Studied by 26 people
This area of the course helps you to understand how digital devices are able to communicate with one another, and of course, how the internet works!! We will learn about the various pieces of equipment needed to create computer networks and the internet, as well as those at home and in businesses. We also look at how messages, including SMS, photos and videos are sent, including to/from mobile devices such as phones and tablets. The booklet below should be filled out/completed as we work through this topic. You will be expected to submit the WORD document to Connect for review and complete a short assignment and quiz for assessment.
Protocols
Computer science word for ‘rules’ or the way something should be done/
ISP
Internet Service Provider: a company that provides you with connection to the internet, in exchange for payment.
NBN
National Broadband Network: Australian government’s network of cables and equipment made available to the ISPs so that they are able to connect you to the internet.
LAN
Local Area Network: generally used for a single site, such as a house, building, school, university.
WAN
Wide Area Network: a network that connects different geographical sites, such as your house to your ISP.
Ethernet
The most common data protocol for how bits are sent from one device to another on a LAN.
Ethernet Cable
Twisted copper wires which are covered in blue plastic sheath and are used to connect a local network of computers. It can asl be called a Unshelided Twisted Pair.
RJ45
Registered Jack 45 or the connection pug/socket at the end of an ethernet cable.
Bandwidth
The amount/speed of bit data a traffic link can carry.
Fibre Optic
Glass fibres that transmit light pulses and also have the greatest bandwidth.
Wi-Fi
A radio frequency protocol used to transmit data over short distances.
WAP
Wireless Access Point: connects device that use radio waves through Wi-Fi protocols.
Router
Creates a connection between different networks by routing packet of data between them.
Switch
Connects devices together within a LAN.
Gateway
A device placed in a home to allow access to the internet, by converting data into bits, through protocols sent by LAN and WAN.
Radio Waves
Electro-magnetic waves that can be in use to transmit data.
Base station/cell tower
Towers that hold antennas to enable the communication between mobile phones.
Mobile Phone Cell
A geographical area created around a cell tower that allows a mobile phone to either send or receive data.
Bluetooth
A communications protocol that uses radio waves to connect peripheral devices to digital ones. (Connect a earbuds or a watch to your phone)
3G/4G/5G
A cellular mobile phone Generation, where each generation is better and faster when transmitting & receiving data than the last.
GPS
Global Positioning System: uses groups of satellites that transmit radio waves to locate a device.
CPU
Central Processing Unit: the processor that executes programs, receive input, send output and store data.
Input device
Devices such as a mouse, keyboard or touch screen, which send data into the processor.
Output Devices
Devices such as a screen, printer or speaker, which get data out of a processor.
Primary Memory
RAM (Random Access Memory) stores programs and data while they are in use and delete when computer is switched off.
Secondary Memory
Hard disk (internal or external), thumb drives, USB sticks and any other storage that is not lost when the computer is turned off.
Computer
A device that has input, output, processing and storage capabilities.
Devices connected per day
Over 20,000,000,000 devices are connected to the internet each day.
Computer Security
Computer security refers to being careful when sharing and viewing using a computer, as much of our personal data is stored that way.
Note 
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