The Network Interface Card (or NIC) was once the exclusive domain of professional technology consultants, geeks, and hardcore gamers. Believe it or not, at one point in time home computers didn't come with an on-board Ethernet connector, since these computers didn't need to think about home networking; but, thanks to the advent of broadband, every home computer has at least one Ethernet port - and some of them are even capable of gigabit speeds!