A very interesting dinner conversation happened tonight about how the internet works at home. My 11 year old son was curious why he can’t watch youtube outside of the house. I told him that the wifi network we have at home is not able to reach the outdoors and that is why he can’t watch youtube outside. Obviously not satisfied with my poorly worded explanation he then asked me why we can’t bring “wifi” outdoors. I began to realize how badly I have explained the concept of how the internet works to my young child.

So… I began the story where I think it would make the most sense to him, the 80s. I told him that back then there was no “wifi”. To which he shockingly responded “then how we’re you able to watch youtube?!”. Oh my child, how I have failed you in your upbringing. Anyway, I then explained that back then there was this thing which we called a phone line. An actual physical cable that comes out from the wall and allows you to talk to other people in other places that had the same wire in their home. I then proceeded to explain the concept of a telephone. “Like your iphone?” he asks. I responded with, “sort of”, clearly grasping at straws at this point. I told him the telephone was good for one thing, and one thing only. Making telephone calls. The wire that connected different telephones carried a person’s voice across distances. People soon realized that the same wire that connected those telephones can be used to carry not just voices but small bits of information or data. This was how the information of the internet was carried into people’s homes. The only problem was that the telephone device itself can only understand voices and sounds. If you had computers talking to each other instead of humans you would need a different device to make them understand each other. Thus the modem was born. This was how someone’s cat video from the internet can be downloaded to your computer at home over the wire that was used for human voices but was now being used to deliver information on your computer via the modem.

Silence. “What does that have to do with wifi?”. I explained to him that wifi is actually a short name for Wireless Fidelity. We soon realized that watching cat videos on your computer with a wired modem meant that you can’t watch it while you’re in the toilet. (I had to skip the desktop vs laptop conversation as I think I’ve already bitten off too much at this point). A better solution had to be available! Simply put, wifi allows your computer to connect to the modem without any wires. It’s all now starting to make sense to him so I decided to up the ante. “So why do we need a wireless router?” I asked. I explained that the only thing more important that watching a cat video is having another person in the house watch the same cat video at the same time. Sharing is caring!

“So what about outside the house? Why can’t we connect to the wireless router from there?”. I wanted to explain how radio signals work at this point but I think I’ve had enough for now. I simply said “it’s too far!”.

He nods in approval with the new found knowledge he’s gained. I then ask him to explain back to me how this it all worked. He gives me the highlights:

• A modem is a way for the internet to get into the house
• A router is a way to share the internet from the modem to different computers at the same time
• A wireless router is a way to watch youtube while on the toilet

I have taught you well padawan. Now go and watch youtube from wherever you want (inside the house)