Network Standards

A standard is a common set of rules covering one area of computing. It describes how something should work so that products built by different people can fit together. A standard is not a protocol, a cable or a device: it is the shared set of rules that those things follow.

Standards let hardware and software from different manufacturers or producers interact. If two products follow the same standard, they can work together even though different companies made them. This means you can buy compatible hardware and software from any maker, and a company can build products that work with equipment made by other businesses. Without standards, two devices might use different rules and not work together at all. For example, a games console from one company and a smart TV from another both follow the Ethernet standards, so the network socket on each device and the plug on a network lead are built to the same agreed shape and wiring rules. A lead from a third company plugs into either device and works. The lead is not the standard; Ethernet is the set of rules that makes the connection possible.

Ethernet, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are each a standard or a family of standards. Each one is a set of rules rather than a single product. Because many makers follow the same rules, a device from one maker can connect to a device from another, and you are not locked into one brand.