2.7 Intern. Connection Types

Requirement of satellite internet?

• Requires line of sight to the satellite

• Weather can cause rain fade

Satellite Internet Speeds and latency

~100 Mbps down / ~ 5 Mbps up

High latency (often ~500 ms round trip)

Modern systems like Starlink reduce latency to about 25–60 ms.

Where is Satellite internet used?

Rural remote areas

What are the characteristics of fiber internet?

Fiber uses light signals through fiber-optic cables.

Characteristics:

• Very high speeds

• Long-distance communication

• Common in WAN backbone networks

• Expensive installation and repair

What technologies does fiber use?

• SONET Synchronous Optical Networking

• Wavelength Division Multiplexing

What is cable broadband internet?

Internet service delivered through TV coaxial cable networks.

Characteristics:

• Uses broadband frequencies for multiple services

• Supports data, voice, and video

What standard does cable broadband internet use?

• DOCSIS (Data Over Cable Service Interface Specification)

Cable broadband internet speed

• Speeds typically 50 Mbps – 1 Gbps+

What is DSL internet?

Digital Subscriber Line uses telephone lines for internet access.

Characteristics:

• Asymmetric speeds (download faster than upload)

• Distance limit of about 10,000 ft from the central office

DLS speeds

• Example speeds: ~200 Mbps down / ~20 Mbps up

What is cellular internet?

Internet delivered through mobile cellular networks.

What is a WISP?

A Wireless Internet Service Provider delivers internet using terrestrial wireless signals.

Technologies may include:

• IEEE 802.11 mesh networks

• 5G home internet

• proprietary wireless systems

Where is WISP used and what do you need to use it?

• Common in rural areas

• Requires outdoor antenna

WISP speeds?

• Speeds range ~10 Mbps to 1 Gbps

What is a LAN?

A Local Area Network is a network that connects devices in a limited geographic area, such as:

• a home

• an office

• a building or campus

Characteristics:

• high-speed connectivity

• commonly uses Ethernet or Wi-Fi

What is a WAN?

A Wide Area Network connects multiple LANs over large geographic distances.

Characteristics:

• spans cities, countries, or the globe

• usually slower than LAN connections

Technologies include:

• Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS)

• point-to-point links

The internet is the largest WAN.

What is a PAN?

A Personal Area Network connects devices around one person.

Examples:

• phone ↔ headphones

• smartwatch ↔ phone

• car ↔ smartphone

Technologies include:

• Bluetooth

• Near Field Communication

• infrared

What is a MAN?

A Metropolitan Area Network covers a city or metropolitan area.

Characteristics:

• larger than a LAN

• smaller than a WAN

Often uses metro Ethernet and may be owned by local governments or municipalities.

What is a SAN?

A Storage Area Network is a high-speed network dedicated to storage.

Characteristics:

• provides block-level storage access

• appears to servers like a local hard drive

• optimized for fast data reads and writes

Often uses dedicated high-speed networks.

What is a WLAN?

A Wireless Local Area Network is a LAN that uses wireless networking.

Characteristics:

• based on IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi)

• provides mobility

• coverage can be expanded using multiple access points

What is a cable crimper used for?

A cable crimper attaches a modular connector (such as RJ-45) to a network cable.

Process:

• pushes metal pins through the wire insulation

• secures the connector onto the cable sheath

• final step when making Ethernet cables

What does a Wi-Fi analyzer do?

A Wi-Fi analyzer monitors wireless networks to analyze:

• signal strength

• channels and frequencies

• nearby access points

• interference sources

Used for troubleshooting wireless networks.

Works with IEEE 802.11 wireless signals.

What is a tone generator and probe used for?

A tone generator sends a tone signal through a cable, and the probe detects it.

Used to:

• trace cables

• identify where a wire runs

• locate cables in complex wiring environments

Also called a toner probe.

What is a punch down tool used for?

punch down tool inserts and secures wires into a punch-down block.

Common blocks:

• 66 block

• 110 block

The tool:

• pushes wire into the connector

• trims excess wire

• ensures a solid connection

Often used with patch panels and structured cabling.

What does a cable tester check?

A cable tester verifies proper wiring in network cables.

Tests include:

• continuity

• wire mapping (pin-to-pin)

• missing pins

• crossed wires

Used to confirm Ethernet cables are correctly wired.

What is a loopback plug used for?

A loopback plug tests network or serial ports by sending transmitted signals back to the receive pins.

If the port works properly:

sent data = received data

Used to test ports such as:

• Ethernet

• serial connections

• fiber links

What is a network tap or port mirror used for?

Used to capture and analyze network traffic.

Types:

Network TAP

• physical device placed inline with the network cable

Port Mirror (SPAN)

• switch feature that copies traffic from one port to another

Used for packet analysis and monitoring.