UNIT 1

Introduction
The Internet is an increasingly important part of everyday life for people around the world. But if
you've never used the Internet before, all of this new information might feel a bit confusing at first.
Throughout this tutorial, we'll try to answer some basic questions you may have about the Internet
and how it's used. When you're done, you'll have a good understanding of how the Internet works,
how to connect to the Internet, and how to browse the Web.

What is the Internet?

The Internet is a global network of billions of computers and other electronic devices. With the
Internet, it's possible to access almost any information, communicate with anyone else in the world,
and do much more.
You can do all of this by connecting a computer to the Internet, which is also called going online.
When someone says a computer is online, it's just another way of saying it's connected to the
Internet.

What is the Web?

The World Wide Web—usually called the Web for short—is a collection of different websites you
can access through the Internet. A website is made up of related text, images, and other resources.
Websites can resemble other forms of media—like newspaper articles or television programs—or
they can be interactive in a way that's unique to computers.
The purpose of a website can be almost anything: a news platform, an advertisement, an online
library, a forum for sharing images, or an educational site like us!
Once you are connected to the Internet, you can access and view websites using a type of
application called a web browser. Just keep in mind that the web browser itself is not the Internet; it
only displays websites that are stored on the Internet.

How does the Internet work?

At this point you may be wondering, how does the Internet work? The exact answer is pretty
complicated and would take a while to explain. Instead, let's look at some of the most important
things you should know.
It's important to realize that the Internet is a global network of physical cables, which can include
copper telephone wires, TV cables, and fiber optic cables. Even wireless connections like Wi-Fi and
3G/4G rely on these physical cables to access the Internet.
When you visit a website, your computer sends a request over these wires to a server. A server is
where websites are stored, and it works a lot like your computer's hard drive. Once the request
arrives, the server retrieves the website and sends the correct data back to your computer. What's
amazing is that this all happens in just a few seconds!

Other things you can do on the Internet

One of the best features of the Internet is the ability to communicate almost instantly with anyone in
the world. Email is one of the oldest and most universal ways to communicate and share
information on the Internet, and billions of people use it. Social media allows people to connect in a
variety of ways and build communities online.
There are many other things you can do on the Internet. There are thousands of ways to keep up
with news or shop for anything online. You can pay your bills, manage your bank accounts, meet
new people, watch TV, or learn new skills. You can learn or do almost anything online.
 UNIT 2
Introduction

There's almost no limit to what you can do online. The Internet makes it possible to quickly find
information, communicate with people around the world, manage your finances, shop from home,
listen to music, watch videos, and much, much more. Let's take a look at some of the ways the
Internet is most commonly used today.
Finding information online
With billions of websites online today, there is a lot of information on the Internet. Search engines
make this information easier to find. All you have to do is type one or more keywords, and the
search engine will look for relevant websites.
For example, let's say you're looking for a new pair of shoes. You could use a search engine to learn
about different types of shoes, get directions to a nearby shoe store, or even find out where to buy
them online!
There are many different search engines you can use, but some of the most popular include Google,
Yahoo!, and Bing.

Email
Short for electronic mail, email is a way to send and receive messages across the Internet. Almost
everyone who uses the Internet has their own email account, usually called an email address. This is
because you'll need an email address to do just about anything online, from online banking to
creating a Facebook account.

Social networking
Social networking websites are another way to connect and share with your family and friends
online. Rather than sharing with just a few people over email, social networks make it easier to
connect and share with many people at the same time. Facebook is the world's largest social
networking site, with more than 1 billion users worldwide.

Chat and instant messaging

Chat and instant messaging (IM) are short messages sent and read in real time, allowing you to
converse more quickly and easily than email. These are generally used when both (or all) people are
online, so your message can be read immediately. By comparison, emails won't be seen until
recipients check their inboxes
Examples of instant messaging applications include Yahoo Messenger and Google Hangouts. Some
sites, like Gmail and Facebook, even allow you to chat within your web browser.

Online media
There are many sites that allow you to watch videos and listen to music. For example, you can
watch millions of videos on YouTube or listen to Internet radio on Pandora. Other services, like
Netflix and Hulu, allow you to watch movies and TV shows. And if have a set-top streaming box,
you can even watch them directly on your television instead of a computer screen.

Everyday tasks
You can also use the Internet to complete many everyday tasks and errands. For example, you can
manage your bank account, pay your bills, and shop for just about anything. The main advantage
here is convenience. Rather than going from place to place, you can do all of these tasks at home!

And a whole lot more!

Remember, these are just a few of the things you'll be able to do online. Keep working through this
tutorial to learn more about connecting to the Internet and using the Web!
 Lesson 3: Connecting to the Internet

How do I connect to the Internet?

Once you've set up your computer, you may want to purchase home Internet access so you can send
and receive email, browse the Web, stream videos, and more. You may even want to set up a home
wireless network, commonly known as Wi-Fi, so you can connect multiple devices to the Internet at
the same time.

Types of Internet service

The type of Internet service you choose will largely depend on which Internet service providers
(ISPs) serve your area, along with the types of service they offer. Here are some common types of
Internet service.

• Dial-up: This is generally the slowest type of Internet connection, and you should probably
avoid it unless it is the only service available in your area. Dial-up Internet uses your phone
line, so unless you have multiple phone lines you will not be able to use your landline and
the Internet at the same time.
• DSL: DSL service uses a broadband connection, which makes it much faster than dial-up.
DSL connects to the Internet via a phone line but does not require you to have a landline at
home. And unlike dial-up, you'll be able to use the Internet and your phone line at the same
time.
• Cable: Cable service connects to the Internet via cable TV, although you do not necessarily
need to have cable TV in order to get it. It uses a broadband connection and can be faster
than both dial-up and DSL service; however, it is only available where cable TV is available.
• Satellite: A satellite connection uses broadband but does not require cable or phone lines; it
connects to the Internet through satellites orbiting the Earth. As a result, it can be used
almost anywhere in the world, but the connection may be affected by weather patterns.
Satellite connections are also usually slower than DSL or cable.
• 3G and 4G: 3G and 4G service is most commonly used with mobile phones, and it connects
wirelessly through your ISP's network. However, these types of connections aren't always as
fast as DSL or cable. They will also limit the amount of data you can use each month, which
isn't the case with most broadband plans.
Choosing an Internet service provider
Now that you know about the different types of Internet service, you can do some research to find
out what ISPs are available in your area. If you're having trouble getting started, we recommend
talking to friends, family members, and neighbors about the ISPs they use. This will usually give
you a good idea of the types of Internet service available in your area.
Most ISPs offer several tiers of service with different Internet speeds, usually measured in Mbps
(short for megabits per second). If you mainly want to use the Internet for email and social
networking, a slower connection (around 2 to 5 Mbps) might be all you need. However, if you want
to download music or stream videos, you'll want a faster connection (at least 5 Mbps or higher).
You'll also want to consider the cost of the service, including installation charges and monthly fees.
Generally speaking, the faster the connection, the more expensive it will be per month.
Although dial-up has traditionally been the least expensive option, many ISPs have raised dial-up
prices to be the same as broadband. This is intended to encourage people to switch to broadband.
We do not recommend dial-up Internet unless it's your only option.

Hardware needed

Modem
Once you have your computer, you really don't need much additional hardware to connect to the
Internet. The primary piece of hardware you need is a modem.
The type of Internet access you choose will determine the type of modem you need. Dial-up access
uses a telephone modem, DSL service uses a DSL modem, cable access uses a cable modem, and
satellite service uses a satellite adapter. Your ISP may give you a modem—often for a fee—when
you sign a contract, which helps ensure that you have the right type of modem. However, if you
would prefer to shop for a better or less expensive modem, you can choose to buy one separately.

Router
A router is a hardware device that allows you to connect several computers and other devices to a
single Internet connection, which is known as a home network. Many routers are wireless, which
allows you to create a home wireless network, commonly known as a Wi-Fi network.
You don't necessarily need to buy a router to connect to the Internet. It's possible to connect your
computer directly to your modem using an Ethernet cable. Also, many modems include a built-in
router, so you have the option of creating a Wi-Fi network without buying extra hardware.
Setting up your Internet connection
Once you've chosen an ISP, most providers will send a technician to your house to turn on the
connection. If not, you should be able to use the instructions provided by your ISP—or included
with the modem—to set up your Internet connection.
After you have everything set up, you can open your web browser and begin using the Internet. If
you have any problems with your Internet connection, you can call your ISP's technical support
number.

Home networking
If you have multiple computers at home and want to use all of them to access the Internet, you may
want to create a home network, also known as a Wi-Fi network. In a home network, all of your
devices connect to your router, which is connected to the modem. This means everyone in your
family can use the Internet at the same time.
Your ISP technician may be able to set up a home Wi-Fi network when installing your Internet
service. If not, you can review our lesson on How to Set Up a Wi-Fi Network to learn more.
If you want to connect a computer that does not have built-in Wi-Fi connectivity, you can purchase
a Wi-Fi adapter that plugs into your computer's USB port.
 Lesson 4: Understanding the Cloud

What is the cloud?

You may have heard people using terms like the cloud, cloud computing, or cloud storage. But what
exactly is the cloud?
Simply put, the cloud is the Internet—more specifically, it's all of the things you can access
remotely over the Internet. When something is in the cloud, it means it's stored on Internet servers
instead of your computer's hard drive.

Why use the cloud?

Some of the main reasons to use the cloud are convenience and reliability. For example, if you've
ever used a web-based email service, such as Gmail or Yahoo! Mail, you've already used the cloud.
All of the emails in a web-based service are stored on servers rather than on your computer's hard
drive. This means you can access your email from any computer with an Internet connection. It also
means you'll be able to recover your emails if something happens to your computer.

Let's look at some of the most common reasons to use the cloud.

• File storage: You can store all types of information in the cloud, including files and email.
This means you can access these things from any computer or mobile device with an
Internet connection, not just your home computer. Dropbox and Google Drive are some of
the most popular cloud-based storage services.
• File sharing: The cloud makes it easy to share files with several people at the same time. For
example, you could upload several photos to a cloud-based photo service like Flickr or
iCloud Photos, then quickly share them with friends and family.
 • Backing up data: You can also use the cloud to protect your files. Apps like Mozy and
Carbonite automatically back up your data to the cloud. This way, if your computer ever is
lost, stolen, or damaged, you'll still be able to recover these files from the cloud.

What is a web app?

Previously, we talked about how desktop applications allow you to perform tasks on your computer.
But there are also web applications—or web apps—that run in the cloud and do not need to be
installed on your computer. Many of the most popular sites on the Internet are actually web apps.
You may have even used a web app without realizing it! Let's take a look at some popular web apps.

• Facebook: Facebook lets you create an online profile and interact with your friends. Profiles
and conversations can be updated at any time, so Facebook uses web app technologies to
keep the information up to date.
• Pixlr: Pixlr is an image editing application that runs in your web browser. Much like Adobe
Photoshop, it includes many advanced features, like color correction and sharpening tools.
• Google Docs: Google Docs is an office suite that runs in your browser. Much like Microsoft
Office, you can use it to create documents, spreadsheets, presentations, and more. And
because the files are stored in the cloud, it's easy to share them with others.
 Lesson 5: Using a Web Browser
Using a web browser
A web browser is a type of software that allows you to find and view websites on the Internet. Even
if you didn't know it, you're using a web browser right now to read this page! There are many
different web browsers, but some of the most common ones include Google Chrome, Internet
Explorer, Safari, Microsoft Edge, and Mozilla Firefox.
No matter which web browser you use, you'll want to learn the basics of browsing the Web. In this
lesson, we'll talk about navigating to different websites, using tabbed browsing, creating
bookmarks, and more.

URLs and the address bar

Each website has a unique address, called a URL (short for Uniform Resource Locator). It's like a
street address that tells your browser where to go on the Internet. When you type a URL into the
browser's address bar and press Enter on your keyboard, the browser will load the page associated
with that URL.
In the example below, we've typed www.bbc.com/travel into the address bar.

Links
Whenever you see a word or phrase on a website that's blue or underlined in blue, it's probably a
hyperlink, or link for short. You might already know how links work, even if you've never thought
about them much before. For example, try clicking the link below.
Hey, I'm a link! Click me!
Links are used to navigate the Web. When you click a link, it will usually take you to a different
webpage. You may also notice that your cursor changes into a hand icon whenever you hover over a
link.

Clicking a link
If you see this icon, it means you've found a link. You'll find other types of links this way too. For
example, many websites actually use images as links, so you can just click the image to navigate to
another page.

Navigation buttons
The Back and Forward buttons allow you to move through websites you've recently viewed. You
can also click and hold either button to see your recent history.
Back and forward buttons
The Refresh button will reload the current page. If a website stops working, try using the Refresh
button.

The refresh button

Many browsers allow you to open links in a new tab. You can open as many links as you want, and
they'll stay in the same browser window instead of cluttering your screen with multiple windows.
To open a link in a new tab, right-click the link and select Open link in new tab (the exact wording
may vary from browser to browser).To close a tab, click the X.

Closing a tab
To create a new blank tab, click the button to the right of any open tabs.

Bookmarks and history

If you find a website you want to view later, it can be hard to memorize the exact web address.
Bookmarks, also known as favorites, are a great way to save and organize specific websites so you
can revisit them again and again. Simply locate and select the Star icon to bookmark the current
website.

Bookmarking a web page

Your browser will also keep a history of every site you visit. This is another good way to find a site
you visited previously. To view your history, open your browser settings—usually by clicking the
icon in the upper-right corner—and select History.

Downloading files
Links don't always go to another website. In some cases, they point to a file that can be
downloaded, or saved, to your computer.
If you click a link to a file, it may download automatically, but sometimes it just opens within your
browser instead of downloading. To prevent it from opening in the browser, you can right-click the
link and select Save link as (different browsers may use slightly different wording, like Save target
as).
Review our lesson on Downloading and Uploading to learn more.

Saving images
Sometimes you may want to save an image from a website to your computer. To do this, right-click
the image and select Save image as (or Save picture as).
Plug-ins
Plug-ins are small applications that allow you to view certain types of content within your web
browser. For example, Adobe Flash and Microsoft Silverlight are sometimes used to play videos,
while Adobe Reader is used to view PDF files.
If you don't have the correct plug-in for a website, your browser will usually provide a link to
download it. There may also be times when you need to update your plug-ins. Review our lesson on
Installing and Updating Plug-ins to learn more.
plug-in warning
 Lesson 6: Understanding Hyperlinks

Understanding hyperlinks
Have you ever noticed that certain words on the Web look a little bit different? Whenever you see a
word or phrase that's underlined in blue, it's probably a hyperlink, or link for short. You might
already know how links work, even if you've never thought about them much before. For example,
try clicking the link below.
Hey, I'm a link! Click me!
Link are used to navigate the Web. When you click a link, it will take you to a different webpage. In
the example below, we're clicking a link to learn more about the Dupont Circle neighborhood.

You may also notice that your cursor changes into a hand icon whenever you hover over a link.
the cursor appearing as a hand icon.
If you see this icon, it means you've found a link. You'll find other types of links this way too. For
example, many websites actually use images as links, so you can just click the image to navigate to
another page. In the example below, we're clicking the picture of the deer-shaped salt and pepper
shakers to open a page with more information about them.
clicking an image formatted as a link

Links don't always go to another website. In some cases, they allow you to download a file. When
you click a link like this, the file will be downloaded to your computer. In the example below, we're
downloading an installation file for a new application.

As you can see, links are an important part of using the Web. They allow you to navigate between
different webpages, download files, and do a whole lot more.
 Lesson 7: Downloading and Uploading

Downloading and uploading

While exploring the Internet, you’ve probably encountered the terms downloading and uploading.
Downloading means receiving data or a file from the Internet on your computer. Uploading means
sending data or a file from your computer to somewhere on the Internet.
These terms describe activities you may have already learned how to do. If you've ever opened an
example document in one of our tutorials, you've downloaded that file. If you’ve ever shared a
photo you took on Facebook or another social media site, you've uploaded that photo.

Downloading
Usually, when you download a file you will start the download by clicking a link to that file. Many
of our tutorials contain links to files, like this:
Download our practice document.
If you click the link, your browser should prompt you to select one of two methods for downloading
the file.

• Open with will download the file and load it immediately in the specified program.
• Save File will download it and save it to your hard drive.

Either way, once you click OK, the download begins. Your browser will indicate the progress and
time remaining on the download.
Once the download is complete, either the file will be saved to your computer or it will open in the
program you selected. If you have trouble finding the file after you’ve downloaded it, check out our
Finding Your Downloads lesson.
Some browsers don’t always start this download process when you click the link to a file. In these
cases, you can right-click the link, then click Save Link As, then select a location to download the
file.
Uploading
If a site allows uploads, it will have an upload utility to help perform the file transfer. Each site
handles this process differently, but we’ll give some common examples. Usually, the site will have
help pages to walk you through the upload process.
Many sites have an upload button that opens a dialog box. For example, Facebook has a camera
icon that begins the upload process.

A dialog box will appear, prompting you to select a file. Browse to the location where your file is
stored, select it, then click the Open button. Afterward, a progress bar tracking the upload process
will appear on the page.

Some sites support a drag-and-drop interface. For example, when logged in to Dropbox you can
drag the files from a folder on your computer and drop them into the browser window.
Many other upload utilities have similar features. A more detailed example of uploading a file is
available in our Google Drive tutorial.
 Lesson 8: Using Search Engines

Using search engines

With billions of websites online today, there is a lot of information on the Internet. Search engines
make this information easier to find. Let's look at the basics of using a search engine, as well as
some techniques you can use to get better search results.

How to search the Web

There are many different search engines you can use, but some of the most popular include Google,
Yahoo!, and Bing. To perform a search, you'll need to navigate to a search engine in your web
browser, type one or more keywords—also known as search terms—then press Enter on your
keyboard. In this example, we'll search for recipes.
After you run a search, you'll see a list of relevant websites that match your search terms. These are
commonly known as search results. If you see a site that looks interesting, you can click a link to
open it. If the site doesn't have what you need, you can simply return to the results page to look for
more options.
Most browsers also allow you to perform a web search directly from your address bar, although
some have a separate search bar next to the address bar. Simply type your search terms and press
Enter to run the search.

Search suggestions
If you don't find what you're looking for on the first try, don't worry! Search engines are good at
finding things online, but they're not perfect. You'll often need to try different search terms to find
what you're looking for.
If you're having trouble thinking of new search terms, you can use search suggestions instead.
These will usually appear as you're typing, and they're a great way to find new keywords you might
not have tried otherwise. To use a search suggestion, you can click it with your mouse, or select it
with the arrow keys on your keyboard.

Refining your search

If you're still having trouble finding exactly what you need, you can use some special characters to
help refine your search. For example, if you want to exclude a word from a search, you can type a
hyphen (-) at the beginning of a word. So if you wanted to find cookie recipes that don't include
chocolate, you could search for recipes cookies -chocolate.
You can also search for exact words or phrases to narrow down your results even more.
All you need to do is place quotation marks (" ") around the desired search terms. For example, if
you search for recipes "sugar cookies", your search results will only include recipes for sugar
cookies, instead of any cookies that happen to use sugar as an ingredient.
These techniques may come in handy in certain cases, but you probably won't need to use them
with most searches. Search engines can usually figure out what you're looking for without these
extra characters. We recommend trying a few different search suggestions before using this method.

Content-specific searches
There may be times when you're looking for something more specific, like a news article, picture,
or video. Most search engines have links at the top of the page that allow you to perform these
unique searches.
You can use the extra search tools to narrow down your results even more. These tools will change
based on the type of content you're looking for, but in this example we can filter our images by size,
color, image type, and more. So if you wanted to find cookies with pink frosting, you could search
for images that are mostly pink.

Advertisements
One final thing to note: Most search engines include advertisements with search results. For
example, you can see advertisements at the top of the search results below.
These ads are based on your search terms, and they often look similar to other search results. While
they may be useful in some cases, it's usually more helpful to focus on the actual search results.
 Lesson 9: Understanding URLs

Understanding URLs
Every time you click a link on a website or type a web address into your browser, it’s a URL. URL
stands for Uniform Resource Locator. Think of it like a street address, with each portion of the URL
as different parts of the address, and each giving you different information. Let’s examine each
component of a URL and what we can learn from it.

Scheme
Every URL begins with the scheme. This tells your browser what type of address it is so the
browser connects to it correctly. There are many types of schemes, but for typical web browsing
you will mostly see http and https. Your browser usually won’t show the scheme in the address bar,
and usually you don’t need to type the scheme when typing a web address; instead, you can just
begin with the domain name. The scheme is still always part of the URL; it just isn’t being
displayed.

Domain name
The domain name is the most prominent part of a web address. Typically, different pages on the
same site will continue to use the same domain name. For example, all pages on this site share the
GCFLearnFree.org domain name.

Each segment of the domain name separated by a period is called a domain. The domain on the
right is called a top-level domain, with the domain to the left of it called the second-level domain,
then third-level domain, and so on.
You can often learn something about the site from the domains. One of the domains usually
identifies the organization, while the top-level domain may give you more general information on
what kind of site it is. For example, in the domain name ferry.ncdot.gov, the .gov domain means it is
a government website in the United States, the ncdot domain identifies it as the website of the North
Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT), and the ferry domain means this particular page
is about ferries operated by the NCDOT.
In most URLs, the www domain can be omitted. Google.com and www.google.com lead to the
same page. However, other subdomains cannot be omitted. For example, all pages under
news.google.com require the news subdomain in the URL.

File path
The file path—often just called the path—tells your browser to load a specific page. If you don’t
specify a path and only enter a domain name, your browser is still loading a specific page; it’s just
loading a default page, which usually will help you navigate to other pages.

URLs that end with the domain name without a file path usually will load a homepage or an index
page that's designed to help you navigate to specific pages on the site. Often, if you can’t remember
the file path for a specific page, you can go to the homepage and search for it.

Parameters
Some URLs include a string of characters after the path—beginning with a question mark—called
the parameter string. You have probably noticed this part of a URL appear in your address bar after
performing a search on Google or YouTube. The parameter string can be clear or confusing to a
human user, but it is critical information for the server.
Anchor
Also appearing after the path, the anchor tells your browser to scroll to or load a specific part of the
page. Usually the anchor begins with a hashtag and is used to direct your browser to a specific part
of a very long page, much like a bookmark. Different anchors don’t load different pages; they
simply tell the browser to display different parts of the page.

A whole URL
When combined, these elements make up a URL, although not all URLs will have all five parts.

Using what we learned in this tutorial, we can tell from the domain name of this URL that it’s on
Wikipedia, from the parameters that the page is probably about burritos, and from the anchor that
we’ll be looking at the section on burritos for breakfast.
Keep in mind that these are the most common components of a URL. There are many other parts,
but these are the five you will see most often and that can usually give you the most information.
 Lesson 10: How to Set Up a Wi-Fi Network

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

1. Once you've acquired a wireless router, you'll need to connect it to your existing Internet
modem.
2. 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).
3. Plug in the power cable for the wireless router.
4. 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.
 1. 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.
2. 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.
3. Your router's settings page will appear. Locate and select the Network Name setting, then
enter a unique network name.
4. 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.
5. Enter your desired password. Make sure to use a strong password to help ensure no one else
can access your network.
6. 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.

1. Locate your computer's network settings, and search for nearby Wi-Fi networks.
2. Select your network, and enter your password.
3. 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!
 Lesson 11: Choosing a Web Browser

Choosing a web browser

A web browser is a type of software that allows you to find and view websites on the Internet. Even
if you didn't know it, you're using a web browser right now to read this page! Watch this video from
Google to learn more about web browsers.
For many years, especially in the early 2000s, there was one browser that almost everyone used:
Microsoft's Internet Explorer. If you used the Internet at that time, you probably clicked an icon like
this to access the Web:
Internet Explorer still comes pre-installed on any PC you buy. But starting in the mid-2000s, other
software companies introduced new browsers, including Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome. At
the time, these browsers allowed for more experimental features. Because of this, web developers
began creating websites with browsers like Chrome and Firefox in mind, which meant they didn't
always work as well in Internet Explorer.
It's always a good idea to keep at least two web browsers on your computer or mobile device. This
way, if a website isn't working correctly you can try opening the page in a different web browser.
More often than not, this trick can solve a lot of problems you might encounter online.
Using a PC or Android? Try Google Chrome.
Google Chrome is probably the best web browser right now for PCs. It's free to download, it's very
fast, and it's secure. Chrome is also the default web browser for many Android devices.
If you have a Google account, you can even sync your saved passwords and browsing history across
multiple devices. And because it downloads updates automatically, you'll always be protected from
current security threats and viruses online. If you want to learn more, review our Chrome tutorial.

Using an iPhone, iPad, or Mac? Try Safari.

Safari is the default web browser for Mac computers and iOS devices, including the iPhone and
iPad. Aside from being fast and secure, Safari has a lot of unique features. For example, Reader
view allows you to see a simplified version of a webpage that's optimized for reading. It's also easy
to add articles you find to your Reading List so you can save them for later.
Again, we recommend keeping at least two web browsers on your device. Chrome is a good
secondary browser to use on a Mac, iPhone, or iPad. It's also important to note that you cannot use
Internet Explorer on a Mac or iOS device.

Other recommended web browsers

• Firefox: This free web browser from Mozilla works on Windows, Mac, and Android. It's
built by an open-source community of developers, so it will usually support even the most
experimental web features. Like Chrome, it will be updated automatically, so you'll be
protected from viruses and other threats online. If you want to learn more, review our
Firefox tutorial.

• Opera: Originally released in 1994, the Opera web browser has been around much longer
than Firefox and Chrome. You may find that some websites don't load perfectly on Opera,
but it's still regarded as a fast and secure alternative to your default browser. It's also
available for all major operating systems (Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS).