts the bits on the wire and pulls them off. The rest of the NIC operates at layer 2