Which term describes two or more computers connected together so they can share data, devices and services?
Network
What is meant by a standalone computer?
A computer that works on its own without connecting to other devices
Which term describes a network that covers a small geographical area such as one building and is owned by the organisation using it?
LAN
What is meant by a WAN?
A network that connects LANs and computers over a large area
What is meant by a wireless device?
A device that connects to a network using WiFi instead of cables
Which term describes a device that joins a network using a cable instead of WiFi?
Wired device
Why do schools and businesses connect their computers into a network?
To share files, printers and an internet connection
Which of these is an example of a WAN?
The card payment network used by VISA and MasterCard
A company pays a monthly fee to a telecommunications company to link its offices in different cities. Why is a fee charged?
The connections used by a WAN are owned by other companies
Which of these can be used to connect the devices and LANs that make up a WAN?
Fibre optic cables and satellite links
John connects several computers at home and says he has a WAN. Why is he wrong?
His network covers a small area and he owns the equipment
Which statement about LANs and WANs is correct?
A WAN can connect many LANs together
Which of these activities needs a WAN rather than just a LAN?
Video calling a relative who lives in another country
Which of these activities would not be possible on a standalone computer?
Sending a message to a friend's phone in another city
Why is the Internet described as the biggest WAN in the world?
It connects computers and LANs worldwide
LAN and WAN are words used to categorise networks. What do they tell you about a network?
The size of the area it covers
In a college network, the desktop computers are joined by cables and the tablets are joined by WiFi. What does this show?
A LAN can contain both wired and wireless devices
Which term describes the hardware inside a computer that lets it connect to other computers and to the internet?
Network interface card
What is meant by a switch?
A device that connects the devices in one LAN and sends data only to the correct device
What is the name for the device that sits between two different networks and allows data to pass between them?
Router
What is meant by a wireless access point?
A device that lets laptops and smartphones join a network wirelessly using WiFi
Which term describes a thin strand of glass or plastic that carries data as pulses of light?
Fibre optic cable
What is meant by a multifunction device?
One box that acts as a router, a switch and a wireless access point
What do Ethernet copper cables use to carry data?
Electrical signals
Why can an Ethernet copper cable only carry data for about 100 metres?
The electrical signal becomes too weak to read
A company wants to link two offices 3 km apart with a fast, reliable connection. Which cable should it use?
Fibre optic cable
A laptop has a network interface card rated at 1 Gbps. What does this rating describe?
The maximum speed it can send and receive data
A tablet has no Ethernet port, but it can still join the school network. How does it do this?
It uses a wireless network interface card
Why do data packets often pass through several routers on their journey across the Internet?
The Internet is many networks joined by routers
How does a wireless access point usually connect to the rest of the network?
With an Ethernet cable to a switch
A school is cabling a small computer room inside one building. Why might it choose copper Ethernet cable instead of fibre optic cable?
Copper cable is cheaper to buy
People often call the single box in a home network a router. Why is this not quite right?
The box also works as a switch and an access point
A long cable run next to electrical equipment keeps losing data. Why would replacing the cable with fibre optic cable help?
Light in fibre is not affected by electrical interference
A school wants its computers to share files and use one Internet connection. Why does it need specialised hardware such as switches and routers?
To connect the computers and move data between them
In a typical school network, which list shows the order that data travels from a computer to the Internet?
Computer, switch, router, Internet
A computer has a network interface card rated at 100 Mbps. It is connected by cable to a switch that runs at 1 Gbps. What speed will data travel between them?
100 Mbps
Which statement explains why fibre optic cable can carry data faster than copper Ethernet cable?
Data travels as pulses of light instead of electrical signals
Which term describes the physical layout of how the computers and devices in a network are connected together?
Topology
What is meant by 'bus topology'?
All the computers are connected to a single shared cable, with a terminator at each end
What is the name of the part fitted at each end of the single shared cable in a bus network?
Terminator
What is meant by 'star topology'?
All the devices are connected to a central switch, either by cable or wirelessly
Which term describes the one part of a network that, if it breaks down, causes the whole network to stop working?
Single point of failure
What is meant by 'partial mesh'?
Devices are connected to some, but not all, of the other devices
Which is an advantage of a bus topology?
It needs less cabling than a star and no switch
What is the job of the terminators in a bus topology?
To stop the signal reflecting back along the cable
The main cable of a bus network is cut in the middle. What happens?
No computer on the network can use it
Why does a bus network slow down as more computers are added?
Every computer shares the same single cable
In a star topology, what do the computers and a wireless access point connect to?
The central switch
Why is a star network more reliable than a bus network when a cable breaks?
On a star, only the one affected computer loses the network
There is no switch, and every device is connected directly to every other device. Which topology is this?
Full mesh
A smart bulb using Zigbee is too far from the hub to connect directly. How can it still work?
It passes messages through other bulbs to reach the hub
Which is a disadvantage of a wired mesh network?
It needs a lot of cabling, so it is expensive to build
Why is a bus network a poor choice for an office that sends confidential files?
Every computer receives all of the data that is sent
One computer in a mesh network stops working. Why can the other computers still send data to each other?
There are other routes between the devices
A computer on a star network sends a file quickly, even when the other computers are busy. Why?
Each computer has its own cable to the switch
A company is thinking of replacing its star network with a wired mesh. Which is a disadvantage of doing this?
It is harder to set up and maintain
Which is an advantage of both bus and star topologies?
It is easy to add another computer to the network
What is meant by 'the World Wide Web'?
A collection of web pages and websites that are linked together
What is meant by 'web server'?
A powerful computer that stores web pages and sends them when they are requested
What is meant by 'streaming'?
Playing audio or video over the Internet without downloading it first
What was the name of the network that began in 1969 and first linked computers at universities in the United States?
ARPANET
What is meant by 'mail server'?
A computer that stores emails until the person they are sent to reads them
What is meant by 'web browser'?
Software on a device that is used to view web pages
What is meant by an 'attachment' in an email?
A file such as a document or photo sent with the message
What is the Internet?
A worldwide network of networks
Which of these connects countries and continents as part of the Internet?
Undersea cables
Why was the early Internet designed as a mesh of routes between locations?
So data could be re-routed if a route failed
Which statement about the Internet and the World Wide Web is correct?
The World Wide Web is one service that runs on the Internet
Why does each email user need a unique email address?
So messages are delivered to the right person
A student reads their email by logging into a website that connects to a mail server. What is this called?
Webmail
What happens to the data when a video is streamed?
It is sent in small chunks that play in order
A streamed film keeps pausing to buffer. What is the most likely reason?
The connection is too slow or unstable for the stream
A research base on a remote island has no cables joining it to the mainland, but its computers can still reach the Internet. Which part of the Internet is being used?
Satellites
Which of these is part of the Internet?
A phone connected to WiFi
Why is the World Wide Web called a web?
The links between the pages would look like a spider's web
A student has a fast, stable connection and wants to stream a film on a laptop. What else is needed?
Software to receive and play the chunks
A student can read the same emails either in an app on their phone or by logging into a website. Why is this possible?
The emails are stored on a mail server that both can connect to
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