Can you plug the computer directly into the wall to access the internet?












8














Sorry if this is a basic question but I realize I'm missing part of the theory here.



My system is essentially: 



wall -> ethernet -> router -> wifi -> computer


But I'd like to simplify it for this purpose and just do: 



wall -> ethernet -> router -> ethernet -> computer


(or if that's incorrect, whatever the correct cord system is).



I'm wondering why you can't just plug the computer straight into the wall: 



wall -> ethernet -> computer


I wonder why I can't just open the terminal and write some code that listens for the ethernet device/interface, and then reads/writes stuff "to the internet". Maybe this is possible, not sure. Would like to know if this is possible, and if so, what is happening at a more granular level, or if not, why not.



I'm in the process of understanding virtual routers, and am wondering how a router is actually playing a part in getting the internet, and if it can be removed from the equation for this example.






networking router ethernet







share|improve this question




















  • 6




    It depends. What is the plug or connection type at your "wall"? Is it a conventional home ISP connection, a business network connection, or something else entirely? If it is a "home" connection is it ADSL, VDSL or some other connection? We cannot really tell you what you can or cannot do with no information on what it actually is. Knowing what you are plugging cables into is pretty key information.
    – Mokubai♦
    10 hours ago


















8














Sorry if this is a basic question but I realize I'm missing part of the theory here.



My system is essentially: 



wall -> ethernet -> router -> wifi -> computer


But I'd like to simplify it for this purpose and just do: 



wall -> ethernet -> router -> ethernet -> computer


(or if that's incorrect, whatever the correct cord system is).



I'm wondering why you can't just plug the computer straight into the wall: 



wall -> ethernet -> computer


I wonder why I can't just open the terminal and write some code that listens for the ethernet device/interface, and then reads/writes stuff "to the internet". Maybe this is possible, not sure. Would like to know if this is possible, and if so, what is happening at a more granular level, or if not, why not.



I'm in the process of understanding virtual routers, and am wondering how a router is actually playing a part in getting the internet, and if it can be removed from the equation for this example.






networking router ethernet







share|improve this question




















  • 6




    It depends. What is the plug or connection type at your "wall"? Is it a conventional home ISP connection, a business network connection, or something else entirely? If it is a "home" connection is it ADSL, VDSL or some other connection? We cannot really tell you what you can or cannot do with no information on what it actually is. Knowing what you are plugging cables into is pretty key information.
    – Mokubai♦
    10 hours ago
















8












8








8


1





Sorry if this is a basic question but I realize I'm missing part of the theory here.



My system is essentially: 



wall -> ethernet -> router -> wifi -> computer


But I'd like to simplify it for this purpose and just do: 



wall -> ethernet -> router -> ethernet -> computer


(or if that's incorrect, whatever the correct cord system is).



I'm wondering why you can't just plug the computer straight into the wall: 



wall -> ethernet -> computer


I wonder why I can't just open the terminal and write some code that listens for the ethernet device/interface, and then reads/writes stuff "to the internet". Maybe this is possible, not sure. Would like to know if this is possible, and if so, what is happening at a more granular level, or if not, why not.



I'm in the process of understanding virtual routers, and am wondering how a router is actually playing a part in getting the internet, and if it can be removed from the equation for this example.






networking router ethernet







share|improve this question















Sorry if this is a basic question but I realize I'm missing part of the theory here.



My system is essentially: 



wall -> ethernet -> router -> wifi -> computer


But I'd like to simplify it for this purpose and just do: 



wall -> ethernet -> router -> ethernet -> computer


(or if that's incorrect, whatever the correct cord system is).



I'm wondering why you can't just plug the computer straight into the wall: 



wall -> ethernet -> computer


I wonder why I can't just open the terminal and write some code that listens for the ethernet device/interface, and then reads/writes stuff "to the internet". Maybe this is possible, not sure. Would like to know if this is possible, and if so, what is happening at a more granular level, or if not, why not.



I'm in the process of understanding virtual routers, and am wondering how a router is actually playing a part in getting the internet, and if it can be removed from the equation for this example.






networking router ethernet




networking router ethernet






share|improve this question















share|improve this question













share|improve this question




share|improve this question








edited 16 mins ago









JakeGould

31k1093137




31k1093137










asked 11 hours ago









Lance Pollard

3541413




3541413








  • 6




    It depends. What is the plug or connection type at your "wall"? Is it a conventional home ISP connection, a business network connection, or something else entirely? If it is a "home" connection is it ADSL, VDSL or some other connection? We cannot really tell you what you can or cannot do with no information on what it actually is. Knowing what you are plugging cables into is pretty key information.
    – Mokubai♦
    10 hours ago
















  • 6




    It depends. What is the plug or connection type at your "wall"? Is it a conventional home ISP connection, a business network connection, or something else entirely? If it is a "home" connection is it ADSL, VDSL or some other connection? We cannot really tell you what you can or cannot do with no information on what it actually is. Knowing what you are plugging cables into is pretty key information.
    – Mokubai♦
    10 hours ago










6




6




It depends. What is the plug or connection type at your "wall"? Is it a conventional home ISP connection, a business network connection, or something else entirely? If it is a "home" connection is it ADSL, VDSL or some other connection? We cannot really tell you what you can or cannot do with no information on what it actually is. Knowing what you are plugging cables into is pretty key information.
– Mokubai♦
10 hours ago






It depends. What is the plug or connection type at your "wall"? Is it a conventional home ISP connection, a business network connection, or something else entirely? If it is a "home" connection is it ADSL, VDSL or some other connection? We cannot really tell you what you can or cannot do with no information on what it actually is. Knowing what you are plugging cables into is pretty key information.
– Mokubai♦
10 hours ago












3 Answers
3






active

oldest

votes


















28














If your "wall" output is really Ethernet which is possible if your "wall" is a fibre media convertor or Ethernet wired apartment (and not dsl for example) then it is technically possible to plug a PC into it directly, but, if you need to ask the question, doing so is probably a bad idea because -




  1. It can directly expose your computer to the Internet, allowing remote computers to scan, fingerprint and likely exploit it - one side effect of NAT in routers is that it largely prevents this.


  2. It prevents more than one device getting online (unless you turn your PC into a router.)


  3. It may well not work without tricky configuration depending on the ISP configuration - for example PPPoE encapsulates the Internet connection in a PPP connection to provide the ISP more control, and/or Ethernet may be delivered on a tagged port.







share|improve this answer























  • @LancePollard in that case it's most likely not etherenet - it is probably adsl or vdsl. One tell-tale sign is that the Jack is typically smaller then an Ethernet jack. If that's the case then the signal is analog rather then digital and plugging it into your Ethernet jack (it will fit, with room on the sides) is a bad idea. It also won't work with a standard modem (which can't recognise dsl signals). You may be able to purchase a specific dsl card for your computer, but it is harder to set up and has few advantages over a router. What model router do you have?
    – davidgo
    11 hours ago










  • That comment was a bit confusing, because "a standard modem" pretty much means an ADSL modem around here. Maybe it's an European thing (cable modems are quite rare here).
    – grawity
    11 hours ago








  • 1




    @Grawity - I see what you mean. To me (and I used to run an ISP in New Zealand in the days of dial up) a modem is something you use(d) for dial up connections, they could normally do faxing as well, and some acted as a pots line interface for asterisk PABX. You are right in as much as a DSL modem also converts analog to digital signals, but such devices are not commonly found on computers, whereas most old-enough computers have the kind of modem I was referring to.
    – davidgo
    10 hours ago





















8















wall -> ethernet -> router -> wifi -> computer




This makes sense if your computer connects using WiFi.




wall -> ethernet -> router -> ethernet -> computer




That will work so long as your computer doesn't require a WiFi connection.




I'm wondering why you can't just plug the computer straight into the wall:



wall -> ethernet -> computer




That would be fine if you only wanted to connect one computer to your Internet connection. But if you want to connect more than one, something has to take the arriving packets and figure out which of your computers to send them to. It makes great practical sense to design a machine specifically for this purpose and include all the needed functionality in a purpose-built device.






share|improve this answer





















  • This is the only correct answer so far. I would add that there ARE valid options beyond, wall -> ethernet -> computer. You could do wall -> ethernet -> computer=>gateways to other networks. This is how you would configure your network if you wanted to use one of these: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_router_and_firewall_distributions . Of course, in nearly all of the legit setups which work like this, computer is actually, computer acting as a network device and this computer has multiple ethernet cards and is not generally used as a desktop.
    – krowe2
    1 hour ago










  • @krowe2: How do you consider this as correct? The OSI 0 and 1 layer coming out of the wall is likely not matching Ethernet. At least not where I live.
    – Thomas Weller
    31 mins ago










  • @Thomas, The question states that there is ethernet coming out of the wall. (Of course, it may be mistaken.)
    – prl
    11 mins ago



















2














Because you most likely actually have....



wall -> [tcp/ip over ADSL]-> [ADSL modem + TCP/IP router in one box] -> ethernet/wifi -> computer


There are of course exceptions (rare for consumer ISP) as mentioned by the other answers



The ADSL modem listens to the signal on the wire from your ISP and converts it to digital signals (which contain TCP/IP data) in much the same way that the NIC circuit in your computer listens to the signal on the ethernet cable and converts it to digital signals (which contain TCP/IP data).



If your NIC in your computer could understand ADSL then in theory you would not need the [ADSL modem + TCP/IP router in one box]






share|improve this answer










New contributor




John McNamara is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.














  • 1




    (Not going to downvote because I posted but) this is wrong. ADSL modems and NICs/ethernet cards have no concept of tcp/ip. Ethernet cards know only of packets - which can handle multiple kinds of traffic - including but not limited to IP. Modems typically also convert analog streams into handled by a modem (but is handled by a router).
    – davidgo
    58 mins ago










  • thanks @davidgo , edited to address your accurate observation hopefully without over complicating the answer relative to the actual question. the full sequence of events is obviously far more complex
    – John McNamara
    17 mins ago













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3 Answers
3






active

oldest

votes








3 Answers
3






active

oldest

votes









active

oldest

votes






active

oldest

votes









28














If your "wall" output is really Ethernet which is possible if your "wall" is a fibre media convertor or Ethernet wired apartment (and not dsl for example) then it is technically possible to plug a PC into it directly, but, if you need to ask the question, doing so is probably a bad idea because -




  1. It can directly expose your computer to the Internet, allowing remote computers to scan, fingerprint and likely exploit it - one side effect of NAT in routers is that it largely prevents this.


  2. It prevents more than one device getting online (unless you turn your PC into a router.)


  3. It may well not work without tricky configuration depending on the ISP configuration - for example PPPoE encapsulates the Internet connection in a PPP connection to provide the ISP more control, and/or Ethernet may be delivered on a tagged port.







share|improve this answer























  • @LancePollard in that case it's most likely not etherenet - it is probably adsl or vdsl. One tell-tale sign is that the Jack is typically smaller then an Ethernet jack. If that's the case then the signal is analog rather then digital and plugging it into your Ethernet jack (it will fit, with room on the sides) is a bad idea. It also won't work with a standard modem (which can't recognise dsl signals). You may be able to purchase a specific dsl card for your computer, but it is harder to set up and has few advantages over a router. What model router do you have?
    – davidgo
    11 hours ago










  • That comment was a bit confusing, because "a standard modem" pretty much means an ADSL modem around here. Maybe it's an European thing (cable modems are quite rare here).
    – grawity
    11 hours ago








  • 1




    @Grawity - I see what you mean. To me (and I used to run an ISP in New Zealand in the days of dial up) a modem is something you use(d) for dial up connections, they could normally do faxing as well, and some acted as a pots line interface for asterisk PABX. You are right in as much as a DSL modem also converts analog to digital signals, but such devices are not commonly found on computers, whereas most old-enough computers have the kind of modem I was referring to.
    – davidgo
    10 hours ago


















28














If your "wall" output is really Ethernet which is possible if your "wall" is a fibre media convertor or Ethernet wired apartment (and not dsl for example) then it is technically possible to plug a PC into it directly, but, if you need to ask the question, doing so is probably a bad idea because -




  1. It can directly expose your computer to the Internet, allowing remote computers to scan, fingerprint and likely exploit it - one side effect of NAT in routers is that it largely prevents this.


  2. It prevents more than one device getting online (unless you turn your PC into a router.)


  3. It may well not work without tricky configuration depending on the ISP configuration - for example PPPoE encapsulates the Internet connection in a PPP connection to provide the ISP more control, and/or Ethernet may be delivered on a tagged port.







share|improve this answer























  • @LancePollard in that case it's most likely not etherenet - it is probably adsl or vdsl. One tell-tale sign is that the Jack is typically smaller then an Ethernet jack. If that's the case then the signal is analog rather then digital and plugging it into your Ethernet jack (it will fit, with room on the sides) is a bad idea. It also won't work with a standard modem (which can't recognise dsl signals). You may be able to purchase a specific dsl card for your computer, but it is harder to set up and has few advantages over a router. What model router do you have?
    – davidgo
    11 hours ago










  • That comment was a bit confusing, because "a standard modem" pretty much means an ADSL modem around here. Maybe it's an European thing (cable modems are quite rare here).
    – grawity
    11 hours ago








  • 1




    @Grawity - I see what you mean. To me (and I used to run an ISP in New Zealand in the days of dial up) a modem is something you use(d) for dial up connections, they could normally do faxing as well, and some acted as a pots line interface for asterisk PABX. You are right in as much as a DSL modem also converts analog to digital signals, but such devices are not commonly found on computers, whereas most old-enough computers have the kind of modem I was referring to.
    – davidgo
    10 hours ago
















28












28








28






If your "wall" output is really Ethernet which is possible if your "wall" is a fibre media convertor or Ethernet wired apartment (and not dsl for example) then it is technically possible to plug a PC into it directly, but, if you need to ask the question, doing so is probably a bad idea because -




  1. It can directly expose your computer to the Internet, allowing remote computers to scan, fingerprint and likely exploit it - one side effect of NAT in routers is that it largely prevents this.


  2. It prevents more than one device getting online (unless you turn your PC into a router.)


  3. It may well not work without tricky configuration depending on the ISP configuration - for example PPPoE encapsulates the Internet connection in a PPP connection to provide the ISP more control, and/or Ethernet may be delivered on a tagged port.







share|improve this answer














If your "wall" output is really Ethernet which is possible if your "wall" is a fibre media convertor or Ethernet wired apartment (and not dsl for example) then it is technically possible to plug a PC into it directly, but, if you need to ask the question, doing so is probably a bad idea because -




  1. It can directly expose your computer to the Internet, allowing remote computers to scan, fingerprint and likely exploit it - one side effect of NAT in routers is that it largely prevents this.


  2. It prevents more than one device getting online (unless you turn your PC into a router.)


  3. It may well not work without tricky configuration depending on the ISP configuration - for example PPPoE encapsulates the Internet connection in a PPP connection to provide the ISP more control, and/or Ethernet may be delivered on a tagged port.








share|improve this answer














share|improve this answer



share|improve this answer








edited 4 hours ago









Run5k

10.8k72850




10.8k72850










answered 11 hours ago









davidgo

42.3k75288




42.3k75288












  • @LancePollard in that case it's most likely not etherenet - it is probably adsl or vdsl. One tell-tale sign is that the Jack is typically smaller then an Ethernet jack. If that's the case then the signal is analog rather then digital and plugging it into your Ethernet jack (it will fit, with room on the sides) is a bad idea. It also won't work with a standard modem (which can't recognise dsl signals). You may be able to purchase a specific dsl card for your computer, but it is harder to set up and has few advantages over a router. What model router do you have?
    – davidgo
    11 hours ago










  • That comment was a bit confusing, because "a standard modem" pretty much means an ADSL modem around here. Maybe it's an European thing (cable modems are quite rare here).
    – grawity
    11 hours ago








  • 1




    @Grawity - I see what you mean. To me (and I used to run an ISP in New Zealand in the days of dial up) a modem is something you use(d) for dial up connections, they could normally do faxing as well, and some acted as a pots line interface for asterisk PABX. You are right in as much as a DSL modem also converts analog to digital signals, but such devices are not commonly found on computers, whereas most old-enough computers have the kind of modem I was referring to.
    – davidgo
    10 hours ago




















  • @LancePollard in that case it's most likely not etherenet - it is probably adsl or vdsl. One tell-tale sign is that the Jack is typically smaller then an Ethernet jack. If that's the case then the signal is analog rather then digital and plugging it into your Ethernet jack (it will fit, with room on the sides) is a bad idea. It also won't work with a standard modem (which can't recognise dsl signals). You may be able to purchase a specific dsl card for your computer, but it is harder to set up and has few advantages over a router. What model router do you have?
    – davidgo
    11 hours ago










  • That comment was a bit confusing, because "a standard modem" pretty much means an ADSL modem around here. Maybe it's an European thing (cable modems are quite rare here).
    – grawity
    11 hours ago








  • 1




    @Grawity - I see what you mean. To me (and I used to run an ISP in New Zealand in the days of dial up) a modem is something you use(d) for dial up connections, they could normally do faxing as well, and some acted as a pots line interface for asterisk PABX. You are right in as much as a DSL modem also converts analog to digital signals, but such devices are not commonly found on computers, whereas most old-enough computers have the kind of modem I was referring to.
    – davidgo
    10 hours ago


















@LancePollard in that case it's most likely not etherenet - it is probably adsl or vdsl. One tell-tale sign is that the Jack is typically smaller then an Ethernet jack. If that's the case then the signal is analog rather then digital and plugging it into your Ethernet jack (it will fit, with room on the sides) is a bad idea. It also won't work with a standard modem (which can't recognise dsl signals). You may be able to purchase a specific dsl card for your computer, but it is harder to set up and has few advantages over a router. What model router do you have?
– davidgo
11 hours ago




@LancePollard in that case it's most likely not etherenet - it is probably adsl or vdsl. One tell-tale sign is that the Jack is typically smaller then an Ethernet jack. If that's the case then the signal is analog rather then digital and plugging it into your Ethernet jack (it will fit, with room on the sides) is a bad idea. It also won't work with a standard modem (which can't recognise dsl signals). You may be able to purchase a specific dsl card for your computer, but it is harder to set up and has few advantages over a router. What model router do you have?
– davidgo
11 hours ago












That comment was a bit confusing, because "a standard modem" pretty much means an ADSL modem around here. Maybe it's an European thing (cable modems are quite rare here).
– grawity
11 hours ago






That comment was a bit confusing, because "a standard modem" pretty much means an ADSL modem around here. Maybe it's an European thing (cable modems are quite rare here).
– grawity
11 hours ago






1




1




@Grawity - I see what you mean. To me (and I used to run an ISP in New Zealand in the days of dial up) a modem is something you use(d) for dial up connections, they could normally do faxing as well, and some acted as a pots line interface for asterisk PABX. You are right in as much as a DSL modem also converts analog to digital signals, but such devices are not commonly found on computers, whereas most old-enough computers have the kind of modem I was referring to.
– davidgo
10 hours ago






@Grawity - I see what you mean. To me (and I used to run an ISP in New Zealand in the days of dial up) a modem is something you use(d) for dial up connections, they could normally do faxing as well, and some acted as a pots line interface for asterisk PABX. You are right in as much as a DSL modem also converts analog to digital signals, but such devices are not commonly found on computers, whereas most old-enough computers have the kind of modem I was referring to.
– davidgo
10 hours ago















8















wall -> ethernet -> router -> wifi -> computer




This makes sense if your computer connects using WiFi.




wall -> ethernet -> router -> ethernet -> computer




That will work so long as your computer doesn't require a WiFi connection.




I'm wondering why you can't just plug the computer straight into the wall:



wall -> ethernet -> computer




That would be fine if you only wanted to connect one computer to your Internet connection. But if you want to connect more than one, something has to take the arriving packets and figure out which of your computers to send them to. It makes great practical sense to design a machine specifically for this purpose and include all the needed functionality in a purpose-built device.






share|improve this answer





















  • This is the only correct answer so far. I would add that there ARE valid options beyond, wall -> ethernet -> computer. You could do wall -> ethernet -> computer=>gateways to other networks. This is how you would configure your network if you wanted to use one of these: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_router_and_firewall_distributions . Of course, in nearly all of the legit setups which work like this, computer is actually, computer acting as a network device and this computer has multiple ethernet cards and is not generally used as a desktop.
    – krowe2
    1 hour ago










  • @krowe2: How do you consider this as correct? The OSI 0 and 1 layer coming out of the wall is likely not matching Ethernet. At least not where I live.
    – Thomas Weller
    31 mins ago










  • @Thomas, The question states that there is ethernet coming out of the wall. (Of course, it may be mistaken.)
    – prl
    11 mins ago
















8















wall -> ethernet -> router -> wifi -> computer




This makes sense if your computer connects using WiFi.




wall -> ethernet -> router -> ethernet -> computer




That will work so long as your computer doesn't require a WiFi connection.




I'm wondering why you can't just plug the computer straight into the wall:



wall -> ethernet -> computer




That would be fine if you only wanted to connect one computer to your Internet connection. But if you want to connect more than one, something has to take the arriving packets and figure out which of your computers to send them to. It makes great practical sense to design a machine specifically for this purpose and include all the needed functionality in a purpose-built device.






share|improve this answer





















  • This is the only correct answer so far. I would add that there ARE valid options beyond, wall -> ethernet -> computer. You could do wall -> ethernet -> computer=>gateways to other networks. This is how you would configure your network if you wanted to use one of these: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_router_and_firewall_distributions . Of course, in nearly all of the legit setups which work like this, computer is actually, computer acting as a network device and this computer has multiple ethernet cards and is not generally used as a desktop.
    – krowe2
    1 hour ago










  • @krowe2: How do you consider this as correct? The OSI 0 and 1 layer coming out of the wall is likely not matching Ethernet. At least not where I live.
    – Thomas Weller
    31 mins ago










  • @Thomas, The question states that there is ethernet coming out of the wall. (Of course, it may be mistaken.)
    – prl
    11 mins ago














8












8








8







wall -> ethernet -> router -> wifi -> computer




This makes sense if your computer connects using WiFi.




wall -> ethernet -> router -> ethernet -> computer




That will work so long as your computer doesn't require a WiFi connection.




I'm wondering why you can't just plug the computer straight into the wall:



wall -> ethernet -> computer




That would be fine if you only wanted to connect one computer to your Internet connection. But if you want to connect more than one, something has to take the arriving packets and figure out which of your computers to send them to. It makes great practical sense to design a machine specifically for this purpose and include all the needed functionality in a purpose-built device.






share|improve this answer













wall -> ethernet -> router -> wifi -> computer




This makes sense if your computer connects using WiFi.




wall -> ethernet -> router -> ethernet -> computer




That will work so long as your computer doesn't require a WiFi connection.




I'm wondering why you can't just plug the computer straight into the wall:



wall -> ethernet -> computer




That would be fine if you only wanted to connect one computer to your Internet connection. But if you want to connect more than one, something has to take the arriving packets and figure out which of your computers to send them to. It makes great practical sense to design a machine specifically for this purpose and include all the needed functionality in a purpose-built device.







share|improve this answer












share|improve this answer



share|improve this answer










answered 6 hours ago









David Schwartz

56.4k684128




56.4k684128












  • This is the only correct answer so far. I would add that there ARE valid options beyond, wall -> ethernet -> computer. You could do wall -> ethernet -> computer=>gateways to other networks. This is how you would configure your network if you wanted to use one of these: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_router_and_firewall_distributions . Of course, in nearly all of the legit setups which work like this, computer is actually, computer acting as a network device and this computer has multiple ethernet cards and is not generally used as a desktop.
    – krowe2
    1 hour ago










  • @krowe2: How do you consider this as correct? The OSI 0 and 1 layer coming out of the wall is likely not matching Ethernet. At least not where I live.
    – Thomas Weller
    31 mins ago










  • @Thomas, The question states that there is ethernet coming out of the wall. (Of course, it may be mistaken.)
    – prl
    11 mins ago


















  • This is the only correct answer so far. I would add that there ARE valid options beyond, wall -> ethernet -> computer. You could do wall -> ethernet -> computer=>gateways to other networks. This is how you would configure your network if you wanted to use one of these: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_router_and_firewall_distributions . Of course, in nearly all of the legit setups which work like this, computer is actually, computer acting as a network device and this computer has multiple ethernet cards and is not generally used as a desktop.
    – krowe2
    1 hour ago










  • @krowe2: How do you consider this as correct? The OSI 0 and 1 layer coming out of the wall is likely not matching Ethernet. At least not where I live.
    – Thomas Weller
    31 mins ago










  • @Thomas, The question states that there is ethernet coming out of the wall. (Of course, it may be mistaken.)
    – prl
    11 mins ago
















This is the only correct answer so far. I would add that there ARE valid options beyond, wall -> ethernet -> computer. You could do wall -> ethernet -> computer=>gateways to other networks. This is how you would configure your network if you wanted to use one of these: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_router_and_firewall_distributions . Of course, in nearly all of the legit setups which work like this, computer is actually, computer acting as a network device and this computer has multiple ethernet cards and is not generally used as a desktop.
– krowe2
1 hour ago




This is the only correct answer so far. I would add that there ARE valid options beyond, wall -> ethernet -> computer. You could do wall -> ethernet -> computer=>gateways to other networks. This is how you would configure your network if you wanted to use one of these: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_router_and_firewall_distributions . Of course, in nearly all of the legit setups which work like this, computer is actually, computer acting as a network device and this computer has multiple ethernet cards and is not generally used as a desktop.
– krowe2
1 hour ago












@krowe2: How do you consider this as correct? The OSI 0 and 1 layer coming out of the wall is likely not matching Ethernet. At least not where I live.
– Thomas Weller
31 mins ago




@krowe2: How do you consider this as correct? The OSI 0 and 1 layer coming out of the wall is likely not matching Ethernet. At least not where I live.
– Thomas Weller
31 mins ago












@Thomas, The question states that there is ethernet coming out of the wall. (Of course, it may be mistaken.)
– prl
11 mins ago




@Thomas, The question states that there is ethernet coming out of the wall. (Of course, it may be mistaken.)
– prl
11 mins ago











2














Because you most likely actually have....



wall -> [tcp/ip over ADSL]-> [ADSL modem + TCP/IP router in one box] -> ethernet/wifi -> computer


There are of course exceptions (rare for consumer ISP) as mentioned by the other answers



The ADSL modem listens to the signal on the wire from your ISP and converts it to digital signals (which contain TCP/IP data) in much the same way that the NIC circuit in your computer listens to the signal on the ethernet cable and converts it to digital signals (which contain TCP/IP data).



If your NIC in your computer could understand ADSL then in theory you would not need the [ADSL modem + TCP/IP router in one box]






share|improve this answer










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  • 1




    (Not going to downvote because I posted but) this is wrong. ADSL modems and NICs/ethernet cards have no concept of tcp/ip. Ethernet cards know only of packets - which can handle multiple kinds of traffic - including but not limited to IP. Modems typically also convert analog streams into handled by a modem (but is handled by a router).
    – davidgo
    58 mins ago










  • thanks @davidgo , edited to address your accurate observation hopefully without over complicating the answer relative to the actual question. the full sequence of events is obviously far more complex
    – John McNamara
    17 mins ago


















2














Because you most likely actually have....



wall -> [tcp/ip over ADSL]-> [ADSL modem + TCP/IP router in one box] -> ethernet/wifi -> computer


There are of course exceptions (rare for consumer ISP) as mentioned by the other answers



The ADSL modem listens to the signal on the wire from your ISP and converts it to digital signals (which contain TCP/IP data) in much the same way that the NIC circuit in your computer listens to the signal on the ethernet cable and converts it to digital signals (which contain TCP/IP data).



If your NIC in your computer could understand ADSL then in theory you would not need the [ADSL modem + TCP/IP router in one box]






share|improve this answer










New contributor




John McNamara is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.














  • 1




    (Not going to downvote because I posted but) this is wrong. ADSL modems and NICs/ethernet cards have no concept of tcp/ip. Ethernet cards know only of packets - which can handle multiple kinds of traffic - including but not limited to IP. Modems typically also convert analog streams into handled by a modem (but is handled by a router).
    – davidgo
    58 mins ago










  • thanks @davidgo , edited to address your accurate observation hopefully without over complicating the answer relative to the actual question. the full sequence of events is obviously far more complex
    – John McNamara
    17 mins ago
















2












2








2






Because you most likely actually have....



wall -> [tcp/ip over ADSL]-> [ADSL modem + TCP/IP router in one box] -> ethernet/wifi -> computer


There are of course exceptions (rare for consumer ISP) as mentioned by the other answers



The ADSL modem listens to the signal on the wire from your ISP and converts it to digital signals (which contain TCP/IP data) in much the same way that the NIC circuit in your computer listens to the signal on the ethernet cable and converts it to digital signals (which contain TCP/IP data).



If your NIC in your computer could understand ADSL then in theory you would not need the [ADSL modem + TCP/IP router in one box]






share|improve this answer










New contributor




John McNamara is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.









Because you most likely actually have....



wall -> [tcp/ip over ADSL]-> [ADSL modem + TCP/IP router in one box] -> ethernet/wifi -> computer


There are of course exceptions (rare for consumer ISP) as mentioned by the other answers



The ADSL modem listens to the signal on the wire from your ISP and converts it to digital signals (which contain TCP/IP data) in much the same way that the NIC circuit in your computer listens to the signal on the ethernet cable and converts it to digital signals (which contain TCP/IP data).



If your NIC in your computer could understand ADSL then in theory you would not need the [ADSL modem + TCP/IP router in one box]







share|improve this answer










New contributor




John McNamara is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.









share|improve this answer



share|improve this answer








edited 16 mins ago









JakeGould

31k1093137




31k1093137






New contributor




John McNamara is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.









answered 2 hours ago









John McNamara

1213




1213




New contributor




John McNamara is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.





New contributor





John McNamara is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.






John McNamara is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.








  • 1




    (Not going to downvote because I posted but) this is wrong. ADSL modems and NICs/ethernet cards have no concept of tcp/ip. Ethernet cards know only of packets - which can handle multiple kinds of traffic - including but not limited to IP. Modems typically also convert analog streams into handled by a modem (but is handled by a router).
    – davidgo
    58 mins ago










  • thanks @davidgo , edited to address your accurate observation hopefully without over complicating the answer relative to the actual question. the full sequence of events is obviously far more complex
    – John McNamara
    17 mins ago
















  • 1




    (Not going to downvote because I posted but) this is wrong. ADSL modems and NICs/ethernet cards have no concept of tcp/ip. Ethernet cards know only of packets - which can handle multiple kinds of traffic - including but not limited to IP. Modems typically also convert analog streams into handled by a modem (but is handled by a router).
    – davidgo
    58 mins ago










  • thanks @davidgo , edited to address your accurate observation hopefully without over complicating the answer relative to the actual question. the full sequence of events is obviously far more complex
    – John McNamara
    17 mins ago










1




1




(Not going to downvote because I posted but) this is wrong. ADSL modems and NICs/ethernet cards have no concept of tcp/ip. Ethernet cards know only of packets - which can handle multiple kinds of traffic - including but not limited to IP. Modems typically also convert analog streams into handled by a modem (but is handled by a router).
– davidgo
58 mins ago




(Not going to downvote because I posted but) this is wrong. ADSL modems and NICs/ethernet cards have no concept of tcp/ip. Ethernet cards know only of packets - which can handle multiple kinds of traffic - including but not limited to IP. Modems typically also convert analog streams into handled by a modem (but is handled by a router).
– davidgo
58 mins ago












thanks @davidgo , edited to address your accurate observation hopefully without over complicating the answer relative to the actual question. the full sequence of events is obviously far more complex
– John McNamara
17 mins ago






thanks @davidgo , edited to address your accurate observation hopefully without over complicating the answer relative to the actual question. the full sequence of events is obviously far more complex
– John McNamara
17 mins ago




















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