Theme: Organization of work of local networks. Networking by domain structure. Contents

Cable modems, DSL modems, modems

Cable, DSL and telephone-based modems are functionally the same as routers as far as the communication of message packets is concerned.  The primary difference is that the three modem protocols convert the ethernet signals into those that are compatible with the cable provider’s, DSL provider’s or telephone carrier’s transmission systems.

Bringing it all together – Sample network communication flow

Note - This example assumes that both the sending and target devices are both physically cabled to their LAN switches.  Cases where one or both devices access the network wirelessly through a wireless router, or one or both of the devices are directly connected to a router without an intermediate switch, will be discussed in a subsequent section.