Internet Connection Technologies
The Internet is a worldwide network containing millions of connected computers.
A Single Computer Meets a Huge Network
Imagine a computer that starts out as a single device sitting by itself. Once it is connected to the Internet, it stops being alone and becomes part of a much larger system. This article follows that idea step by step: what the Internet is, how a computer joins it, and why the way a computer connects is a separate question from the network it connects to.
What do you think happens?
When a new computer connects to the Internet, what happens to the network?
Reveal answer
The new computer becomes another participant in the same Internet.
The source explains that the network is still the same Internet. The newly connected computer has simply become another participant in it, and this joining process happens continually as new computers connect.
Watching the Network Expand
A useful way to follow the idea is to watch the network grow. Start with a set of computers that are already connected. Then another computer joins. Nothing about the existing network has to be rebuilt. The new computer is simply added as one more member, and the total number of connected computers goes up by one.
Comparing the two halves of the diagram shows the key point. The original computers are still there after the join, and the only change is the new member at the end. The network is still the same Internet, which is larger by one computer.
The Internet as a Network of Computers
The Internet is a worldwide network containing millions of connected computers.
Two features of this definition matter. First, the network is worldwide, so computers throughout the world can belong to one huge network. Second, the network is not fixed. The source notes that the network grows as new computers connect each day. A learner should therefore picture the Internet as a living, expanding collection of connected computers rather than a single device with a fixed size.
Two Ways to Join the Network
Computers do not all have to use the same kind of connection to reach the Internet. The source identifies two broad ways to join it: wireless communication and physical connection. These two categories describe how the link between a computer and the network is made.
Structure Versus Access Method
The most important distinction in this article is between the network and the way a computer connects to it. The source puts it this way: saying that a computer connects to the Internet identifies the network, while saying that it uses wireless communication, DSL, a cable modem, or Ethernet identifies how the connection is made. The concept map below shows where each piece sits.
Read the map from the top. The Internet contains connected computers. Each computer joins the network by some connection method. That method is either wireless communication or a physical connection, and DSL, cable modems, and Ethernet are named as physical examples. The Internet sits at the top and the connection technologies sit below it, describing how a computer reaches the network rather than being the network itself.
Classifying a Connection Step by Step
Classifying a home computer's connection
A home computer is described as connecting to the Internet using a cable modem. Identify what the network is, what the connection technology is, and which broad category the connection belongs to.
- 1Identify the network
The phrase connects to the Internet names the network. The Internet is the worldwide network of connected computers.
- 2Identify the connection technology
The phrase using a cable modem names the technology used to make the connection. A cable modem is one of the examples the source gives.
- 3Assign the broad category
The source lists cable modems among physical connection technologies, so this connection belongs to the physical connection category rather than wireless communication.
- 4Separate the two ideas
The computer is connected to the Internet, and the cable modem is the method of connection. The network and the method are two separate pieces of information.
The network is the Internet, the technology is a cable modem, and the category is physical connection.
A laptop joins the Internet over a wireless connection. Name the network and the broad category of the connection. Then say whether the laptop's connection method changes which Internet it belongs to.
Hints
- Start by naming the network. Every computer in this discussion joins the Internet.
- Wireless communication is one of the two broad categories in the source.
- Think about whether the connection method changes the network or only describes how the link is made.
Mistakes Beginners Make with Connection Terms
Common mistake Treating DSL, cable modem, or Ethernet as the Internet itself
What it looks likeSaying that a computer is on DSL, so DSL is the Internet.
Why it failsThe source names these as connection technologies used for physical connection. They describe how a computer joins the network, not the network.
Do this insteadSay that the computer connects to the Internet using DSL.
Common mistake Assuming all computers must use the same kind of connection
What it looks likeBelieving that every computer on the Internet must use Ethernet.
Why it failsThe source states that computers do not all have to use the same kind of connection. It names wireless communication and physical connection as two broad possibilities.
Do this insteadRecognize that different computers can use different connection methods and still belong to the same Internet.
Common mistake Thinking a new connection creates a separate network
What it looks likeBelieving that a newly connected computer starts its own Internet.
Why it failsThe source says the network is still the same Internet, and the new computer simply becomes another participant in it.
Do this insteadDescribe the new computer as another member of the existing worldwide network.
Common mistake Confusing wireless communication with a specific technology like DSL, since both are ways to connect
Summary of the Connection Picture
Work through the core ideas in order to check your understanding. The Internet is a worldwide network containing millions of connected computers. Computers join it through wireless communication or a physical connection, and DSL, cable modems, and Ethernet are named as physical connection technologies. The network itself is separate from the technology used to reach it.
At a glance
- The Internet is a worldwide network containing millions of connected computers.
- The network grows as new computers connect, and each new computer becomes another participant in the same Internet.
- A computer can join the Internet through wireless communication or a physical connection.
- DSL, cable modems, and Ethernet are named in the source as physical connection technologies.
- The Internet is the network; DSL, cable modems, Ethernet, and wireless communication describe how a computer connects to it.