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How the Internet Works

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Connecting to the Internet

2:57 with Joy Kesten

The backbone of the Internet is made up of primary routers, networks and typically fiber optic cables connecting networks around the globe. Routers and switches create local and wide area networks. Modems and routers connect your devices to an Internet service provider, which connects you to the Internet. And the TCP/IP protocol suite define the rules for how each of these devices communicate over the Internet.

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    Now that we've looked at the architecture of the internet, let's see how you might 0:00
    connect your personal devices to the internet inside your house. 0:04
    Well there are many ways to connect to the internet, and 0:07
    most often people connect wirelessly. 0:11
    Let's look at an example of how you can connect to the internet. 0:13
    If you live in a city or a town, you probably have a coaxial cable for 0:17
    cable Internet, or a phone line if you have DSL, running to the outside of 0:22
    your house, that connects you to the Internet Service Provider, or ISP. 0:26
    If you live far out in the country, you'll more likely have 0:32
    a dish outside your house, connecting you wirelessly to your closest ISP, or 0:34
    you might also use the telephone system. 0:39
    Whether a wire comes straight from the ISP hookup outside your house, or 0:42
    it travels over radio waves from your roof, 0:46
    the first stop a wire will make once inside your house, is at your modem. 0:49
    A modem is what connects the internet to your network at home. 0:53
    A few common residential modems are DSL or 0:57
    cable which translate the digital data from your computer 1:00
    into digital signals to be transmitted over cable or telephone wires. 1:04
    From the modem, an ethernet cable will usually connect to a residential router. 1:09
    Although today, some service providers combine your modem and 1:14
    router together in one box. 1:17
    Inside your house, you might have multiple devices from a laptop to a thermostat. 1:20
    But no matter what kind of devices you have, your router acts as your home's 1:25
    central hub that connects all you devices to the internet. 1:29
    In order to connect to a router, you can either hard connect a device with 1:33
    an ethernet cable, like in the case of a TV, desktop computer, or game console, or 1:37
    wirelessly, like for a laptop, phone, or printer equipped with Wi-Fi. 1:42
    To review, everything we've been learning about, 1:47
    the backbone of the internet is made up of primary routers, networks, and 1:50
    typically fiber optic cables connecting networks around the globe. 1:55
    Routers and switches create local and wide area networks. 1:59
    Modems and routers connect your devices to the internet service provider, 2:04
    which connects you to the internet. 2:08
    And the TCP/IP protocol suite defines the rules of how 2:09
    each of these devices communicate over the Internet. 2:14
    The Internet has come a long way since its inception as 2:17
    a US Defense Department research project. 2:20
    And most people take for granted how easy it is to connect information and 2:23
    people through the Internet nowadays. 2:27
    But maintaining the pipelines, protocols, and 2:29
    technologies that keep the Internet working is no easy task. 2:32
    It's also important to note before we go, that not everyone in 2:36
    every country has equal access to this great pipeline of information. 2:40
    But no matter where you're from, or what you wish to do on the Internet, 2:44
    being informed, maintaining standards, and contributing to the upkeep of the internet 2:48
    hardware and protocols is our responsibility as consumers. 2:52

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