Computers And The Internet
What is the difference between Internet and Intranet?
Pretty much everybody knows what the Internet is, but not a lot of people know what an Intranet is. An Intranet is just an Internet on a closed loop. A lot of the big companies like Sony, or IBM would have an Intraweb. You usually use this to get to know what's happening in the different departments, and they're so big that they need an Intraweb to post information so you can go look for it.
What three things do I need to connect to the Internet?
To connect to the Internet you're going to need three things. First, and most importantly, you're going to need a computer. Next you need a way to connect to the Internet, so you need a modem. You can have a dial-up modem, which not a lot of people have anymore, or you can have a high speed modem which come in two flavors: cable or DSL. Finally, to get to all the content on the Internet, once you're connected, you're going to need a web browser which comes standard, pretty much, on all the new computers today.
What hardware do I need if I want a wireless Internet connection?
If you're thinking of going wireless; you're going to need a few things. If you're at home, you're going to need a high speed modem and after that you're going to need a wireless router. Now, this wireless router, the only thing it does is that it takes signals that come through your modem and they transmit it out. Now, if you're on a laptop or a desktop, you're going to need something that receives those signals. So if you're on a laptop you have a wireless card that picks up those signals and if you're on a desktop; it's called a PCI card that you'll need to install.
What is the difference between a Wide Area Network (WAN) and a Local Area Network (LAN)?
A Local Area Network, or LAN, is a series of computers that are connected to your network. A WAN is a Wide Area Network. WAN just means what the name implies: it covers a larger area.
How do I choose the best wireless network card?
It really doesn't matter what type of wireless card that you buy. I've used everything from a five dollar, off-the-shelf, low-end wireless card to the high-end $700 wireless card, and to tell you the truth, I found absolutely no difference connecting to my wireless network using either of the cards.
How do I choose the best internet router?
When choosing an internet router, I've used everything from very a low $15 no brand router, to a $15 branded router, and I haven't found a difference using the two of them. My internet experience using wireless routers has been exactly the same whether I'm using a cheap one or a really expensive one.
What is "Skype"?
Skype is an Internet phone service that you can use to call from your PC to another PC for free. If you buy credits with them, you can actually make a call on Skype to another person's telephone.
What is "online chatting"?
You've heard a lot about online chatting, and chatting is a means of communicating with another person on another computer in a different location. To do this you're going to have to use one or several clients, or a different software that you can download for free. The three most popular online chatting clients are IM, MSN and Yahoo messenger. They all do the same thing. They'll allow you to send a message from your computer to another computer where the other person will see it instantly.
How do I refresh my internet and router connection?
Sometimes your internet connection through your router fails for some reason or another, and you'll have to restart it. The simplest way to do that is just to unplug the router and plug it back in. If you still don't have a connection after that, unplug your modem, unplug the router, turn your computer off, turn your modem back on, turn the router back on and restart your computer. If it still doesn't work, call your ISP.
