Lesson video

Hi, I'm Rebecca, your computing teacher for the IT and the world of work unit.

For this lesson, you're going to need a pen and paper to answer the questions that I give you and also to try your best to remove as many distractions as possible so that you can really focus in this lesson.

Once you've got all of that ready, we can begin.

In this lesson you will recognise methods of creating a network when mobile or remote working.

You'll evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of ad hoc networks, and you'll judge the security of ad hoc networks.

What would you do in this situation? You have taken a very cool photo of your friend on your mobile phone.

Your friend wants you to share it with them but you don't have access to the internet or a mobile network where you are.

How could you share the photograph? Pause the video while you have a little think about that.

The mobile phones could be connected via Bluetooth.

By connecting your devices using Bluetooth, you will have created an ad hoc network.

You are going to look at other ways in which an ad hoc network can be created in this lesson.

So what is an ad hoc network? Typically, an ad hoc network is one that is created with a temporary device device connection without the need for a connection to a Wi-Fi access point or router.

I'm going to look at the three different types.

So the first one is a personal area network, or PAN.

Nearby personal devices are connected together.

It typically uses Wi-Fi or Bluetooth for a wireless connection.

It can use USB cables to create a tethered network as well.

The advantages are it's easy to set up, distributed administration, robust, scalable, cheap to set up, adaptive, so devices can join and leave at any point without disrupting the network.

Disadvantages though are limited bandwidth, energy constraints, so it can drain the battery life.

Interference from other networks can lead to data loss and more is more vulnerable to cyber attacks.

So that means it's less secure.

The next one then is open Wi-Fi.

This is access to Wi-Fi in public places without the need for a security code or PIN.

It is often found in public places like cafes, parks, train stations, and on public transport.

The advantages are it's free to connect and it's useful in an emergency.

The disadvantages though, is it's easily accessed by hackers, personal data can be easily accessed, it lacks reliability, the connection may drop regularly, and lacks speed due to the number of people using the connection.

And then finally we have tethering or personal hotspots.

If a device has access to a network then another device, which does not have access can tether onto their device to gain access.

It transfers data to and from a network through the host device.

An example might be when a tablet uses a phone's, a mobile phone' personal hotspot to access the internet.

The connection can be wired or wireless.

So the advantage then, it can use Wi-Fi anywhere, any place, any time.

It is cheaper, as you only need to purchase one data package to use across devices.

You can connect multiple devices, and using a cable, you can share your mobile internet connection with your laptop.

The disadvantages though, it is slower than most home connections.

It can drain the battery.

It's not really free.

You still have to purchase a data package.

And it may not be safe.

Use the advantages and disadvantages section of the worksheet to decide which statements about ad hoc networks are advantages and which are disadvantages.

Pause the video while you have a go at that.

Excellent.

Here are the solutions.

So pause the video while you mark your work.

Great.

So the security measure, virtual private networks or VPN.

There are many apps that provide VPN services.

A VPN will route your data traffic via the virtual server.

This will hide or cloak your data from potential hackers.

A good VPN will encrypt your data so the only devices with a decryption key are those in your ad hoc network are able to access it.

Use the case study section of the worksheet to provide advice to two people on using an ad hoc network.

Pause the video while you have a go at that.

Fantastic.

Here are the solutions then.

The first one was Mia.

So Mia can create an ad hoc network using her mobile phone's 4G data connected to her laptop either wirelessly or by using a USB cable tether.

Her laptop can then access remote software if needed or cloud services.

She should use VPN to protect her personal data and the work she is doing.

If she uses a wired connection between devices, she will be able to save battery life relative to connecting wirelessly.

She will have fewer issues with bandwidth if she uses a VPN, as she will be the only one using the bandwidth.

So data transfer won't be slowed down too much.

And then you have Joe.

If Joe is staying in a hotel, he should be able to access the hotel's open Wi-Fi, which usually requires a password.

So it has a little more protection than a free to use open Wi-Fi signal.

He would benefit from using a VPN as well to prevent hacking.

He could tether his tablet device to his laptop and transfer his notes across.

He would have similar benefits to Mia.

The main difference being his access to the hotel's Wi-Fi connection.

That's everything for lesson five.

So hopefully you've got a better understanding now of ad hoc networks and how to protect yourself when using ad hoc networks.

I'll see you again soon for lesson six.