in the TCP/IP model, are often said to fit between OSI's data link layer and the network layer. In general, direct or strict comparisons should be avoided because the layering in TCP/IP is not a principal design criterion and in general, is considered to be "harmful" (RFC 3439).

Another term sometimes encountered, network access layer, tries to suggest the closeness of this layer to the physical network. However, this use is misleading and non-standard, since the link layer implies functions that are wider in scope than just network access.