Bob Metcalfe designed the first Ethernet network at Xerox PARC in 1973 to connect computers and printers. Ethernet uses CSMA/CD (Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Detection) where devices share a cable and can detect if two devices transmit at the same time causing a collision. The standard has since expanded and faster versions include Fast Ethernet that operates at 100 Mbps and Gigabit Ethernet at 1 Gbps. Switched Ethernet uses switches to connect devices and avoids collisions by routing traffic through separate ports or an onboard backplane when devices on the same switch need to communicate.