What internal device does a computer use to connect to a wired or a wireless network?

Lesson 9: How to Set Up a Wi-Fi Network

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How to set up a Wi-Fi network
LESSON 6 - COMMUNICATION DEVICES
What is internal device does a computer used to connect a wired or wireless network?
What internal device does a computer use?
Which internal hardware device is required for a computer to connect to a network?
Which device is used to connect a network to the Internet?

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How to set up a Wi-Fi network

The Internet is a really powerful tool. It gives us access to all kinds of information at a moment's notice—think email, Google search, and Wikipedia. So there's something a little counterintuitive about only being able to use the Internet when you sit down at a desktop computer. What if you could use the Internet from anywhere in your home or office?

If you already have high-speed (broadband) Internet service at your house, it's pretty easy to create your own home wireless network. Commonly known as Wi-Fi, a wireless network allows you to connect laptops, smartphones, and other mobile devices to your home Internet service without an Ethernet cable.

Purchase a wireless router

To create your own Wi-Fi network, you'll need a wireless router. This is the device that will broadcast the Wi-Fi signal from your Internet modem throughout your house. Your Internet service provider (ISP) may offer you a wireless router for a small monthly fee. If you've never set up a Wi-Fi network before, this may be the easiest option.

If you want to buy your own router, we'd recommend spending a little more time researching different options. CNET offers a comprehensive guide on How to Buy a Router.

Some Internet modems may already have a built-in wireless router, which means you won't need to purchase a separate one.

Connect the cables

Once you've acquired a wireless router, you'll need to connect it to your existing Internet modem.
Connect an Ethernet cable from your modem to the wireless router (there is usually a short Ethernet cable included with your wireless router for this purpose).
Plug in the power cable for the wireless router.
Wait at least 30 to 60 seconds, and make sure the lights on your router are working correctly.

Configure your router

Next, you'll need to use your computer to configure your router's default settings. This includes setting a unique name and password for your wireless network.

Using your web browser, enter the router's default IP address into the address bar, then press Enter. Your router's instructions should include this information, but some of the most common addresses include 192.168.0.1, 192.168.1.1, and 192.168.2.1.
The router's sign-in page will appear. Again, the exact sign-in details should be included with your router's instructions, but most routers use a standard user name and password combination, such as admin and password.
Your router's settings page will appear. Locate and select the Network Name setting, then enter a unique network name.
Locate and select the Network Password setting, and choose an Encryption option. There are several types of encryption you can use, but we recommend WPA2, which is generally considered to be the most secure.
Enter your desired password. Make sure to use a strong password to help ensure no one else can access your network.
Locate and select the Save button to save your settings.

Connect!

That's it! Now you're ready to connect to your Wi-Fi network and make sure it's working. The process for connecting to a Wi-Fi network will vary slightly depending on what type of computer or device you're using, but any system will require these basic steps.

Locate your computer's network settings, and search for nearby Wi-Fi networks.
Select your network, and enter your password.
If the connection is successful, open your web browser and try navigating to a webpage like www.google.com. If the page loads, it means your Wi-Fi connection is working correctly.

Congratulations!

You've just set up your own home wireless network. Way to go!

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- LESSON 6 - COMMUNICATION DEVICES

LESSON 6 - COMMUNICATION DEVICES

A communications device is any type of hardware capable of transmitting data, instructions, and information between a sending device and a receiving device. One type of communications device that connects a communications channel to a sending or receiving device such as a com- puter is a modem. Computers process data as digital signals. Data, instructions, and information travel along a communications channel in either analog or digital form, depending on the com- munications channel. An analog signal consists of a continuous electrical wave. A digital signal consists of individual electrical pulses that represent bits grouped together into bytes.

For communications channels that use digital signals (such as cable television lines), the modem transfers the digital signals between the computer and the communications channel. If a communications channel uses analog signals (such as some telephone lines), however, the modem first converts between analog and digital signals.

The following pages describe the following types of communications devices: dial-up modems, ISDN and DSL modems, cable modems, wireless modems, network cards, wireless access points, and routers.

Dial-Up Modems

As previously discussed, a computer’s digital signals must be converted to analog signals before they are transmitted over standard telephone lines. The communications device that performs this conversion is a modem, sometimes called a dial-up modem. The word, modem, is derived from the combination of the words, modulate, to change into an analog signal, and demodulate, to convert an analog signal into a digital signal.

A modem usually is in the form of an adapter card that you insert in an expansion slot on a com- puter’s motherboard. One end of a standard telephone cord attaches to a port on the modem card and the other end plugs into a telephone outlet.

ISDN and DSL Modems

If you access the Internet using ISDN or DSL, you need a communications device to send and receive the digital ISDN or DSL signals. An ISDN modem sends digital data and information from a computer to an ISDN line and receives digital data and information from an ISDN line. A DSL modem sends digital data and information from a computer to a DSL line and receives digital data and information from a DSL line. ISDN and DSL modems usually are external devices, in which one end connects to the telephone line and the other end connects to a port on the system unit.

Cable Modems

A cable modem is a digital modem that sends and receives digital data over the cable television (CATV) network (Figure 8-18). With more than 110 million homes wired for cable television, cable modems provide a faster Internet access alternative to dial-up for the home user and have speeds similar to DSL. Cable modems currently can transmit data at speeds that are much faster than either a dial-up modem or ISDN.

Wireless Modems

Some mobile users have a wireless modem that uses the cell phone network to connect to the Internet wirelessly from a notebook computer, a smart phone, or other mobile device (Figure 8-19). Wireless modems, which have an external or built-in antenna, are available as PC Cards, ExpressCard modules, and flash cards.

Network Cards

A network card is an adapter card, PC Card, ExpressCard module, USB network adapter, or flash card that enables a computer or device that does not have networking capability to access a network. The network card coordinates the transmission and receipt of data, instructions, and information to and from the computer or device containing the network card.

Network cards are available in a variety of styles (Figure 8-20). A network card for a desktop computer is an adapter card that has a port to which a cable connects. A network card for mobile computers and devices is in the form of a PC Card, ExpressCard module, USB network adapter, or a flash card. Network cards that provide wireless data transmission also are available. This type of card, sometimes called a wireless network card, often has an antenna.

A network card follows the guidelines of a particular network communications standard, such as Ethernet or token ring. An Ethernet card is the most common type of network card.

Wireless Access Points

A wireless access point is a central communications device that allows com- puters and devices to transfer data wirelessly among themselves or to transfer data wire- lessly to a wired network (Figure 8-7 on page 303). Wireless access points have high-quality antennas for optimal signals.

Routers

A router is a communications device that connects multiple computers or other routers together and transmits data to its correct desti- nation on the network. A router can be used on any size of network. On the largest scale, routers along the Internet backbone forward data packets to their destination using the fastest available path. For smaller business and home networks, a router allows multiple computers to share a single high-speed Internet connection such as a cable modem or DSL modem (Figure 8-21). These routers connect from 2 to 250 computers.

To prevent unauthorized users from accessing files and computers, many routers are protected by a built-in firewall, called a hardware firewall. Some also have built-in antivirus protection. Today’s routers or combination wireless access point/routers are easy to configure and secure against unauthorized access.

What is internal device does a computer used to connect a wired or wireless network?

1. A modem or broadband modem is a hardware device that connects a computer or router to a broadband network. For example, a cable modem and DSL modem are two examples of these types of Modems.

What internal device does a computer use?

The Central Processing Unit (CPU; sometimes just called processor) is a machine that can execute computer programs. It is sometimes referred to as the brain of the computer. There are four steps that nearly all CPUs use in their operation: fetch, decode, execute, and writeback.

Which internal hardware device is required for a computer to connect to a network?

Network interface card (NIC). A NIC is a circuit board or chip that enables the computer to connect to a network; also known as a network adapter or local area network adapter, it typically supports connection to an Ethernet network.

Which device is used to connect a network to the Internet?

Router. A router directs data requests from one network to another. Routers examine incoming packets to determine the appropriate destination IP address and then forward the packet to that destination. A router can also enable internet access through its connection to a modem, or as a combined modem-router.