Telecommunications Training Blog – Tutorials and articles from Teracom Training Institute. Bringing you the best in telecom training and certification since 1992.

Free Lesson : Network Address Translation

Free Lesson!
Course 2213 – IP Addresses, Packets and Routers
Lesson 9: Network Address Translation (NAT)

This lesson explains the standard practice of assigning private IP addresses to machines inside the building, and getting a single public IP address from the ISP providing the Internet access. Everyone in the building shares the single public IP address via Network Address Translation. This lesson explains how NAT works.

This free online network training course lesson is in both the CTNS Certification Package and the CTA Certification Package.

Click here to watch for free now!

Course 2213 IP Networks, Routers and Addresses

IP Addresses • Packets • Networks • Routers • Static and Dynamic Addresses • DHCP • Public and Private Addresses • NAT • IPv6

IP Networks, Routers and Addresses is a comprehensive course on IP networking fundamentals: IP packets, IP addressing and IP routers.

We’ll see how routers implement the network with packet-switching, that is, relaying packets from one circuit to another, and how routers are a point of control for network security. We’ll introduce the term Customer Edge (CE), and understand the basic structure and content of a routing table.

Then we’ll cover the many aspects of IP addressing: IPv4 address classes, dotted decimal, static vs. dynamic addresses, DHCP, public vs. private addresses, Network Address Translation, and finish with an overview of IPv6.

Course Lessons
1. Introduction
2. Review: Channelized Time-Division Multiplexing (TDM)
3. Statistical Time-Division Multiplexing: Bandwidth-on-Demand
4. Network: Bandwidth on Demand + Routing
5. Routers
6. IPv4 Addresses
7. DHCP
8. Public and Private IPv4 Addresses
9. Network Address Translation
10. IPv6 Overview
11. IPv6 Address Allocations and Assignment

Based on Teracom’s famous Course 101, tuned and refined over the course of 20 years of instructor-led training, we’ll cut through the jargon to clearly explain IP and routers, packets and addresses, the underlying ideas, and how it all works together… in plain English.

Press 1 to understand how modems work

Mini-Tutorial: Press 1 to understand how modems work

This is a recording of a call to a number with an Interactive Voice Response (IVR) behind it. You call this number to learn how modems work.

Listen to the audio.

Although the caller presses the wrong button, it nonetheless reveals how modems work: using tones to communicate the binary numbers 1 and 0.

Live Online Oct 18-22

Course 101, Course 130 and Boot Camp coming to you Live Online Oct 18-22.

This is your opportunity to not only receive great live instructor-led training, but also receive access to the corresponding self-study online courses and certifications at no additional cost!

Still working from home? No problem. We’ll ship the workbooks directly to your door.

The best part: BOOT CAMP has been totally updated for the 2020s, with 5G, Cloud Computing, Data Centers, Smart Cities & more!

This is the most up-to-date telecom-for-non-engineers training that can be found anywhere… and truly career-enhancing knowledge.

Wonder what we teach?

The Introduction to Broadband Converged IP Telecom course is the first course in our self-study CTNS certification package and the CTSME certification bundle, and the first chapter in our instructor-led Course 101 and Boot Camp.

It provides an overview of the material that we cover in our training and gives you a taste of the style and format of our online training.

Watch the introduction session for free and gain an understanding of all the topics which are taught in more detail throughout the training.

TCO CTNS Certification: Certified Telecommunications Network Specialist

The core knowledge needed in telecom today, with eight courses covering all major topics – plus TCO Certification to prove it!

The internationally-recognized TCO CTNS Certification is the core telecommunications network knowledge required by everyone serious in the telecom world today.

Bust the buzzwords, demystify the jargon, understand the fundamental concepts, technologies and standard practices … and most importantly, the underlying ideas, and how it all fits together.

The eight full-length courses in the CTNS Certification Package cover all major areas of telecom, datacom and networking.

You will start by getting up to speed on all major topics with the new 2021 course Introduction to Broadband Converged IP Telecom plus fully up-to-date courses on Cellular and Wi-Fi, VoIP and SIP, the PSTN, OSI Layers, LANs and Optical Ethernet, IP and MPLS.

For an individual, this knowledge and preparation makes you an ideal candidate to hire or promote to a task, as you will be able to build on your knowledge base to quickly get up to speed and work on a particular project – then have the versatility to work on subsequent projects.

For an employer, CTNS is an extremely cost-effective way of getting team members and new hires up to a common speed with a common vocabulary and reference. The myTeracom Learning Management System can generate team progress reports. A discount of 40% is available for 5 seats or more.

This investment will be repaid many times over in the future in terms of lowered buzzword frustration and higher accuracy and productivity. Get started today!

The coursework for CTNS is a set of eight high-quality online multimedia courses. The content outline for each course is below. Click on the course name or scroll down for detailed descriptions, what you will learn, and free lessons.

Course 2241: Introduction to Broadband Converged IP Telecom
• Specifically designed for non-engineers
• Introduction and first pass through all aspects of today’s telecom
• Convergence • Broadband • Network Core and Edge • Protocols
• Last Mile Copper, Fiber and Wireless • Network Equipment
• Residential, Business and Wholesale Services • Carrier Connections

Course 2206: Wireless Telecommunications
• Mobile network, radio and cellular fundamentals
• Phone calls and mobile Internet over cellular
• 4G LTE, OFDMA, 5G new spectrum, new applications
• Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi security, and satellite communications

Course 2221: Fundamentals of Voice over IP
• The Big Picture. VoIP Phones and Terminals
• Voice in IP Packets. Soft Switches / SIP Servers / Call Managers
• Media Servers, Gateways, LAN and WAN, SIP Trunking, Standards
• Where All of This is Headed: Broadband IP Dial Tone

Course 2201: The PSTN
• Required knowledge while there remains a large installed base
• Loops and trunks, analog, the voiceband
• LECs, CLECs and IXCs. POTS and SS7

Course 2212: OSI Layers and Protocol Stacks
• Protocols and standards. The OSI Model
• Layers: Layer 2 vs. Layer 3. Examples
• Protocol stacks. How protocol stacks work

Course 2211: LANs, VLANs, Wireless and Optical Ethernet
• LAN fundamentals. Ethernet and 802 standards
• MAC addresses and MAC frames
• LAN switches, broadcast domains and VLANs
• Ethernet on twisted pair (Cat 5e/6 cables), radio (Wi-Fi) and fiber (Optical Ethernet)

Course 2213: IP Networks, Routers and Addresses
• Packet network fundamentals. Routers
• IP packets and IP addresses
• Static & dynamic, public & private addresses
• Network Address Translation (NAT). IPv6.

Course 2214: MPLS and Carrier Networks
• Carrier network basics. Customer Edge (CE) device
• Service Level Agreements and CoS
• MPLS for traffic management, VPNs, integrated access
• MPLS Services vs. Internet service

Invest in yourself with the CTNS Certification Package!

Eight CTNS courses plus TCO Certification, giving you a solid foundation in telecom, datacom and networking, from modern IP telecom, wireless, VoIP and PSTN to Ethernet, IP networking and MPLS.

Plus, get your Telecommunications Certification Organization (TCO) Certified Telecommunications Network Specialist (CTNS) Certification to prove it!

Upgrade your skills – and your résumé – with this training and certification today!

The CTNS Certification Package Unlimited Plan includes the eight CTNS Courses and CTNS Certification Exam, both with unlimited repeats – which means guaranteed to pass if you’re willing to do the work, and refresh your knowledge anytime.

Optional printed or eBook study guide available.

Boot Camp Live Online – Aug 23-27

Not ready for in-person training yet.
No problem, Boot Camp Live Online is still going strong.

The next Boot Camp Live Online is Aug 23-27.
Don’t miss out.
Register today!

You can take just the first 3 days as Course 101 Broadband, Telecom, Datacom and Networking for Non‑Engineers, or the last 2 days as Course 130 Voice over IP, SIP, Security, 5G and IoT if you prefer.

BOOT CAMP was totally updated for 2020, with 5G, Cloud Computing, Data Centers, Smart Cities & more.

TCO Certifications and their corresponding sets of Online Courses are included with all seminars as a free bonus:
Course 101: CTNS Certification Package.
Course 130: CVA Certification Package.
Course 111 BOOT CAMP: CTNS, CVA and CTA.

TCO Certified VoIP Analyst

Get fully up to speed on Voice over IP and SIP technologies and implementations –and TCO CVA Certification to prove it!

CVA covers all aspects of Voice over IP, including all the different ways VoIP is implemented, how calls are set up with softswitches and SIP, how voice is packetized and the factors affecting sound quality, connecting to carriers and SIP trunking, and network quality with MPLS, Service Level Agreements and Class of Service.

The Certified VoIP Analyst Certification Package includes six online courses:
  2221 Fundamentals of Voice over IP
  2222 VoIP Architectures and Implementation Choices
  2223 Softswitches, SIP, Call Setup and SIP Trunking
  2224 Voice Packetization, Codecs and Voice Quality
  2225 SIP Trunking and Carrier Connections
  2226 IP Network Quality: CoS, QoS, MPLS AND SLAs

This knowledge enables a CVA to stand out from the rest, with demonstrated broad and deep vendor-agnostic knowledge of VoIP systems and best practices.

This kind of knowledge enables higher-paying positions performing analysis, writing reports, making recommendations and providing effective, value-added contributions in project management, business and product development, software design, sales, marketing and finance.

The CVA Certification Package includes six courses totaling 59 lessons, plus the TCO CVA Certification Exam, TCO Certificate suitable for framing and Personalized Letter of Reference.

You get unlimited repeats of courses and exams, no time limits.
Guaranteed to pass, refresh your knowledge anytime.
30-day 100% money-back guarantee.

You have nothing to lose – and a valuable certification to gain!

These courses build on IP and PSTN fundamentals. If you are completely new to telecom, we recommend you take the CTNS courses first to build a knowledge base, then the CVA courses.

Purchase courses in this set of six in the CVA Certification Package, or individual courses as best meets your needs.

The Certified Telecommunications Subject Matter Expert CTSME Certification Package
includes all of these courses at a substantial discount… plus 5 TCO certification exams, all with unlimited repeats.

Check out the CTNS + CVA combo package discount special!

Upgrade your skills – and your résumé – with this training and certification today!

Order CTSME – save $813

CTSME – Certified Telecommunications Subject Matter Expert is 5 certifications in one – CTNS, CVA, CWA, CTA plus CTSME.

Just $1595 when ordered as a bundle.

The most comprehensive telecommunications training and certification available.

Five internationally-recognized telecommunications and network certifications, a total of twenty‑six full‑length high‑quality online courses, TCO Subject Matter Expert certification, with unlimited repeats and no time limits.

Boot Camp IN-PERSON Aug 16-20 – Washington, DC

Have you been waiting for in-person training to start again?

Join us in Washington, DC and reap the benefits of connecting in-person with your instructor and fellow learners while maintaining the appropriate COVID-19 protocols.

If you want to join us in Washington, DC, please let us know as soon as possible and no later than July 22nd.

Teracom’s famous core telecom training for non-engineers, totally updated for the 2020s, with broadband, cloud computing, data centers, 5G, IoT, broadband wireless and much more.

BOOT CAMP is Course 101 and 130 back-to-back to make a whole week, packaged with a discount as Course 111. Career- and productivity-enhancing training, two course books with detailed notes, printed in color, totaling over 600 pages, plus bonus CTNS, CVA and CTA Certification Packages, for only $2495.

In the heart of the nation’s capital, steps from the White House. One block from McPherson Square Metro station, 20 minutes to DCA. Complimentary breakfast and Wi-Fi in Guest Rooms included with sleeping rooms.

Get out of the office, learn more and retain more with five days of the best you can get: live, in-person instructor-led training in a classroom environment.

You may register for only the first three days of BOOT CAMP (Course 101) or for the last two days only (Course 130) as best meets your needs. But with the bundle discount savings of $695 and three certifications, the full 5-day Course 111 BOOT CAMP is a great opportunity.

Which should you get? See our website for more information.

Tutorial – The Last Mile: Copper, Fiber and Wireless

Lesson 7 The Last Mile: Copper, Fiber and Wireless from the new course Introduction to Broadband Converged IP Telecom.
Here’s the full lesson free, in full quality, with our compliments.

This lesson is an introduction to network access technologies, called the “last mile”, the physical connection between the user and the network; the face of the telecom network to users.

We group access technologies by physical medium: copper, fiber and wireless, then survey the main technologies in each area.

Subsequent courses and lessons drill deeper into the technologies. This lesson is part of the introduction.

Copper includes twisted pair loops, LAN cables and old-fashioned T1s, as well as coaxial cable CATV infrastructure.

Fiber means Optical Ethernet, shared links for residences via Passive Optical Networks and dedicated links for businesses.

Wireless includes 4G LTE and 5G, used for both fixed and mobile applications, and satellites.