A network is simply a group of devices connected together so they can share data and resources. The internet is the largest network of all — a 'network of networks' connecting billions of devices worldwide. For devices to understand each other, they follow shared rules called protocols, and Wi-Fi lets devices join a network wirelessly rather than needing a physical cable.
Example
When you send a photo to a friend, your phone breaks it into small pieces of data, sends them across multiple networks following internet protocols, and your friend's device reassembles them into the same photo.
Key terms
Network:
A group of connected devices that can share data.
Protocol:
A shared rule that lets devices communicate.
Wi-Fi:
A way of connecting to a network wirelessly.
Questions
1. A network connects:
Devices so they can share data
Only one device
Nothing at all
Only phones
2. Wi-Fi lets devices connect to a network:
Using cables only
Wirelessly
Never
Only in one room
3. The internet is best described as:
A single computer
A huge network of connected networks
A type of phone
A single website
4. Sending a text message uses a:
Network
Paintbrush
Telescope
Nothing at all
5. A password on your home Wi-Fi mainly helps to:
Make the internet faster
Keep unauthorised people from joining your network
Change the colour of your router
Do nothing
6. Which of these is an example of a network?
A group of connected computers in a school
A single pencil
A single book
A single chair
7. Rules that let devices talk to each other are called:
Protocols
Passwords only
Colours
Fonts
8. A network connects devices to:
Isolate them
Share data and resources
Slow them down
Replace them
9. The internet can be described as:
A single computer
A network of networks
A type of software only
A hardware brand
10. Rules that let devices communicate are called:
Firewalls
Protocols
Browsers
Cookies
11. Wi-Fi allows devices to connect to a network:
Using cables only
Wirelessly
Never
Only in one room
12. A router in a home mainly helps to:
Connect devices to the internet and each other
Cook food
Play music only
Do nothing
13. When two devices on different networks communicate over the internet, they rely on:
Shared protocols/rules
Random guessing
Nothing at all
Only cables
14. A 'local network' (like devices in one house) is different from the internet because it:
Is much smaller and usually private
Is exactly the same as the internet
Has no devices connected
Cannot connect to the internet at all
15. When you send a photo to a friend overseas, it usually travels through:
A single direct cable only
Multiple connected networks that make up the internet
No network at all
Only your home Wi-Fi
16. Why do devices need shared protocols to communicate?
So different devices and networks can understand each other's data
Protocols are only decorative
Devices never need to communicate
Protocols slow everything down for no reason
17. If your home Wi-Fi goes down but your phone still has mobile data, you can still access the internet because:
Mobile data uses a completely separate network connection
Wi-Fi and mobile data are exactly the same thing
The internet requires Wi-Fi specifically
Nothing else can connect you
18. Which best explains why the internet is called 'a network of networks'?
It is made up of many smaller networks all connected together
It is just one single large network
It has no structure at all
It only connects two devices
19. A school blocks certain websites on its network. This is an example of:
Network rules/restrictions being applied
The internet not working at all
Every network doing this the same way
Protocols being removed entirely
20. Why might a video call sometimes lag or freeze?
Data has to travel across networks and can be delayed or interrupted
Videos are never sent over networks
Networks never have any limits
Nothing to do with networks at all
21. Two devices using different, incompatible protocols would most likely:
Communicate perfectly regardless
Struggle to understand each other's data
Automatically fix the mismatch
Never need protocols anyway
Answer key (parent copy)
1. Devices so they can share data
2. Wirelessly
3. A huge network of connected networks
4. Network
5. Keep unauthorised people from joining your network
6. A group of connected computers in a school
7. Protocols
8. Share data and resources
9. A network of networks
10. Protocols
11. Wirelessly
12. Connect devices to the internet and each other
13. Shared protocols/rules
14. Is much smaller and usually private
15. Multiple connected networks that make up the internet
16. So different devices and networks can understand each other's data
17. Mobile data uses a completely separate network connection
18. It is made up of many smaller networks all connected together
19. Network rules/restrictions being applied
20. Data has to travel across networks and can be delayed or interrupted