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• Classic-Fiction

A. Interference with some metal object

B. Improper antennae set up

C. Use of the default SSID

D. The SSID overlapping with a neighbor’s SSID

Answers

1. D. Under ideal conditions, the 802.11g standard supports data throughput of up to 54 Mbps and has a range of up to 300 feet.

2. D. WPA2 is the best of the encryption technologies listed.

3. A. A wireless access point (WAP) enables you to extend the capabilities of a wireless network.

4. A. In ad hoc-mode networks, all the nodes connect directly to each other.

5. C. The SSID determines the name of a wireless network.

6. C. The multiple in/multiple out (MIMO) technology implementing multiple antennae enables 802.11n networks to run at much faster speeds than previous Wi-Fi networks.

7. B. Data transfers using the IrDA protocol top out at 4 Mbps.

8. B. Bluetooth creates personal area networks.

9. B. Standard omni-directional antennae are called dipole antennae.

10. A. Watch out for microwave ovens, refrigerators, and pipes in the walls. They can interfere with a Wi-Fi signal and create dead spots.

CHAPTER 25

The Internet

In this chapter, you will learn how to

Explain how the Internet works

Connect to the Internet

Use Internet software tools

Imagine coming home from a long day at work building and fixing PCs, sitting down in front of your shiny new computer, double-clicking the single icon that sits dead center on your monitor…and suddenly you’re enveloped in an otherworldly scene, where 200-foot trees slope smoothly into snow-white beaches and rich blue ocean. Overhead, pterodactyls soar through the air while you talk to a small chap with pointy ears and a long robe about heading up the mountain in search of a giant monster.… TV show from the SciFi channel? Spielberg’s latest film offering? How about an interactive game played by millions of people all over the planet on a daily basis by connecting to the Internet? If you guessed the last one, you’re right.

This chapter covers the skills you need as a PC tech to help people connect to the Internet. It starts with a brief section on how the Internet works, along with the concepts of connectivity, and then it goes into the specifics on hardware, protocols, and software that you use to make the Internet work for you (or for your client). Let’s get started!

Historical/Conceptual

How the Internet Works

Thanks to the Internet, people can communicate with one another over vast distances, often in the blink of an eye. As a PC tech, you need to know how PCs communicate with the larger world for two reasons. First, knowing the process and pieces involved in the communication enables you to troubleshoot effectively when that communication goes away. Second, you need to be able to communicate knowledgeably with a network technician who comes in to solve a more complex issue.

Internet Tiers

You probably know that the Internet is millions and millions of computers all joined together to form the largest network on earth, but not many folks know much about how these computers are organized. To keep everything running smoothly, the Internet is broken down into groups called tiers. The main tier, called Tier 1, consists of nine companies called Tier 1 providers. The Tier 1 providers own long-distance, high-speed fiber-optic networks called backbones. These backbones span the major cities of the earth (not all Tier 1 backbones go to all cities) and interconnect at special locations called network access points (NAPs). Anyone wishing to connect to any of the Tier 1 providers must pay large sums of money. The Tier 1 providers do not charge each other.

Tier 2 providers own smaller, regional networks and must pay the Tier 1 providers. Most of the famous companies that provide Internet access to the general public are Tier 2 providers. Tier 3 providers are even more regional and connect to Tier 2 providers.

The piece of equipment that makes this tiered Internet concept work is called a backbone router. Backbone routers connect to more than one other backbone