By: Chasity, Jamon, Clifton

 Computer networks have lots of pathways that send information back and forth.  Networks can even send the information to each other through radio waves.  Transmission Control protocol(TCP)- controls the sending and receiving of information

 Telephone network provided the first method for computer communication  Local telephone networks have a central connection point for local telephone lines  Fax machines- used for sending Images over telephone lines  All of the world’s different telephone systems have been linked together in the Public Switched Telephone Network.

There are two types of telephone:  Standard phone- Has a physical phone line that leads all the way back to the phone company.  Cellular phone- has no physical wire, but sends it’s messages in radio signals  Cell phones can communicate over a wide area because they many “cells” of transmitters that pick up and relay phone signals.  A cellular phone is a radio transmitter and receiver.

 Computer’s use digital signals- strings of 1s and 0s; to do all processing.  The world wide telephone network developed into an tool that enables you to send sound, pictures and data anywhere on the planet.

 Is a “super network” of smaller networks.  The central heart of the internet is called the backbone.  Routers provided the connection points between the networks and determine the route for the data.

 routers know the destination of packets of data, they use TCP, which is the common tongue of the internet.  The routers reads the Network ID of each data packet and sends the data packet by the shortest route they know about its destination.

 An Internet Service Provider (ISP) leases connections to the internet from on of the backbone networks and in turn, rent a portion of those connections to you.  ISP acts as your gateway to the internet.

 All ISP’s enables you to connect to the internet.  Dialup internet service is a service that allows connectivity to the internet through a standard telephone line  Some offer only dial-up service, where you connect via a modem and then move slowly though the internet.  ISPs provide your on ramp to the internet

 The network connection consists of three pieces: a modem, a working telephone line, and an ISP.  The modem enables the computer to communicate to the phone line.  The phone line links between the modem and the computes at the ISP.  The ISP connects to all networks, the internet.

 Dial-up connections provide the least expensive method of getting your computer onto the internet  Prices in the united states average $9.99- $14.99 per month for dial-up.  It also provides the slowest type of connection to the internet.

 Modems send and receive data across the internet in measurements of bits per second (bps).  One Kbps is 1,000 bits per second.  One Mbps is 1,000,000 bits per second  Larger numbers meaning faster data transmission rates.

 The fastest dial- up download speed you’ll ever get is around 53 Kbps  It would take around 25seconds at the fastest dial-up speed.  People use the internet for complex things like: international phone calls and video conferencing.

 A dedicated connection gives your computer or network access to the internet through a single high- speed connection.  Two technologies dominate the dedicated connection field : Cable & DSL

 Cable connection use regular cable TV cables to serve up fast speed.  Cable blows dial-up out the window, with upload speeds of around 384 Kbps and a 2-5 Mbps download.  Cable connects to a cable modem that then connects to a NIC in your PC via an Ethernet cable.

 Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) uses your telephone line as its pipeline.  DSL uses bandwidth capacity to send data over the telephone wires without disturbing their ability to carry voice conversation.  DSL requires very little setup from a users standpoint.

 For your computer to send or receive a wireless signal, it needs a WiFi card, which is a piece of hardware that fits into your computer.  The wireless signal connects to a WiFi router and then goes to an ISP.

 The number one benefit of WiFi technology is its increased mobility.  Interference, updating your older computer and privacy concerns are the disadvantages of WiFi.

 People use cell phones and Wifi – enabled personal digital assistants (PDAs) to access the internet.  Some phone companies offer internet access for an extra fee.

 Hardware router’s have two sections – a multiple port switch for the LAN and a single Ethernet port for a wide area network (WAN) connection the internet.  A switch, router, and wireless access point are all rolled up into one device.