How can packages from so many devices pass through a single cable (broadband provider to any server)?
In: Technology
Because that cable (actually usually a bundle of cables) are typically fiber optic. They transmit the information using light, which is very high frequency compared to most electronics signals.
The information capacity of a signal is related to its frequency…the higher the frequency, the more information it can encode. Theoretically, a signal at a single frequency can encode information up to 1/2 of its frequency. Since light is very high frequency, it can carry a lot of information.
And fiber optic cables can handle more than one frequency of light at a time. By using various “colors” of light, the total bandwidth (information carrying capacity) can be vastly expanded.
Packets have something on them called packet headers which contains information like what protocols are being used, where the destination is, where the source is etc. This is how routers in a network know where to send and how to handle information being transmitted across them. Think of it like a mail man with a bag full of mail. How do the letters not get mixed up? Each one is in its own envelope which on it has all the information to ensure it gets where its going or gets returned if the destination doesn’t exist.
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