Access Networks

Access Networks

Having considered the applications and end systems at the “edge of the network,”

let’s next consider the access network—the network that physically connects an end

system to the first router (also known as the “edge router”) on a path from the end

system to any other distant end system. Figure 1.4 shows several types of access

networks with thick, shaded lines, and the settings (home, enterprise, and wide-area

mobile wireless) in which they are used.