My New Mac, Snow Leopard Edition, 2nd Edition

Plugging Your Macintosh into the Internet

Every Macintosh comes with a special plug called an Ethernet port, which looks like an oversized telephone jack. Ethernet is a standard originally used to connect computers in a network.

To connect your Macintosh to the Internet using Ethernet, you'll need a high-speed Internet connection through your cable or telephone company, such as a Digital Subscriber Line (DSL). Next, you'll need a cable or DSL modem, which plugs into the cable or DSL line. Finally, you need an Ethernet cable that connects your modem to your Macintosh, as shown in Figure 34-1.

Figure 34-1. Connecting your Macintosh to the Internet using ...