› How the internet works
The internet isn't a cloud. It's a trip.
A tap leaves a phone or a laptop, finds a computer that can answer, and the reply comes back. Spin each hop, turn on Signal, and try the simulation. The network on this page is made up.
Real: What it looks like.
- Packets
Try it
This switch runs the packets on the model above. Off: the request stays. On: the request leaves.
The request stays on the device.
At home
The tap leaves the device and the house.
Your device
A tap on a phone or laptop becomes a request that leaves the device.
Open this stop →
Wi-Fi
From a phone or tablet, the request rides radio waves to a box in the house.
Open this stop →
The router
The router sends the request onward and brings the reply back to the right device.
Open this stop →
Name and pieces
A name becomes a number. The message is cut into pieces.
The road and the answer
Sometimes a long way. Always a computer that answers.
The whole picture
One common path. Not every tap takes every hop.