These days computers are almost always connected to a computer
network. Whether the network is a local network eg. office or a
home network or a global network eg. internet, the usefulness of
a computer connected to a network is much higher than when it is
not. This is mainly because access to other computers allows us
to communicate, work and entertain ourselves in ways a
standalone computer couldn’t. At home and office there are two
main types of computer network connections in common use these
days. There are connections made with the help of cables and
connections made without cables. Wired Networks as the name
suggests, involve the use of cables to connect computers
together. The most popular wired network is known as Ethernet.
The connections are usually made with network cables, which are
also referred to as Ethernet, CAT5e or CAT6 cables. The socket
into which these cables plug into is usually referred to as a
LAN port or a RJ45 socket. These can be found on the back of
computers , desktops and laptop