Internet Technologies

So far we talked about everything the internet has to offer.  But what actually allows this data to be shared from user to user.

There are basically three different types of computer networks (Shelly, 2010):

• Local Area Networks (LAN) – this is a network that supports a small area.  Think of it in terms of your place of employment or Empire State College campus at Appletree Business Park.
• Metropolitan Area Networks (MAN) – this network expands out a little further.  A MAN can support multiple buildings across a city or state.  This would be beneficial to a place like Empire with several campuses located throughout New York State.
• Wide Area Networks (WAN) – this network can cover large areas expanding across the country or even around the world.  Because of the large capacity of a WAN, it might consist of a single network or can be a combination of multiple LANs.



Courtesy of tiresias.org (Fellbaum, 1999)



After knowing the different networks that are available, it’s good to know how the data is transmitted.  There are different types of transmission media used depending on the network that you are using (Shelly, 2011).

• Coaxial cable seems to be an outdated media of choice for networks because of its lack of speed.  Besides for its speed, a coaxial cable has benefits such as resistance to interference and the capability of transmitting long distances.  Thus, this type of cable is still used to connect cable televisions.
• Twisted-pair cable is basically used with a LAN because of its capability to handle faster speeds of transmission.  It is also said to be the easiest cables to install.
• Fiber-optic cable thus is the choice to support MANs and LANs.  Similar to coaxial cables, which can transmit long distances, fiber-optic cables can go long distances but it also has the speed behind it.
• Wireless is another method to transmit data using radio frequencies but is limited to short distances.

  

You are probably thinking right now that this is not the fun side of knowing the internet.  And you are right.  But it is very important to learn about these aspects before setting up your system.

References:

Fellbaum, K, Hampicke, M., (1999).

                Integration of Smart Home Components into existing Residences.

Shelly, Napier, Rivers  Discovering the Internet  2010

            Course Technology, Cengage Learning, Boston, Massachusetts