The Internet is an international network, which links computers together all around the globe. Through the Internet, individuals can share data and communicate with each other from anywhere using an Internet connection. Today, almost everyone has a personal Internet account such as a wireless router or a computer at home or in the office. Some use the Internet for business, while others use it for personal purposes. Most people use the Internet for shopping, sending e-mails, social networking, and checking their news and sports scores.
One type of communication on the Internet that is used by a lot of people is file sharing. File sharing allows two or more individuals to exchange documents or files within a network of computers. File sharing can be done without using high-tech equipment like a modem or router. All you have to do is connect your computer to the Internet through wireless networking or a wired connection and start sharing files. A lot of computer users are unaware of the fact that file sharing happens through packet transmission on the Internet and not through the conventional dial up or cable modem connections.
Packet switching is another way of using the Internet to send and receive data. This is done by a network router that converts normal IP packets into compressed or standard IP packets which can be used to send and receive data on the Internet. Although this kind of technology is not commonly used, packet switching is now being used in most computer networks to help them minimize their bandwidth costs. With this type of technology, networks can easily adjust their bandwidth limits to meet their customers’ needs. These modifications help them avoid excessive costs brought about by exceeding their bandwidth usage limit.