The whole trip
One common path goes out hop by hop, and the reply comes back. Not every tap takes every hop.
One more sentence, for a grown-up
Use this picture to retell the story. A phone on Wi-Fi, a name lookup, pieces on the move, and a computer that answers are the usual ideas. The ocean cable is only sometimes on the path.
This picture is an idea, not a thing with a size.
Real: What it looks like.
- Packets
- The reply
Keys: arrows rotate · + / − zoom · 0 reset · 1–4 views · S signal · T tour · L labels · Space spin. The model is stylised. The network on this page is made up.
Every labeled part
- 1
Going out
The request leaves the device and moves toward the computer that can answer.
- 2
The hops
Device, Wi-Fi, router, address book, packets, sometimes a long cable, then the building.
- 3
A hop you can skip
A wired computer skips the radio. A nearby answer skips the ocean.
- 4
Coming back
The reply follows the path home to the device that asked.
- Packets
- The reply
Try it
Put the seven hops in order, from the device to the building that answers. The whole-trip picture is not a hop.
Keep going.