IP addressing is the foundation of all networking. Every device on a network must have a unique IP address, and subnetting determines how networks are divided, how many hosts they support, and how routing behaves.
This guide covers IPv4, IPv6, subnet masks, CIDR notation, calculating network ranges, and converting between number systems — all using the formulas already shown in your Number Systems page .
IPv4 Addressing Basics
An IPv4 address is 32 bits, producing:
IPv4 is written in dotted‑decimal format:
192.168.1.10
Each octet is 8 bits.
Subnet Masks & CIDR Notation
A subnet mask defines how many bits belong to:
Network portion
Host portion
Example:
255.255.255.0 = /24
Meaning:
24 network bits
8 host bits
Calculating Assignable Hosts
Where:
= number of host bits
Subtract 2 for network and broadcast addresses
Example: /24
Host bits = 8
Assignable =
Calculating Number of Subnets
Formula:
Where:
= number of borrowed bits (bits added to the default mask)
Example: Borrow 3 bits → subnets.
Interesting Octet & Block Size
Formula:
The interesting octet is the octet where the subnet mask stops being 255.
USB (Universal Serial Bus) is a standardized serial interface used to connect peripheral devices to a computer. It supports multiple device types, hot‑swapping, plug‑and‑play, and a wide range of speeds and connector formats.
USB Versions & Speeds
Your page lists the USB versions and speeds accurately, including USB 1.0 → USB4. Here is the cleaned and corrected table with modern naming:
USB is a serial interface that supports low- and high-speed devices.
USB supports almost any kind of peripheral device, including keyboards, mice, scanners, digital cameras, printers, and storage devices.
USB supports Plug-and-Play and hot swapping (adding and removing devices without rebooting–also known as hot plugging).
USB allows 127 devices to be connected to a single computer (directly to the host or by hubs).
All devices connected together share computer resources (IRQs, I/O addresses).
The computer’s BIOS must support USB and have USB enabled.
USB comes in multiple versions that perform at different rates, for various devices, as listed in the table below.
Version
Speed
Data Transfer Rate (megabits per second)
Maximum Cable Length (meters)
Supported connectors
1.0/1.1
Low-speed
1.5 Mbps
3 m
USB 3.0 Standard-A, USB 3.0 Standard-B, USB 3.0 Micro-B, USB 3.0 Micro-A, USB 3.0 Micro-AB, USB-C
Full-speed
12 Mbps
5 m
2.0
High-speed
480 Mbps
5 m
3.1 Gen 1×1 (3.0/3.1 Gen 1)
Super-Speed
Up to 5 Gbps
3 m
3.2 Gen 2×1 (3.1 Gen 2)
SuperSpeed USB 10Gbps
Up to 10 Gbps
3.2 Gen 1×2
USB-C
3.2 Gen 2×2
SuperSpeed USB 20Gbps
Up to 20 Gbps
4
20 Gbps / 40 Gbps
4 version 2
80 Gbps Symmetrically (Up to 120 Gbps asymmetrically)
** Version 2.0 is backwards compatible with version 1.1 devices. Likewise, Version 3.0 is backwards compatible with version 2.0 devices. Most motherboards allow you to enable/disable USB support in the BIOS, or configure the USB version that will be used.
Small square connector designed to plug in to devices with mini plugs such as a digital camera. Most USB cables with a mini connector have an A connector on the other end to connect to the computer
Mini‑USB (5 pin)
Small connector designed to plug in to devices with mini plugs such as a digital camera.
Micro USB connectors are designed for smart phones and tablet devices. As such, micro USB connectors are quickly replacing mini USB connectors. Micro USB connectors are approximately half the thickness of Mini USB connectors, making them more appropriate for smaller devices.
USB‑C
Reversible connector supporting USB 3.x, USB4, Thunderbolt 3/4, DisplayPort Alt Mode, and power delivery.
You can connect a USB device to a computer in two ways:
Directly to a USB port on a computer (it is common for a computer to have two USB ports). In addition, many motherboards include additional USB headers that can be used to attach additional USB ports.
To an external USB hub. Hubs can be chained together to provide additional ports. A hub has a single B connector to connect to the computer, and multiple A connectors for attaching devices.
USB devices can be classified according to how they receive power.
Device Type
Description
Self-powered
Devices that rely on their own power supply (in other words, you plug them into an AC outlet) are self-powered devices (sometimes called active devices). All devices that draw more than 500 mA of power are required to be self-powered.
Bus powered
USB cables have wires to carry both power and data. Bus-powered (sometimes called passive) devices get their power from the USB cable. Bus-powered devices are classified as low-powered or high-powered devices depending on the amount of power they draw from the USB bus. Low powered devices use 100 mA or less High-powered devices use between 100 and 500 mA Like USB devices, USB hubs can be bus-powered or self-powered. You cannot connect high-powered devices to a bus-powered hub (you can only connect low-powered or self-powered devices to a bus-powered hub). Therefore, self-powered hubs that provide 500 mA per port are recommended to ensure an adequate power supply to all bus-powered devices that you may wish to connect to the hub.
** To install a USB device, you typically install the software driver before attaching the device. When you plug in the device, it will be automatically detected and configured.
USB Power Types
Self‑Powered Devices
Devices with their own AC power supply. Required for devices drawing more than 500 mA.
Bus‑Powered Devices
Devices powered directly from the USB port. Current page
Low‑power: ≤100 mA
High‑power: 100–500 mA
USB Hubs
Can be bus‑powered or self‑powered
High‑power devices cannot be connected to bus‑powered hubs Current page
Self‑powered hubs recommended for reliability
USB Installation & Detection
Your page correctly states:
Install drivers before plugging in the device
Device is auto‑detected when connected Current page
This is still true for many legacy devices, though modern OSes often include built‑in drivers.
A complete reference for SD card types, speed classes, bus interfaces, and performance ratings.
Secure Digital (SD) cards are widely used in cameras, phones, embedded systems, and portable electronics. Their performance depends on three major factors:
Devices that support SDXC also support SDHC and SD.
Devices that support SDUC support all previous types.
Older devices may NOT support SDXC or SDUC.
Write speed ratings
Bus Speed Ratings (Data Transfer Speeds)
Bus Type
Max Speed
Notes
Default Speed
12.5 MB/s
Legacy
High‑Speed
25 MB/s
Widely supported
UHS‑I
50 MB/s or 104 MB/s
Single‑row contacts
UHS‑II
156 MB/s (full‑duplex) / 312 MB/s (half‑duplex)
Second row of pins
UHS‑III
312 MB/s (full‑duplex) / 624 MB/s (half‑duplex)
Rare
SD Express
985 MB/s+
PCIe/NVMe‑based
Important: Bus speed ≠ real‑world write speed. Bus speed is the maximum interface capability, not guaranteed performance.
Speed Class Ratings (C, U, V, E)
Original Speed Class (C)
Class
Minimum Write Speed
C2
2 MB/s
C4
4 MB/s
C6
6 MB/s
C10
10 MB/s
Original Speed Class (C)
UHS Speed Class (U)
Class
Minimum Write Speed
U1
10 MB/s
U3
30 MB/s
UHS Speed Class (U)
Video Speed Class (V)
Class
Minimum Write Speed
V6
6 MB/s
V10
10 MB/s
V30
30 MB/s
V60
60 MB/s
V90
90 MB/s
Video Speed Class (V)
Express Speed Class (E)
Class
Minimum Write Speed
E150
150 MB/s
E300
300 MB/s
E450
450 MB/s
E600
600 MB/s
Express Speed Class (E)
These are used for high‑end cameras, 4K/8K video, and SD Express devices.
Application Performance Class rating
Designates the minimum number of Input/Output Operations per Second (IOPS)
Class
Read IOPS
Write IOPS
A1
1,500
500
A2
4,000
2,000
These ratings matter for:
Smartphones
Tablets
Single‑board computers (Raspberry Pi)
App storage and random access workloads
A2 cards require host support to reach full performance.
Read speed rating
The read speed rating of an SD card is usually indicated by the number and data unit, i.e. MB/s, that is printed on the front of the card (e.g., “100 MB/s”).
Important:
Read speed is usually higher than write speed.
Manufacturers advertise read speed because it looks better.
A complete reference for Wi‑Fi standards, frequencies, channels, security, antennas, and troubleshooting.
Wireless networking is built on the IEEE 802.11 family of standards. Each generation improves speed, efficiency, and spectrum usage. This toolkit provides a technician‑grade reference for Wi‑Fi technologies, frequency bands, channel planning, security, and performance optimization.
Wi‑Fi is defined by the IEEE 802.11 family of wireless networking standards. Each generation improves speed, range, efficiency, and spectrum usage. This guide summarizes every major Wi‑Fi standard from 802.11a to Wi‑Fi 7 and provides a technician‑grade reference for Wi‑Fi technologies, frequency bands, channel planning, security, and performance optimization.
Wi‑Fi Standards Overview (802.11a → Wi‑Fi 7)
Specification
Standard
802.11a
802.11b
802.11g
802.11n (Wi‑Fi 4)
802.11ac (Wi‑Fi 5)
802.11ax (Wi‑Fi 6)
802.11be (Wi‑Fi 7)
Frequency
5.75 GHz (U-NII)
2.4 GHz (ISM)
2.4 GHz (ISM)
2.4 GHz (ISM) or 5 GHz (U-NII)
5 GHz (optionally 2.4 GHz for compatibility)
2.4, 5, 6 GHz (Wi‑Fi 6E adds 6 GHz)
2.4/5/6 GHz
Maximum speed
54 Mbps
11 Mbps
54 Mbps
150, 300, or 600 Mbps (MIMO)
693 Mbps, 1.6 Gbps, 3.5 Gbps, 6.9 Gbps
up to 9.6 Gbps
up to 46.1 Gbps
Maximum range
150 Ft.
300 Ft.
300 Ft.
1200 Ft.
Modulation type
MU‑MIMO, 256‑QAM
OFDMA (massive efficiency boost), 1024‑QAM, Target Wake Time (TWT)
Channels (non-overlapped)
23 total, 12 non‑overlapping
11 total, 3 non‑overlapping
11 total, 3 non‑overlapping
5 GHz → 23 total (12 or 6 non‑overlapping), 2.4 GHz → 11 total (3 or 1 non‑overlapping)
Channel widths
80/160 MHz
320 MHz
Backwards-compatibility
N/A
No
802.11b
802.11a/b/g (depends on frequencies supported)
Notes
First 5 GHz Wi‑Fi standard; less interference but shorter range.
Cheap, long‑range, but slow and interference‑prone.
Introduced MIMO, channel bonding (40 MHz), and dual‑band Wi‑Fi.
Major speed boost; dominant standard for years.
Designed for dense environments (apartments, stadiums).
Extremely high throughput; next‑generation wireless.
Wi‑Fi Standards
Frequency
Max Speed
Max Range
Channels (non-overlapping)
Backwards-compatibility
802.11a
5.725 GHz – 5.850 (U-NII)
54 Mbps
150 Ft.
23 (12)
N/A
802.11b
2.4 GHz (ISM)
11 Mbps
300 Ft.
11 (3)
No
802.11g
2.4 GHz (ISM)
54 Mbps
300 Ft.
11 (3)
With 802.11b
802.11n
2.4 GHz (ISM) or 5 GHz (U-NII)
150, 300, or 600 Mbps
1200 Ft.
5.75 GHz–23 (12 or 6) 2.4 GHz–11 (3 or 1)
With 802.11a/b/g, depending on frequencies supported
Electronic components often use color bands or printed codes to indicate their electrical values. The most common example is the resistor color code, which uses colored stripes to show resistance, tolerance, and sometimes temperature coefficient. Older capacitors also used color codes, but modern capacitors now use printed numeric markings instead.
This guide explains how to read both resistor and capacitor color codes accurately.
Resistor Color Codes
Color
Digit
Multiplier
Tolerance
Temp. Coefficient (ppm/K)
Black
0
×1
–
250
Brown
1
×10
±1%
100
Red
2
×100
±2%
50
Orange
3
×1,000
–
15
Yellow
4
×10,000
–
25
Green
5
×100,000
±0.5%
Blue
6
×1,000,000
±0.25%
10
Violet
7
×10,000,000
±0.1%
5
Gray
8
–
±0.05%
White
9
–
–
Gold
–
×0.1
±5%
Silver
–
×0.01
±10%
Color Digit & Multiplier Table
Usage: Color codes vs printed values
Resistors that use color‑banded:
Through‑hole, low‑power resistors from about 1/8 W up to 2 W
Common carbon film, metal film, and carbon composition resistors
Used on PCBs, prototyping boards, and legacy equipment
Resistors that use printed values (no color bands):
Surface‑mount resistors (SMD) — use numeric codes like “103” (10 kΩ), “472” (4.7 kΩ)
Higher‑power wire‑wound resistors (5 W, 10 W, etc.) — often have the resistance and tolerance printed directly on the body
Precision network / array resistors — usually labeled or coded in text
Resistor Band Rules
Resistors typically use 4‑band, 5‑band, or 6‑band color coding.
Ethernet is the dominant LAN technology used worldwide. The IEEE 802.3 standard defines how Ethernet operates at the physical and data link layers, including signaling, cabling, speeds, and maximum distances. This guide summarizes the most common Ethernet standards from 10 Mbps to 100 Gbps.
Classification
Standard
Bandwidth/Speed
Medium
Maximum cable length
Thicknet
10BASE5
10 Mbps
Coaxial
500 meters
Thinnet
10BASE2
10 Mbps
Coaxial
185 meters
Standard Ethernet
10BASE-T
10 Mbps (half duplex)
Twisted pair (Cat3, 4, or 5)
100 meters
20 Mbps (full duplex)
10BaseFL
10 Mbps (multimode cable)
Fiber optic
1,000 to 2,000 meters
Fast Ethernet
100BaseTX
100 Mbps (half duplex)
Twisted pair (Cat5 or higher) Uses 2 pairs of wires
100 meters
200 Mbps (full duplex)
155 Mbps (Asynchronous Transfer Mode; ATM)
100BaseFX
100 Mbps (multimode cable)
Fiber optic
412 meters (half-duplex)
2 kilometers (full duplex)
Gigabit Ethernet
1000BaseT
1,000 Mbps (half duplex) 2,000 Mbps (full duplex)
Twisted pair (Cat5e, Cat6 or higher)
100 meters
1000BaseCX (short copper)
Special copper (150 ohm)
25 meters, used within wiring closets
1000BaseSX (short)
Fiber optic
220 to 550 meters depending on cable quality
1000BaseLX (long)
Multi-mode optical fiber
550 meters
Single-mode optical fiber
10 kilometers
10 Gigabit Ethernet
10GBASE-T
10 Gbps (full duplex only)
Twisted pair (Cat 6a, or higher)
100 meters
10GBaseSR
Multi-mode optical fiber
26–400 m
10GBaseSW
300 meters
10GBaseLR
Single-mode optical fiber
10–25 km
10GBaseLW
10 kilometers
10GBaseER
40 kilometers
10GBaseEW
40 Gigabit Ethernet
40GBASE-T
40 Gbps
Twisted pair (Cat 8)
30 to 36 meters
100 Gigabit Ethernet
100GBASE-SR10
100 Gbps
Multi-mode optical fiber
125 m
100GBASE-LR4
Single-mode optical fiber (SMF)
10 km
100GBASE-ER4
40 km
Ethernet Standards IEEE 802.3 Table
non‑IEEE Ethernet Standards
Classification
Standard
Bandwidth/Speed
Medium
Maximum cable length
Notes
Fast Ethernet
100BASE‑SX
100 Mbps
MMF
300 m
Vendor‑driven extension)
Gigabit Ethernet
1000BASE‑LH
1 Gbps (half-duplex), 2 Gbps (full-duplex)
SMF
10 km
1000BASE‑LH is not an IEEE standard. It is a Cisco/industry term for “long haul” optics, typically 20–70 km depending on optics.
Unknown USB device (device descriptor request failed).
Description
In Bluetooth & devices > Devices in the Settings interface, under the Input section, the device with the keyboard icon says, “unknown USB device (device descriptor request failed)”.
Solution
Expand the panel for the keyboard device.
Click the Remove this device link.
The operating system will try to reinstall the device with the proper driver. Warning: This may take up to a minute.