How the Internet Works

Now that you have a basic idea of how computers communicate with each other over a network, it is time to discuss how the Internet works. The Internet is essentially a large number of networks that are connected to each other. Therefore, the Internet works exactly the same way as your local network. It sends the same sort of data packets, using the same protocols. These various networks are simply connected into main transmission lines called backbones. The points where the backbones connect to each other are called network access points (NAPs). When you log on to the Internet, you probably use an Internet service provider (ISP). That ISP has a connection either to the Internet backbone or to yet another provider that has a backbone. So, logging on to the Internet is a process of connecting your computer to your ISP’s network, which is, in turn, connected to one of the backbones on the Internet.