a diagram of a medical device is shown on a blue background.

Network Fundamentals - Building the BlocksImagine a network as a bustling city. Devices are like residents, communicating with each other through pathways (cables or wireless signals). To understand how this city functions, we need to know its basic building blocks:Network Models: Think of these as blueprints. The OSI model (with its 7 layers) and TCP/IP (with its 4 layers) are our guides, showing how data travels from its source (like your laptop) to its destination (like a website).Network Devices: These are the hardworking citizens keeping the city running. Routers direct traffic between networks, switches connect devices within a network, and firewalls guard against unwanted visitors.Transmission Media: These are the roads and highways carrying the data. We have wired options like cables (twisted pair, coaxial, fiber optic) and wireless options like Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.