1 00:00:00,150 --> 00:00:02,430 So we just spent a lot of time talking about 2 00:00:02,430 --> 00:00:05,010 wide area network technology and devices, 3 00:00:05,010 --> 00:00:06,390 but what are the most common ones 4 00:00:06,390 --> 00:00:09,090 that you're going to deal with as a network technician? 5 00:00:09,090 --> 00:00:11,940 Well, by far the most common one you're going to find 6 00:00:11,940 --> 00:00:15,420 is either going to be a cable modem or a fiber optic modem. 7 00:00:15,420 --> 00:00:18,960 For example, here at our offices, we use Verizon Fios. 8 00:00:18,960 --> 00:00:21,300 Verizon Fios gives us a fiber optic connection 9 00:00:21,300 --> 00:00:22,170 to the building. 10 00:00:22,170 --> 00:00:24,690 It goes from their headquarters to our headquarters, 11 00:00:24,690 --> 00:00:28,080 and just outside our building it hits a media converter. 12 00:00:28,080 --> 00:00:31,260 That media converter changes it from fiber optic 13 00:00:31,260 --> 00:00:33,300 to a Cat6 connection. 14 00:00:33,300 --> 00:00:36,180 That Cat6 copper cable then goes and goes through 15 00:00:36,180 --> 00:00:38,970 that media converter into our distribution center 16 00:00:38,970 --> 00:00:41,580 where our patch panel and our switch and router are, 17 00:00:41,580 --> 00:00:43,260 and it connects in there. 18 00:00:43,260 --> 00:00:45,900 From there, that's where we get that direct connection 19 00:00:45,900 --> 00:00:48,570 to the internet over that Cat6 cable 20 00:00:48,570 --> 00:00:50,910 and back out to that media converter. 21 00:00:50,910 --> 00:00:53,910 Now, the box that we have looks something like this. 22 00:00:53,910 --> 00:00:55,860 The only difference is, instead of plugging into 23 00:00:55,860 --> 00:00:58,740 this coax connection, we're actually going to use 24 00:00:58,740 --> 00:01:01,380 this white connection, which is where that Cat6 25 00:01:01,380 --> 00:01:03,810 cable's going to come in, and that's where the modem 26 00:01:03,810 --> 00:01:06,510 part of this comes in from the fiber modem. 27 00:01:06,510 --> 00:01:09,300 Again, we're just transiting that physical layer 28 00:01:09,300 --> 00:01:12,780 from fiber to Cat6, but it's still using that same modem 29 00:01:12,780 --> 00:01:15,810 inside of here to connect it back into our network. 30 00:01:15,810 --> 00:01:17,430 In this case, I have a Verizon box 31 00:01:17,430 --> 00:01:21,300 that is a combination switch router, wireless access point, 32 00:01:21,300 --> 00:01:24,540 and media converter that's going to convert that cable signal 33 00:01:24,540 --> 00:01:27,660 has this built-in cable modem converts that, 34 00:01:27,660 --> 00:01:30,420 routes it over to the local area network. 35 00:01:30,420 --> 00:01:32,130 Now, if you're dealing with fiber optic networks 36 00:01:32,130 --> 00:01:35,220 like the new Verizon Fios network here in the United States, 37 00:01:35,220 --> 00:01:36,330 you're actually going to see something 38 00:01:36,330 --> 00:01:38,220 that looks just like this. 39 00:01:38,220 --> 00:01:39,690 Now, why is that? 40 00:01:39,690 --> 00:01:41,760 Well, because a lot of times they're going to convert it 41 00:01:41,760 --> 00:01:44,850 from fiber to coaxial right outside your home 42 00:01:44,850 --> 00:01:47,100 and then still run it in using a coaxial connection. 43 00:01:47,100 --> 00:01:49,980 Now, another type of network you're going to see is satellite, 44 00:01:49,980 --> 00:01:52,740 and if you're in a remote area where you don't have fiber 45 00:01:52,740 --> 00:01:57,180 or DSL or cable, you might have to use a satellite modem. 46 00:01:57,180 --> 00:01:58,890 A satellite modem's going to look just like the one 47 00:01:58,890 --> 00:01:59,730 I just showed you. 48 00:01:59,730 --> 00:02:01,800 It's still got that coax connection. 49 00:02:01,800 --> 00:02:03,840 The difference is that coax connection 50 00:02:03,840 --> 00:02:06,270 runs up to the satellite dish on your roof, 51 00:02:06,270 --> 00:02:09,180 and that's where it's going to be converted to radio frequency, 52 00:02:09,180 --> 00:02:12,330 up to the satellite, and then down to the base station. 53 00:02:12,330 --> 00:02:15,060 Again, from your perspective as a network technician though, 54 00:02:15,060 --> 00:02:16,350 it's going to look very similar. 55 00:02:16,350 --> 00:02:18,660 You're going to have this modem, this satellite modem 56 00:02:18,660 --> 00:02:20,580 that you're going to plug in a coax cable to, 57 00:02:20,580 --> 00:02:24,930 and out the other side comes this RJ 45, the Cat6 cable 58 00:02:24,930 --> 00:02:27,390 that you can then plug into whatever you want. 59 00:02:27,390 --> 00:02:30,000 The final thing you might find if you don't have satellite 60 00:02:30,000 --> 00:02:33,780 or cable or fiber or DSL is cellular, 61 00:02:33,780 --> 00:02:35,670 and cellular is something that we all use. 62 00:02:35,670 --> 00:02:37,380 I have this little Android phone, 63 00:02:37,380 --> 00:02:40,140 I have my iPhone here sitting in my pocket, right? 64 00:02:40,140 --> 00:02:41,880 All of these are cellular devices 65 00:02:41,880 --> 00:02:44,160 and they are a wide area network connection. 66 00:02:44,160 --> 00:02:46,800 In addition to giving us individual connections 67 00:02:46,800 --> 00:02:48,570 over these cellular devices though, 68 00:02:48,570 --> 00:02:51,420 we can also turn them into cellular hotspots 69 00:02:51,420 --> 00:02:53,730 where they use cellular to connect to the internet 70 00:02:53,730 --> 00:02:56,280 and then put off a wireless access point 71 00:02:56,280 --> 00:02:59,220 from the phone itself so your laptop or your tablets 72 00:02:59,220 --> 00:03:01,920 can connect to them and then use them as a modem 73 00:03:01,920 --> 00:03:03,690 to connect to the outside world. 74 00:03:03,690 --> 00:03:06,240 Again, there are lots of different wide area technologies 75 00:03:06,240 --> 00:03:07,710 that we didn't cover in this lesson, 76 00:03:07,710 --> 00:03:10,230 but these are the ones that you're most likely going to find 77 00:03:10,230 --> 00:03:11,680 when you're out in the field.