How Do Computers Communicate?

Although computers do communicate on many different levels and there is a great deal of variation between the different types of computer systems involved, the basic communication process is relatively uniform and standardized. Essentially, computers communicate with one another over networks that are connected via wire or wireless communication methods. There are many different types of networks, and there are many different types of network-connection methods as well.

As mentioned before, there are myriad types of networks. From smallest to biggest, the most common network types are personal area network, local area network, campus area network, metropolitan area network, wide area network, global area network and internetwork. The basic difference between these network types are their size (how many remote computer systems are connected to them) and their method of connection.

There are many different types of connection media that are used in contemporary society to connect computer networks to one another. In terms of wired connections, there is coaxial cable, fiber-optic cable, USB cable and traditional telephone lines. These are the most common network connections. Wireless technologies differ hugely from one another, but the most popular kinds are Bluetooth and WiFi.