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3.1 What Is a Network, and How Do You Join One?

A 2014 Pew Research Center analysis of U.S. census data showed that 84% of U.S. households
own a computer, and 73% of U.S. households have a computer with a broadband Internet
connection. However, there is a wide variance across the country; 21% of households have
no regular Internet access at all, although they may have free access at a local library or else-
where (Rainie & Cohn, 2014). A Closer Look: Wait. The Internet and the World Wide Web Aren’t
the Same Thing? outlines the differences between what are known, respectively, as the Inter-
net and the World Wide Web.

Everywhere you go, people are connected to the Internet. This is a good indicator that getting
online is pretty quick and easy to do. To use the Internet, your computer must be Internet
ready. This means the computer must have hardware such as an Ethernet card that allows it
to connect to the Internet. The vast majority of computers available today are Internet ready.
If you have any questions about your computer, however, be sure to check with the computer
sales or service person where you purchased your device. The type of connection you have
depends, in part, on where you want to use the device: at home, at a library or coffee shop, or
even wherever you are at any given moment. Let’s take a look at your options.

Internet Access at Home

Given the sheer amount of time you will
spend working on your Ashford Uni-
versity courses, it is necessary to set
up a home network. To do so, you will
need to contact a local Internet service
provider (ISP) to set up an account. In
most instances, a technician will come
to your home and install a modem
and a router. The modem is the device
that connects with your ISP through
a telephone landline; the router con-
nects the computer to the modem, to
other computers in the home, or to
a printer and other devices to share Caia Images/SuperStock
data and information. This connection To have Internet access at home, you will need a
of devices provides you with a home modem and router, both of which can be installed by
network, or LAN. The router examines a technician.
data coming into or going out of your
home network to determine where it should go and the route the data will take to get there.
The router also provides security for your network and contains a firewall to protect your
LAN from threats.

Once you have this hardware in place, you can then connect to the Internet through a wired
connection, which uses copper wires or fiber-optic cables to carry the digital signal, or
through a wireless connection, which uses radio waves or microwaves to carry the signal. It
is important to ask the Internet service technician to set up a secure connection that no one
outside your home can access. In Module 6 we will discuss more ways to ensure your privacy,
safety, and security online.

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