Module 1: Communication in a Connected World

Introduction
1.0.1 First Time in this Course

The Networking Basics course teaches the fundamentals of networking by covering the basic
concepts and skills needed to set up and manage your small office or home office (SOHO)
network. The learner is presented with an engaging and exploratory view of networks, the
devices that comprise them, how they work, and basic troubleshooting tools and techniques. The
goal of this course is to provide the learner with an engaging, exploratory view of networks,
including the internet. Upon completion of the Networking Basics course, students will be able
to perform the following tasks:

 Explain important concepts in network communication.

 Explain network types, components, and connections.
 Configure mobile devices for wireless access.
 Configure an integrated wireless router and wireless client to connect securely to the
internet.
 Explain the importance of standards and protocols in network communications.
 Describe common network media.
 Explain how communication occurs on Ethernet networks.
 Explain the features of an IP address.
 Explain how IPv4 addresses are used in network communication and segmentation.
 Explain features of IPv6 addressing.
 Configure a DHCP server.
 Explain how routers connect networks together.
 Explain how ARP enables communication on a network.
 Create a fully connected LAN.
 Explain how clients access internet services.
 Explain the function of common application layer services.
 Use various tools to test and troubleshoot network connectivity.

1.0.2 Student Resources

There are a number of tools and resources that are available to you that will help you in your
journey as you develop your networking skills and prepare for job opportunities.

Packet Tracer
Packet Tracer simulates the internal workings of a network and is used in this course.

If you are new to Packet Tracer, take this FREE, short, online course now: Getting Started with
Cisco Packet Tracer.
You can use your smartphone, tablet, or desktop to access your course; however, Packet Tracer
activities, as well as some other activities, quizzes, and exams are best experienced using a PC.

Lab Environment
No equipment is necessary

Resources Available to You

Skills for All frequently asked questions can be found at https://skillsforall.com/help, or by
clicking Help in the top navigation bar. For Packet Tracer downloading help,
visit https://skillsforall.com/resources/lab-downloads and scroll down to Learning Resources.

You can find additional FAQs by visiting our virtual assistant, Morgan. Click the chat icon in the
top right corner to choose from a list of topics or enter your question. Morgan’s help includes
information about Packet Tracer, certificates, and badging.

1.0.3 Download Cisco Packet Tracer

To obtain and install your copy of Cisco Packet Tracer, please follow the instructions from the
link below: https://skillsforall.com/resources/lab-downloads

1.0.4 Webster - Why Should I Take this Module?

Welcome to Communications in a Connected World! Hi, I'm Webster! I'll be accompanying you
as you move through this Networking Basics course. Let me introduce you to my friend Kishori!
Kishori has been a nurse in a hospital in Karnataka, India for about 20 years. When Kishori went
to nursing school, she had no idea how much networking technology she would be using
everyday. At home, she only has a laptop, a smartphone, and a tablet. At work she uses a laptop,
a desktop, a printer, and network-connected hospital equipment. Sometimes these devices do not
always communicate. When equipment does not work properly in a hospital, lives can be at risk!
Kishori would like to better understand how it all works. Would you?
1.0.5 What Will I Learn in this Module?

Module Title: Communications in a Connected World

Module Objective: Explain important concepts in network communication.

Topic Title Topic Objective

Network Types Explain the concept of a network.
Data Transmission Describe network data.
Bandwidth and Throughput Explain network transmission speed and capacity.

Network Types
1.1.1 Video - Welcome to the World of Networking
1.1.2 Everything is Online

“Hey Shad, are you online?” “Of course, I am!” How many of us still think about whether or not
we are “online”? We expect our devices, cell phones, tablets, laptops and desktop computers to
always be connected to the global internet. We use this network to interact with our friends,
shop, share pictures and experiences, and learn. The internet has become such a part of everyday
life that we almost take it for granted.

Normally, when people use the term internet, they are not referring to the physical connections in
the real world. Rather, they tend to think of it as a formless collection of connections. It is the
“place” people go to find or share information.

1.1.3 Who Owns “The Internet”?

The internet is not owned by any individual or group. The internet is a worldwide collection of
interconnected networks (internetwork or internet for short), cooperating with each other to
exchange information using common standards. Through telephone wires, fiber-optic cables,
wireless transmissions, and satellite links, internet users can exchange information in a variety of
forms, as shown in the figure.

Everything that you access online is located somewhere on the global internet. Social media
sites, multiplayer games, messaging centers that provide email, online courses — all of these
internet destinations are connected to local networks that send and receive information through
the internet.

Think about all of the interactions that you have during the day which require you to be online.

1.1.4 Local Networks

A tabbed content container. Content can be text, graphic or both.

Local networks come in all sizes. They can range from simple networks consisting of two
computers, to networks connecting hundreds of thousands of devices. Networks installed in
small offices, or homes and home offices, are referred to as small office/home office (SOHO)
networks. SOHO networks let you share resources such as printers, documents, pictures, and
music, between a few local users.

In business, large networks can be used to advertise and sell products, order supplies, and
communicate with customers. Communication over a network is usually more efficient and less
expensive than traditional forms of communication, such as regular mail or long distance phone
calls. Networks allow for rapid communication such as email and instant messaging, and provide
consolidation and access to information stored on network servers.

Business and SOHO networks usually provide a shared connection to the internet. The internet is
considered a "network of networks" because it is literally made up of thousands of local
networks that are connected to each other.

Small Home Networks

Small home networks connect a few computers to each other and to the internet.

Small Office and Home Office Networks

The SOHO network allows computers in a home office or a remote office to connect to a
corporate network, or access centralized, shared resources.

Medium to Large Networks

Medium to large networks, such as those used by corporations and schools, can have many
locations with hundreds or thousands of interconnected hosts.

World Wide Networks

The internet is a network of networks that connects hundreds of millions of computers world-
wide.
1.1.5 Mobile Devices

The internet connects more computing devices than just desktop and laptop computers. There are
devices all around that you may interact with on a daily basis that are also connected to the
internet. These include mobile devices, home devices, and a variety of other connected devices.

Smartphone
Smartphones are able to connect to the internet from almost anywhere. Smartphones combine the
functions of many different products together, such as a telephone, camera, GPS receiver, media
player, and touch screen computer.

Tablet
Tablets, like smartphones, also have the functionality of multiple devices. With the additional
screen size, they are ideal for watching videos and reading magazines or books. With on-screen
keyboards, users are able to do many of the things they used to do on their laptop computer, such
as composing emails or browsing the web.

Smartwatch
A smartwatch can connect to a smartphone to provide the user with alerts and messages.
Additional functions, such as heart rate monitoring and counting steps, like a pedometer, can
help people who are wearing the device to track their health.

Smart Glasses
A wearable computer in the form of glasses, such as Google Glass, contains a tiny screen that
displays information to the wearer in a similar fashion to the Head-Up Display (HUD) of a
fighter pilot. A small touch pad on the side allows the user to navigate menus while still being
able to see through the smart glasses.

1.1.6 Connected Home Devices

Many of the things in your home can also be connected to the internet so that they can be
monitored and configured remotely.

Security System
Many of the items in a home, such as security systems, lighting, and climate controls, can be
monitored and configured remotely using a mobile device.

Appliances
Household appliances such as refrigerators, ovens, and dishwashers can be connected to the
internet. This allows the homeowner to power them on or off, monitor the status of the appliance,
and also be alerted to preset conditions, such as when the temperature in the refrigerator rises
above an acceptable level.

Smart TV
A smart TV can be connected to the internet to access content without the need for TV service
provider equipment. Also, a smart TV can allow a user to browse the web, compose email, or
display video, audio, or photos stored on a computer.

Gaming Console
Gaming consoles can connect to the internet to download games and play with friends online.

1.1.7 Other Connected Devices

There are also many connected devices found in the world outside your home that provide
convenience and useful, or even vital, information.

Smart Cars
Many modern cars can connect to the internet to access maps, audio and video content, or
information about a destination. They can even send a text message or email if there is an
attempted theft or call for assistance in case of an accident. These cars can also connect to
smartphones and tablets to display information about the different engine systems, provide
maintenance alerts, or display the status of the security system.

RFID Tags
Radio frequency identification (RFIDs) tags can be placed in or on objects to track them or
monitor sensors for many conditions.

Sensors and Actuators

Connected sensors can provide temperature, humidity, wind speed, barometric pressure, and soil
moisture data. Actuators can then be automatically triggered based on current conditions. For
example, a smart sensor can periodically send soil moisture data to a monitoring station. The
monitoring station can then send a signal to an actuator to begin watering. The sensor will
continue to send soil moisture data allowing the monitoring station to determine when to
deactivate the actuator.

Medical Devices
Medical devices such as pacemakers, insulin pumps, and hospital monitors provide users or
medical professionals with direct feedback or alerts when vital signs are at specific levels.

Data Transmission

1.2.1 Video - Types of Personal Data

1.2.2 The Bit

Did you know that computers and networks only work with binary digits, zeros and ones? It can
be difficult to imagine that all of our data is stored and transmitted as a series of bits. Each bit
can only have one of two possible values, 0 or 1. The term bit is an abbreviation of “binary digit”
and represents the smallest piece of data. Humans interpret words and pictures, computers
interpret only patterns of bits.

A bit is stored and transmitted as one of two possible discrete states. This can include two
directions of magnetization, two distinct voltage or current levels, two distinct levels of light
intensity, or any other physical system of two discrete states. For example, a light switch can be
either On or Off; in binary representation, these states would correspond to 1 and 0 respectively.

Every input device (mouse, keyboard, voice-activated receiver) will translate human interaction
into binary code for the CPU to process and store. Every output device (printer, speakers,
monitors, etc.) will take binary data and translate it back into human recognizable form. Within
the computer itself, all data is processed and stored as binary.

Computers use binary codes to represent and interpret letters, numbers and special characters
with bits. A commonly used code is the American Standard Code for Information Interchange
(ASCII). With ASCII, each character is represented by eight bits. For example:
  Capital letter: A = 01000001
 Number: 9 = 00111001
 Special character: # = 00100011

Each group of eight bits, such as the representations of letters and numbers, is known as a byte.

Codes can be used to represent almost any type of information digitally including computer data,
graphics, photos, voice, video, and music.

In the figure, enter up to five characters in the Characters field, then click the Show Me button
to see the ASCII bit translation. Click Reset to enter a different group of characters.

1.2.3 Common Methods of Data Transmission

After the data is transformed into a series of bits, it must be converted into signals that can be
sent across the network media to its destination. Media refers to the physical medium on which
the signals are transmitted. Examples of media are copper wire, fiber-optic cable, and
electromagnetic waves through the air. A signal consists of electrical or optical patterns that are
transmitted from one connected device to another. These patterns represent the digital bits (i.e.
the data) and travel across the media from source to destination as either a series of pulses of
electricity, pulses of light, or radio waves. Signals may be converted many times before
ultimately reaching the destination, as corresponding media changes between source and
destination.

There are three common methods of signal transmission used in networks:

 Electrical signals - Transmission is achieved by representing data as electrical pulses on

copper wire.
 Optical signals - Transmission is achieved by converting the electrical signals into light
pulses.
 Wireless signals - Transmission is achieved by using infrared, microwave, or radio
waves through the air.

Click Play in the figure to see an animation of the three types of signal transmissions.

In most homes and small businesses, network signals are transmitted across copper wires
(cables) or Wi-Fi enabled wireless connections. Larger networks employ fiber-optic cables in
order to reliably carry signals for longer distances.

Bandwidth and Throughput

1.3.1 Bandwidth

Streaming a movie or playing a multiplayer game requires reliable, fast connections. To support
these “high bandwidth” applications, networks have to be capable of transmitting and receiving
bits at a very high rate.
Different physical media support the transfer of bits at different speeds. The rate of data transfer
is usually discussed in terms of bandwidth and throughput.

Bandwidth is the capacity of a medium to carry data. Digital bandwidth measures the amount of
data that can flow from one place to another in a given amount of time. Bandwidth is typically
measured in the number of bits that (theoretically) can be sent across the media in a second.
Common bandwidth measurements are as follows:

 Thousands of bits per second (Kbps)

 Millions of bits per second (Mbps)
 Billions of bits per second (Gbps)

Physical media properties, current technologies, and the laws of physics all play a role in
determining available bandwidth.

The table shows the commonly used units of measure for bandwidth.

Unit of Bandwidth Abbreviation Equivalence

Bits per second bps 1 bps = fundamental unit of bandwidth
Kilobits per second Kbps 1 Kbps = 1,000 bps = 103 bps
Megabits per second Mbps 1 Mbps = 1,000,000 bps = 106 bps
Gigabits per second Gbps 1 Gbps = 1,000,000,000 bps = 109 bps
Terabits per second Tbps 1 Tbps = 1,000,000,000,000 bps = 1012 b

1.3.2 Throughput

Like bandwidth, throughput is the measure of the transfer of bits across the media over a given
period of time. However, due to a number of factors, throughput does not usually match the
specified bandwidth. Many factors influence throughput including:

 The amount of data being sent and received over the connection
 The types of data being transmitted
 The latency created by the number of network devices encountered between source and
destination

Latency refers to the amount of time, including delays, for data to travel from one given point to
another.

Throughput measurements do not take into account the validity or usefulness of the bits being
transmitted and received. Many messages received through the network are not destined for
specific user applications. An example would be network control messages that regulate traffic
and correct errors.

In an internetwork or network with multiple segments, throughput cannot be faster than the
slowest link of the path from sending device to the receiving device. Even if all or most of the
segments have high bandwidth, it will only take one segment in the path with lower bandwidth to
create a slowdown of the throughput of the entire network.

There are many online speed tests that can reveal the throughput of an internet connection.

1.3.3 Video – Throughput

Communications in a Connected World Summary

1.4.1 What Did I Learn in this Module?
Network Types

The internet is not owned by any individual or group. The internet is a worldwide collection of
interconnected networks (internetwork or internet for short), cooperating with each other to
exchange information using common standards. Through telephone wires, fiber-optic cables,
wireless transmissions, and satellite links, internet users can exchange information in a variety of
forms.

Small home networks connect a few computers to each other and to the internet. The SOHO
network allows computers in a home office or a remote office to connect to a corporate network,
or access centralized, shared resources. Medium to large networks, such as those used by
corporations and schools, can have many locations with hundreds or thousands of interconnected
hosts. The internet is a network of networks that connects hundreds of millions of computers
world-wide.

There are devices all around that you may interact with on a daily basis that are also connected to
the internet. These include mobile devices such as smartphones, tablets, smartwatches, and smart
glasses. Things in your home can be connected to the internet such as a security system,
appliances, your smart TV, and your gaming console. Outside your home there are smart cars,
RFID tags, sensors and actuators, and even medical devices which can be connected.

Data Transmission

The following categories are used to classify types of personal data:

 Volunteered data - This is created and explicitly shared by individuals, such as social
network profiles. This type of data might include video files, pictures, text, or audio files.
 Observed data - This is captured by recording the actions of individuals, such as
location data when using cell phones.
 Inferred data - This is data such as a credit score, which is based on analysis of
volunteered or observed data.
The term bit is an abbreviation of “binary digit” and represents the smallest piece of data. Each
bit can only have one of two possible values, 0 or 1.

There are three common methods of signal transmission used in networks:

 Electrical signals - Transmission is achieved by representing data as electrical pulses on

copper wire.
 Optical signals - Transmission is achieved by converting the electrical signals into light
pulses.
 Wireless signals - Transmission is achieved by using infrared, microwave, or radio
waves through the air.

Bandwidth and Throughput

Bandwidth is the capacity of a medium to carry data. Digital bandwidth measures the amount of
data that can flow from one place to another in a given amount of time. Bandwidth is typically
measured in the number of bits that (theoretically) can be sent across the media in a second.
Common bandwidth measurements are as follows:

 Thousands of bits per second (Kbps)

 Millions of bits per second (Mbps)
 Billions of bits per second (Gbps)

Throughput does not usually match the specified bandwidth. Many factors influence throughput
including:

 The amount of data being sent and received over the connection
 The latency created by the number of network devices encountered between source and
destination

Latency refers to the amount of time, including delays, for data to travel from one given point to
another.

1.4.2 Webster - Reflection Questions

Maybe you don’t work in a hospital, but if you are here now it’s because, like Kishori, you use
computers and want to know more about networks. Did you know that the internet is a massive
network of networks that are connected, either directly or indirectly, to each other? It’s kind of
like this web that I live in. One part can be broken but my web doesn’t fall apart; I can fix it, and
even make it stronger. Would you like to be able to do that for your network?