Network Technology, Structure, and Protocols Case Study

Wireless and Wi-Fi

The dominant approach used today for connecting to network, wireless technologies including W-Fi is dominating the entire area of networking, from 3G and 4G on smartphones and tablet PCs to the development of hotspot technology on the attest iPad. This is the future of networking for many consumers. The reliance on Wi-Fi as a means to stay connected to business and friends has exponentially increased and will continue to for the long-term (Gilmer, 2010). The fundamentals of Wi-Fi are easily taught as they are based on IEEE standards that create a framework for teaching these technologies with clarity and insight (Greiner, 2001). Wi-Fi continues to increase in terms of speed as well, with 3G and 4G now commonplace. Consumers need to know about this technology and how it works to troubleshoot problems on their smartphones, tablet PCs and laptops. The best approach to managing the teaching process is to concentrate on how the IEEE standards define specific frequencies for each standard of Wi-Fi and how these various levels of performance vary by chipset and coding standards. Again, the best approach is to use actual examples with common devices to show how this performs.

Device Drivers Network Connectivity at the Operating System Level

The critical link in any device are the software that connects the network to the actual smartphone, tablet PC or laptop. How device drivers work is a critical skill for any consumer to understand, as they will often have to troubleshoot this to get their devices working again.Consumers need to know how to troubleshoot if a devices' drivers are not working, and also how to re-install them. Device drivers are so well designed today they can be quickly tested and evaluated through common, easily-learned steps (Gilmer, 2010). The best approach to teaching this is to concentrate on how device drivers are installed and work, showing consumers how this can be achieved within minutes.

Network Security

The most critical area of knowledge for anyone is to appreciate how security works on a network. Network security is often multifaceted with several different levels associated with role-based access relative to resource-based requirements as well. The ability to define role-based security, enabling it throughout a network, is critical for protecting information and application-based assets (Solomon, 2003). This is critical for any consumer to understand as many will eventually have networks throughout their homes as well. In teaching this skill set, the best approach is to illustrate through example how quickly a network can be hacked, and the costs of these over time. This makes the issue of security very real to consumers. Second, showing how to create an effective personal strategy for protecting information online is essential. Often this can be taught through online videos in addition to creating online tutorials as well.

References

Gilmer, B. (2010). Networking software. Broadcast Engineering, 52(3), 24-27.

Greiner, L. (2001, Nov 16). Wireless networking wave. Computing Canada, 27(24), 16-17.

Mingail, H. (1995, Feb 15). Neural networks vs. knowledge systems......