Networking Explained Like Real Life

At first, networking can be very complicated. You’re introduced to new terms and are learning new technology at the same time. How would you like to learn about it in a relatable way? Continue reading to learn what networking is and what it consists of.

Networking is the communication between devices. The internet is an interconnected landscape of devices made up of a plethora of local area networks (LANs) and wide area networks (WANs). Networks can be private or public. In this instance, we will be talking about a private local area network.

A local area network is a small to medium-sized connection of devices. These devices can be connected via cable or wirelessly.

Now, think of a network like a house.

The house has a household name, which is the IP address. IP stands for Internet Protocol, and it is an identification method for devices. Your computer has one, along with your phone and other devices that can access the internet.

In order to leave your local area network, you must go through the gateway and be routed by the router. Ultimately, the router and gateway are often the same device, but they perform different roles. You can think of them as the mother and father—they act as a unit.

Think of the gateway as an external authoritative figure. You must go through it to leave your house, which is your network—also known as a local area network (LAN)—to access other networks on the internet. The gateway shares the same network portion of the IP address as the rest of the house, but it has its own host number, just like all other devices on the network.

Think of the host number like a nickname. It is used to identify which host your device is on the network.

In this scenario, think of yourself as the device.

Once you go through the gateway, your traffic is routed by the router. The router is responsible for directing traffic and navigating communication. It acts as an internal authoritative figure, managing how devices communicate within the network.

The router also performs translation. Your device must “speak the same language” as other devices or networks in order to communicate. This is where Network Address Translation (NAT) or Port Address Translation (PAT) comes into play. NAT allows private IP addresses inside the house to be represented externally when communicating with the internet.

The router may also act as a DHCP server, which assigns private IP addresses to devices when they connect to the network. DHCP ensures that each device has an identity within the house.

Your device also has a MAC address. MAC stands for Media Access Control. It is the device’s permanent identifier. For symbolic purposes, it can be thought of as the device’s DNA or fingerprint. It does not change.

To summarize, your network is like your house. It has nodes or hosts, which are your devices. Traffic is managed by the router, an internal authoritative figure, and the gateway is the external authoritative figure that gives devices permission to exit the local area network—the house in this scenario. The MAC address is the fingerprint of your device.

As a corporate reference, the network represents the business, the nodes or hosts represent the employees, the CEO acts as the gateway controlling external access, and the CFO or CISO represents the router managing internal operations and policy.

Networking is about communication, trust, and identity. It’s the same as real life. In order to network with others, you must have your identity intact, be trustworthy, and communicate effectively.

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