Think it through together · A little story
At home, a girl sends a photo from her tablet to a printer. The robot notices that both devices are connected to the same home network equipment.
Lay out the process
- Tablet at homeSends a print job
- Local connectionTransfers it to the printer
- PrinterReceives and prints it
A local area network connects devices within a limited area, such as a home, classroom, or office.
Devices can join using Ethernet cables or Wi-Fi. They can share local resources; whether they can reach the internet depends on whether there is a connection to an outside network.
“Local area” describes the coverage area. You cannot tell what kind of network it is just by counting devices.
Your turn to try
If ten computers are connected but have no outside internet access, do they still form a network?
Have you thought it through? Open for an explanation
Yes. They can form a local area network. The internet connects networks on a much larger scale; the two are not the same thing.
Take away one discovery
A local area network connects devices within a limited area, such as a home, classroom, or office.
Try covering the diagram above and explaining each step to someone in your family. If one step is hard to explain, go back and look at that card again.