What Is Dumb Network?

The Internet is not exactly a dumb network. It's more like a sassy network. You know, the kind of network that comes up with many witty comebacks but can also be snarky and make you feel bad about yourself if you're not careful. It's also a bit like an intelligent network because it knows so much about all kinds of things—like where to find the best memes or find your ex on Facebook (and get them back). So the next time you start thinking about the Internet as just some dumb thing connecting us all, remember it's pretty clever. A dumb network is used for sharing photos. If you are in a hurry and trying to upload a large file from your computer to the cloud and the network you are connected to is dumb, you will be frustrated with the upload speed. The network needs to be more responsive to your urgent needs. Dumb networks are best for public access and non-critical tasks. Enterprise networks are not designed for public access, but they offer the level of responsiveness that enterprise needs require. Dumb networks are dumb, but they're not stupid. They've been around for a long time—since the invention of the Internet. They don't have brains and don't think—they do what you tell them to do. Dumb networks have some drawbacks of their own. They can't tell that a virus is trying to get into your computer or phone through the network connection. They can't prioritize what gets more bandwidth when there's much traffic on the system. So why would anyone want to use a dumb network? As they're cheaper than intelligent ones! Installing and maintaining antivirus software can be prohibitively expensive for many users, so having an intelligent network might not always be practical or affordable.