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Computer networking or data communication is a most important part of the information technology. Today every business in the world needs a computer network for smooth operations, flexibly, instant communication and data access. Just imagine if there is no network communication in the university campuses, hospitals, multinational organizations and educational institutes then how difficult are to communicate with each other. In this article you will learn the basic overview of a computer network. The targeted audience of this article is the people who want to know about the network communication system, network standards and types.

A computer network is comprised of connectivity devices and components. To share data and resources between two or more computers is known as networking. There are different types of a computer network such as lan, MAN, WAN and wireless network. The key devices involved that make the infrastructure of a computer network are Hub, Switch, Router, Modem, Access point, lan card and network cables.

lan stands for local area network and a network in a room, in a building or a network over small distance is known as a lan. MAN stands for Metropolitan area network and it covers the networking between two offices within the city. WAN stands for wide area network and it cover the networking between two or more computers between two cities, two countries or two continents.

There are different topologies of a computer network. A topology defines the physical layout or a design of a network. These topologies are star topology, bus topology, mesh topology, star bus topology etc. In a star topology each computer in a network is directly connected with a centralized device known as hub or switch. If any computer gets problematic in star topology then it does not affect the other computers in a network.

There are different standards and devices in computer network. The most commonly used standard for a local area network is Ethernet. Key devices in a computer network are hub, switch, router, modem and access point etc. A router is used to connect two logically and physical different networks. All the communication on the internet is based on the router. Hub/Switch is used to connect the computers in local area network.

Hopefully, in this article you may have learnt that what a computer network is, how important it is in our lives, what are different network devices, standards, topologies and communication types.

B. Bashir manages this website Networking Tutorials and regularly writes articles on various topics such as Computer Networking, Network Troubleshooting Tips Wireless Networking, Computer hardware, Certifications, How Tos, Network Security Guide and computer tips.

Most people don't realize it, almost all laptop's wireless cards are on mini-pci and are removable as a result. external wireless cards are available for purchase from online vendors, or from stores like best Buy and CompUSA. It's important to note that extended range wireless cards are often somewhat more expensive than low power wireless cards and that they can use more of your laptop's battery resources. Now that your wireless cards are providing physical and data link connectivity, they are ready to start.

driver

When you start the computer with the adapter installed, it will ask for a driver. download and install the most recent driver version 4 if one hasn't been installed. Be sure to get the US version of the driver. After installation of the drivers and adaptor connection manager you will need to use the adaptor connection manager to navigate.

Security

The final, and most important issue, is security. Once you have connectivity between the two systems, then you can worry about getting the security encryption to function properly. Once the security is properly enabled, it's time to get your wireless connection up and running. We also encourage you to observe standard security practices like not file sharing.

While not all PC's support wireless, several manufacturers have adopted wireless standards, and wireless cards are available. However, there is an increasing number of wireless cards are being released every day. mini-PCI wireless cards are designed for laptops. So instead of hammering a round peg through a square whole which wireless cards are working for your unit. Look for what adapters and wireless cards are compatible with your network.