wired and wireless networks protocols and layers

A wired network is a network where physical cables are used to join devices together and transmit data.

Ethernet is a wired networking standard to carry electrical signals between devices.

Ethernet is considered a standard because it is used by most manufacturers to allow compatibility with other devices.

A wireless network is a network where connections are made using radio waves to transmit data through the air.

Wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) is a common standard for wireless networks.

An advantage of using Wi-Fi is portability - devices can easily move around since the connection is wireless and not limited by cables.

Bluetooth is another common standard for wireless networks.

True. Bluetooth is typically used for a direct connection between two devices such as headphones, controllers, keyboards & mice.

True. Wired networks are more secure than wireless networks.

Portability is the ease of moving devices around, with wireless networks having higher portability than wired networks.

Encryption is a method of scrambling data before being transmitted across a network to protect the contents from unauthorised access.

False. While encryption is important on both wired and wireless networks, it's even more critical on wireless networks due to the data being transmitted over radio waves, making it easy to intercept

True. Wireless networks are identified by a 'Service Set Identifier' (SSID) which along with a password is used to create a 'master key'

False. Encryption is even more critical on wireless networks due to the data being transmitted over radio waves, making it easy to intercept.

A bank should use encryption so that customer data cannot be understood if intercepted and only authorised users can access customers' confidential information.

True. Wired networks are encrypted in a very similar way to a wireless network, using a master key to encrypt data and the same key to decrypt data.

Cipher Text is the scrambled data after being encrypted using the Master Key before being transmitted across a network.

An IP (Internet Protocol) address is a unique identifier given to devices which communicate over the Internet (WAN).

An IPv4 address is represented as 4 blocks of decimal numbers between 0 and 255, separated by periods (e.g., 192.168.0.1). Each block represents 1 byte (8 bits), so the entire address is 32 bits long.

An IPv4 address is represented as 4 blocks of denary numbers between 0 and 255, separated by full stops. An IPv6 address is represented as 8 blocks of 4 hexadecimal digits, separated by colons.

A MAC (Media Access Control) address is a unique identifier given to devices which communicate over a local area network (LAN).

False. MAC addresses are static and can never change.

A MAC address is represented as 12 hexadecimal digits (48 bits), usually grouped in pairs, with the first three pairs being the manufacturer ID number (OUI) and the last three pairs being the serial number of the network interface card (NIC).

True. IP addresses are used to communicate on a WAN/Internet. MAC addresses are used to communicate on a LAN.

Mac addresses are in hexadecimal whilst IP addresses are in denary Mac addresses are static whilst IP addresses are dynamic

A computing standard is a set of guidelines that when used with different hardware and software allows them to work with each other (compatibility) and allow data exchange (interoperability).

True. Ethernet is one of many examples of standards in computing

True. HTML - A standard for creating websites that allows them to be viewed on the World Wide Web (WWW) using web browser software.

False. Layers are a division of network functionality.

True. USB is a standard that defines the physical connector used for connecting peripheral devices to computers.

True. Wi-Fi is a standard that allows wireless devices to communicate on a local area network (LAN).

True. Standards in computing promote compatibility and interoperability between different hardware and software.

Compatibility is the ability of different hardware and software to work with each other when following the same standard.

Interoperability is the ability of different hardware and software to exchange data with each other when following the same standard.

True. Countries that use different plug sockets and devices that use different charger cables are examples of where standards are not used.

A protocol is a set of rules that govern communication on a network.

False. Standards outline the broad guidelines. Protocols focus on specific procedures and rules.

TCP/IP is two protocols, transmission control protocol (TCP) and internet protocol (IP) that combined allow communication over the internet (WAN).

TCP is responsible for making sure communication between two routers is error free.

IP is responsible for making sure data is delivered to the right device on a wide area network (WAN).

Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) allows communication between clients and servers for website viewing.

HTTPS works in the same way as HTTP but with an added layer of security. All data sent and received using HTTPS is encrypted.

False. HTTPS is used as it is secure to protect sensitive information such as passwords, financial information and personal data.

File Transfer Protocol (FTP) allows sending and receiving files between computers.

Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) is a protocol that allows communication between an email sender and the email server, and between different email servers using the internet.

Post Office Protocol (POP) is a protocol for downloading emails to a device from an email server. Once the email has been retrieved it is removed from the server.

Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP) is a protocol for downloading emails to a device from an email server. Once the email has been retrieved, a copy is retained on the mail server.

An advantage of POP is that it frees up storage space on email servers and is faster on slow connections.

An advantage of IMAP is that you can view and manage emails from any device with internet access, and changes made on one device are synchronised on all connected devices.

A layer is a division of network functionality. The network is divided into layers as it reduces the complexity

Layers are self-contained which makes managing, repairing and upgrading easier as each layer can be worked on independent of other layers.

True. Layers allow for focus on specific parts of a protocol without affecting other layers.

True. Layers promote data exchange (interoperability) between hardware and software.

Self-contained means each layer can be worked on independently without affecting other layers.

False. Dividing network tasks into layers reduces the complexity and makes each layer more manageable.

Interoperability is the ability of different hardware and software to exchange data, which is promoted by using layers in protocols.