Technical aspects of connecting to the Internet: what is a mac-address, router and leased line

The Internet today is no longer a luxury or something unusual and surprising. It is an everyday tool for working and resting, communicating and exchanging information. That is why many users simultaneously or some time after the acquisition of the first computer make a connection to the "World Wide Web." However, very few people think about the very procedure of connection. And even fewer people pay attention to the technical aspects of the work of one or another provider. At the same time, you need to understand the principles of networking and know what a mac-address, local network, router, switch, etc. "Why?" - the astonished reader will ask, who are only interested in the shares and tariffs of various providers. It's simple! Knowledge of network operation techniques is a guarantee of choosing a reliable provider, which means that the subscriber will have fewer reasons for complaining about the Internet connection and applying for technical support.

When choosing a provider, it is worth paying attention, first of all, to the type of connection that it uses to provide access to the "virtual space". The most common and used types of connections are: via a telephone line (ADSL technology), a dedicated line (four-wire or eight-core twisted pair), a television cable (cable TV). The highest speed of connection to the Internet and reliability of the signal is provided by a dedicated line - it is used by most modern providers. The remaining methods of connection are unreliable and operate at low speeds.

Before you understand what a mac-address is, you should pay attention to one more important parameter. It is important to determine how many computers in your home will be connected to the same network line. If you connect several computers to the network at the same time, you should consider purchasing a router (router). Of course, there is an option that the connection is made through one computer (let's call it the central one, the server), but in such a situation, such a computer should always be turned on when at least one user (even from another computer) leaves the Internet. This way of creating a home network for most users is inconvenient for many reasons (a large number of wires, high energy costs, constant computer operation), and therefore the most optimal way of working on the network simultaneously for several users is a router. The router must be selected based on the provider's recommendations, because Due to certain technical features, only certain models of these devices are guaranteed in each network.

For those who plan to use the Internet connection alternately on one computer, then on the other, it is very important to understand what a mac-address is. Knowledge of this concept will avoid many of the difficulties associated with working on the network. Mac-address is a unique code of the network card, which provides the transfer of information packets from the Internet to this computer.

To ensure security, some providers link the network line to the computer at this particular address, and in such situations it is impossible to connect from the second computer to the "World Wide Web" without a call to technical support and changing the current address. At this stage, users often have questions: "mac-address ... What's this?" How to keep it the same on both the one and the second computer? "Of course, creating a single network address is possible, but often such a procedure is subsequently affected by the appearance of a large number of errors. Therefore, it is better to find out what the mac-address is and to clarify with the provider before making the connection to the Internet, how the devices are connected to the network. In the case of using mac-addresses to bind computers to the network, a reliable way to access the Internet from several computers will be to use the router.