Client, server, modem, router, switch, hub. A question asking what is needed to connect at home wants the right names, so learn them as positions rather than as a list.
One home network reaching one server, with each part lit in turn.
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This is the one students most often get wrong. A client is whatever asks; a server is whatever answers. They are jobs, not kinds of machine, and the same computer can do both.
| Part | What it does | What fails without it |
|---|---|---|
| Client | Asks for something | Nothing to serve |
| Switch | Sends each message to the right device | Everything goes to everyone — slow and less private |
| Hub | Sends everything to everyone | The older, blunter version of a switch |
| Router | Passes traffic between networks | You have a network, but no internet |
| Modem | Converts the signal for the line leaving the building | Nothing gets out |
| Server | Answers the request | Nobody to ask |
Router vs modem: The box in most homes is both, which is why people say the words interchangeably. The exam does not: a router chooses the path between networks, a modem changes the signal for the line.
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The interesting question is not what each part does but who controls it — because whoever controls a part can see or stop what passes through it.
Real-world examples you can name
Government internet shutdowns — tracked annually by Access Now since 2016
States order operators to suspend mobile data or the whole internet, usually during protests, elections or exams. India has recorded the most shutdowns of any country for several consecutive years.
Who it affected: Everyone in the affected region — including businesses, hospitals and students.
Starlink satellite internet in Ukraine — from February 2022
Low-earth-orbit satellite terminals restored connectivity where ground infrastructure had been destroyed. Because coverage decisions rested with a single private company, they also became decisions about the conduct of a war.
Who it affected: Ukrainian civilians and military units relying on the link.
The concept doing work: Power. A shutdown works because a small number of operators control the routers a whole country's traffic must cross. The hardware is what makes the order enforceable.
How this is tested — you have to name the components a scenario needs and say what each one contributes. It comes up two ways:
Paper 1 — structured question
- Part a: identify hardware needed to connect to the internet
- Part b: explain the role of a named component
Paper 2 — source-based question
- Q1: read the equipment listed in a source
- Q2: explain how a source describes a network
The trap: naming the box, not the part: “A router” is a part. “The internet box” is not. Use the guide's own words and the mark is safe.
Identify two items of hardware a household needs to connect to the internet.
Model answer plan
See the mark-by-mark plan — for / against / judgement, with marking guidance — in study mode.
Distinguish between a switch and a router.
Model answer plan
See the mark-by-mark plan — for / against / judgement, with marking guidance — in study mode.