What type of network allows computer in a home office or a remote office to connect to corporate network?

1: What are the two ways computers can connect to the network?

Answer:

Computers and other devices can connect to a network using cables or wirelessly. 

WiFi is the common wireless technology for a computer network. Ethernet is the protocol most often used in cabled networks.

2: What devices do they usually connect to?

Answer:

Usually cabled devices connect to a switch. But, computers can also be connected directly together in some cases, or may connect into a router. Sometimes special cables are needed, which is covered in the next video.

Wireless devices usually connect to a wireless Access Point (AP). Sometimes wireless computers will connect to each other without an AP. This is called an AdHoc network.

3: How many protocols are used when one computer accesses another computer?

Answer:

This is a bit if a trick question to get you to think. The answer is, it depends.

As we talked about, protocols are a way to format data. This means that both ends of the conversation understand what’s being said.

Some protocols are used to deliver data. They don’t care what the data is about though. Their only job is to get the data from one endpoint to another. Ethernet is an example of this type of protocol.

Other protocols work with the application. An example of this is SMTP with is a protocol that describes how emails are handled. SMTP doesn’t worry about getting information onto a cable, or across WiFi. That’s what protocols like Ethernet are for. SMTP is only worried about the mail.

So, several protocols may work together to accomplish a task. We’ll see more of this throughout the series.

4: Your company has three divisions. Each group has a network, and all the networks are joined together. Is this still a LAN? Or is it something else?

Answer:

If each group has their own network, each network could be called a LAN. If these networks are joined together, this could also be called a LAN.

LAN is a simple term, and it doesn’t have a strict definition. The important thing is that all the components of the network are in the local area, such as in a single building.

5: The company adds a retail division. There is a head office and six branch offices. What type of network is this?

Answer:

All the components of the network in the head office are in a local area, so this part would be called a LAN. Each of the branch offices would also be called a LAN.

But, all of these networks are separated, so the whole network would not be called a LAN.

If the offices were connected together, this part of the network would be called a WAN. The WAN is the parts that connect the offices together.

Normally, a service provider would be used to provide some or all of the equipment for these connections.

As a whole, this would be called an enterprise network