What is a home network?
What is a home network?
What's coming up?
A home network lets you use the internet at home, but even better, it lets you share that internet connection so that several people can use it at the same time.
In this activity, we'll refresh what the internet is, how a home internet connection works, and what you'll need to connect your devices to the internet at home.
Start activityThe internet
The internet is a service that is a bit like your water or electricity. Except, instead of giving you water or power, it allows you to search the world for information. Information from the internet is sometimes called data.
To access the internet you need an internet-capable device. A desktop or laptop computer, a tablet, a mobile phone, a smart speaker, certain kinds of TVs and other modern household devices can all access the internet.
The internet at home
An internet service comes into your home from the street via a cable.
Inside your home, the internet cable connects to a special box called a router, which then shares the internet to your devices. The router can also be called a modem or gateway.
When you have many devices connected to the same router and sharing the internet, that's called a home network.
Your internet provider
Like your phone service, you need to choose an internet service provider (or ISP).
Your ISP sets up your connection and manages your internet account, including billing. The ISP is often the same as your phone company, but there are other choices too.
Most ISPs will give you the router when you first sign up to an account. A technician might install it for you, or you might get a sheet of instructions to follow.
Connecting to the internet
Once your router is set up, you can connect devices to it either via a cable, or via a wireless system called Wi-Fi.
A wired connection is useful if, say, your desktop computer is located near the router. The connection starts automatically, but you can't move the device away from its location.
Wi-Fi is more convenient as it's wireless, allowing you to use your internet devices anywhere in range of the router, and without trailing cables around the house.
Let's check
Let's check some of the information you have just read about. Don't worry if you can't remember the answer, you can scroll up the page to look at the previous slides.
What is the name of the special box that internet comes from in your house?
Click on the correct card.
A Wifibox
Click to flip
That's not quite right. Have another go!
A router
Click to flip
Correct! It is also sometimes referred to as a modem or gateway.
A USB
Click to flip
That's not quite right. Have another go!
Congratulations
You have completed the What is a home network? activity. You've learned the basics of how the internet gets to your home, and that you can connect via a cable, or more commonly via a wireless system called Wi-Fi.
Next up, we'll take a closer look at What do I need for a home network?
