Lesson 6 - Chapter 1: Connecting to the Internet Flashcards
What is an ISP?
a company that lets you access their high-speed connection to the Internet for a fee
Connecting to an ISP requires 3 things:
- Active account with the ISP
- Hardware for connectivity (modem, cable line)
- Software (protocols in the OS for connections, data flow, applications)
Where do you get your IP address (home)?
In most cases from the ISP’s DHCP server
What does DSL stand for?
Digital Subscriber Line
How does DSL connect to the Internet?
they use a standard telephone line with special equipment on each end to create always-on Internet connections
(faster than dial-up)
Does DSL use the same kind or a different kind of phone line than voice calls?
It uses a different band of the phone line, so the Internet doesn’t interfere with land-line voice calls
(remember with dial-up losing connection with incoming calls?)
What are the 2 most common forms of DSL?
- Asynchronous (ADSL)
- Synchronous (SDSL)
What’s the difference between ADSL and SDSL?
ADSL = +/- slow upload speed, faster download speed
SDSL = same upload and download speeds (more expensive)
What is xDSL?
the many variations of DSL
How do you install DSL? 4 steps
- Either you or a tech installs the DSL receiver/DSL modem and maybe hook up a wireless router
- Plug some cords in, call ISP
- DSL receiver/modem connects to the phone line (wall) and computer
- Tech/user configures DSL modem and router (if using) with settings provided by ISP
Do you need a 2nd telephone line to use DSL?
No
As a requirement of DSL, your house has to be what?
a fairly short distance from a main phone service switching center (central office)
(several hundred to 18,000 feet)
What type of cables does cable Internet access use?
regular TV cables
Are cable internet connections available anywhere you can get cable TV?
Theoretically, yes but limited to homes/offices a certain distance from the cable company’s office
What connections does cable Internet have coming into the house?
RG-6 or RG-59 coming into the house
How is cable Internet set up?
the cable connects to a cable modem that then connects to a small home router or your NIC via Ethernet
DSL providers have begun providing FTTN and FTTP. What does FTTN and FTTP mean?
FTTN = Fiber-to-the-node
FTTP = Fiber-to-the-premises
(provide Internet and more)
How does FTTN work?
the fiber connection runs from the provider to a box somewhere in your neighborhood. The box is connected to your home/office using normal coaxial or Ethernet cabling.
How does FTTP work?
the fiber connections run from the provider straight to an individual home or office, using fiber the whole way
Once you get a fiber connection to your premises, what type of cable can you use to connect your computers to the Internet?
Any standard cabling or wireless
How do Satellite Internet connections work? (2 steps)
- the data gets beamed to a satellite dish on your house or office
- a receiver handles the flow of data, sending it through an Ethernet cable to the NIC or a port on the router
In order to use Satellite Internet, you have to make sure the dish points what direction?
towards the satellites (towards the South in the U.S.)
What’s a downside to Satellite Internet? What is this called?
there’s a delay from the distance the signal must travel (called satellite latency)
(usually unnoticeable unless there’s bad weather or playing a game)
After a satellite dish is professionally installed with line-of-sight to the satellite, what cables run from the dish to your satellite modem?
2 coax cables, 1 for input 1 for output
(the satellite modem has an RJ-45 connection to connect it to your PC or a router)
What does LTE stand for?
Long Term Evolution
LTE is marketed as true __ technology
4G
LTE networks feature theoretical speeds of how much download and how much upload?
Download = 300 Mbps
Upload = 75 Mbps
Can LTE replace wired network technology? Why or why not?
Yes because it has excellent speed (300 Mbps/75 Mbps) and broad coverage of cell towers
How do you connect a computer to the Internet without a physical connection to an ISP (DSL, cable, fiber)?
You can connect to a wireless hotspot
What is a hotspot?
a cellular device that allows other devices to access the Internet
Hotspots can be what type of 2 devices?
- Feature of a modern smartphone
- Dedicated device
What is tethering?
Connecting a smartphone to a PC so the PC can access the phone’s cellular Internet connection
How do you use tethering?
You turn on the service on the device, then connect the phone to your computer using a USB connection or Wi-Fi
(Most carriers charge extra to enable tethering on your phone or tablet)
What are the speeds of 5G networks?
300 Mbps+ (up to 940 Mbps in some areas)
Wi-Fi isn’t technically a way to connect to an ISP. Wi-Fi’s goal is to connect to what?
Wi-Fi connects you to a wireless router - which connects to the ISP’s service box - which connects to the ISP itself
(the main Internet connections are like fiber, cable, DSL, etc connected to the ISP. Wi-Fi is just a method of connecting to the router to access the Internet being provided)
What does WISP stand for?
Wireless Internet Service Providers
What are WISPs?
ISPs that specialize in delivering Wi-Fi Internet directly to consumers
What are the downsides to using a WISP? How can you remedy it?
Wi-Fi has a short range which makes it impractical in areas where it’s not easy to place new access points
(can try to remedy this with directional antennas and Ethernet bridge devices if applicable)
What area would Wi-Fi work well for? (WISP)
densely populated areas
How would you connect spread-out areas such as separate ski resort buildings or connect a boathouse to the main house? What technology and equipment do you need?
Wi-Fi (high-powered, directional antenna with Ethernet bridge device to give you line-of-sight Internet connection up to 8 miles+ instead of the usual short range)
Which Internet connections are mobile-friendly and don’t use broadband modems? (2)
- Cellular
- WISP
What is the purpose of a broadband modem?
it’s a connection box that translates between the provider’s network and your home connection/network
(most broadband connections use one - cable, DSL, satellite, fiber)
Many people use the term broadband modem to refer to any box that enables high-speed Internet service but what is a more appropriate term for the box and why?
A more correct term is terminal adapter/optical network terminal (ONT)
because a modem translates between analog and digital signals (like dial-up translates from digital computer signals to analog waveforms sent on copper phone lines) and shouldn’t really be used to describe an all-digital environment
What does ONT stand for?
optical network terminal
Some broadband modems are dual-purpose or single-purpose. In what 2 ways?
- function as both a modem/terminal adapter and wireless router
- functions only as an Internet connection translator/aid and needs a router hooked up to it to share the connection
What uses an ONT rather than a broadband modem?
Fiber
If you want to connect a number of computers using wired connections, you’ll need a ____
router
How do you install a router? (2 steps)
- Plug your computer into any of the LAN ports on the back
- Plug the cable from your Internet into the port labeled Internet or WAN
(some broadband modems/terminal adapters are combo devices that are Wi-Fi routers as well so you won’t need a separate router)
All home routers use a technology called_____
Network Address Translation (NAT)
What does NAT stand for?
Network Address Translation
What is the purpose of NAT?
it presents an entire LAN of computers to the Internet as a single machine
(hides all your computers from other computers on the Internet)
Because all home routers use NAT, all anyone on the Internet sees about you is…?
your public IP address
How do you get your public IP address?
DHCP server (ISP, usually)
NAT acts as a ____ for your network
firewall (makes all the computers on a network invisible, presents as a single machine which protects internal network from malicious users)
Just like with a Wi-Fi switch, you can access a router’s configuration settings by?
typing the router’s IP address into a browser
One of the first changes you should make to your router after you have it working is to….?
change the default password
(or else anyone can gain access to your LAN/router and change its settings)
The CompTIA A+ exam calls changing a router’s login credentials…?
Change default passwords
What happens when you plug in the router’s Internet connection? What does it receive?
It receives an IP address from the ISP using DHCP (like any other computer)
(which means the Internet IP address will change from time to time which is bad for some users and businesses)
How do you order a static IP?
through the ISP for an extra charge
What do you do after you receive your static IP address?
Manually enter it into the router
What does the CompTIA A+ exam call a static IP address?
static wide-area network (WAN) IP
What’s a word of caution when upgrading the firmware on your router?
a bad firmware update can brick the router (unlike a Windows update)
What is it called when you configure the router to deny or allow access to certain websites/domains?
content filtering or website filtering
What does it mean to whitelist?
Deny access to everything except what’s on your list
What can you use if you want certain devices to have the same IP address but keep DHCP running on the router?
Use the DHCP reservations feature to reserve certain IP address for certain devices while others continue to receive dynamic IP addresses
How do you access the DHCP reservations feature?
Router setup (if it shows each client, click on the client and the Reserve IP feature)
What is Universal Plug and Play? (UPnP) What device is this a feature of?
A router feature that enables a new device to connect, configure itself, get an IP address, and inform the other devices on the network about its existence
What’s an example of Universal Plug and Play involving a laptop and a printer?
UPnP would allow a newly connected laptop to discover shared network printers and install their drivers automatically
What’s a downside to UPnP and why some security experts don’t recommend using it?
It can create security risks because it opens inbound ports on the PC to receive information
When you enable UPnP on an individual Windows PC, what is it called? How do you set it up?
Network Discovery
Network and Sharing Center > Change Advanced Sharing Settings
What should be a priority when you set up a new broadband router?
update firmware
(just like software on your PC, it can have improvements, security risks, bugs, etc)
If you don’t change this on the router, anyone can change its settings
admin password
