Network card interface lights

[cosimodagostino]

Hi everyone, I tried to read the question on the net but it seems very confusing and not precise.

I have two hp computers a laptop and a desktop; both NICs from the information taken from the adapter properties, are both 1 Gbps.

On both, I connected a cat 5e ftp cable to them;

On the hp desktop network card, both lights glow green, but on the laptop, a green led appears (indicating the connection status with the router), and the data part orange.
I also tried swapping the desktop cable with the laptop one (even if it didn't help because they are identical) the result doesn't change.

I also tried with a cat 6 cable, the orange light always remains.

As far as I know the green leds should indicate speed in Gbps while the orange lights in Mbps.

I repeat the network card of the laptop is a Gbps.

Why despite desktop and laptop network card even if both Gbps and despite using the same category of cable (or even replace with a cat 6 cable), the laptop light stays orange?

Aren't there any guides on standards?

[Joseph W. Doherty · Accepted solution]

To my knowledge, there's no standard for what NIC status light colors might mean, or how many status lights to have (if any at all), or what steady vs. various blinking rates/patterns, etc., might mean.

Also, BTW, in many case, would expect a NIC could not tell the difference between various Categories of Ethernet cables.

Understand, the "better" Categories of Ethernet, allows higher transmission rates for maximum distance (per that Category standard).  Higher than specification transmission rates are sometimes possible for short distances and/or low EM noise environment and/or a particular vendor's Ethernet cable actually being somewhat better than its Category specification.

[cosimodagostino]

I checked the hp laptop user manual. So it also depends on the manufacturer.

Thanks to both of you for the intervention

[Joseph W. Doherty]

"So it also depends on the manufacturer."

Yup, exactly.  Manufacturers would likely consider extra cost of providing status lights, and what all they might indicate, against whether buyers are willing to pay a premium for such a feature.

[Georg Pauwen]

Hello,

what is the exact brand/model NIC you have installed in the laptop ?