A physical network-building simulator: students drag real hardware — routers, switches, cables and topologies — into a network build to match a customer brief, across 52 jobs and 6 colourful worlds.
Full description:
Networking hardware and topologies are usually taught through static diagrams, but this simulator makes students actually build the network. In the “Build a Network” world, students drag virtual parts that represent real physical hardware — routers, switches, hubs, wireless access points, cable types and network topologies — into a network build to match a customer’s brief and budget, learning to justify device choice, cabling, and star vs mesh topology through real trade-offs (cost, reliability, distance, interference). The other five worlds (The Network, Network Hardware, Performance Factory, Protocol Post Office, and a final Boss Battles round) cover LAN/WAN, client-server vs peer-to-peer, factors affecting performance, and common protocols, giving full coverage of OCR spec 1.3 in one resource.
• 52 auto-marked jobs across 6 colour-coded worlds, each with its own icon and visual theme
• A physical drag-and-drop network-building mechanic: drag routers, switches, hubs, wireless access points, cable types and topologies into a build to match a customer brief and budget
• Covers the full OCR spec 1.3 syllabus: LAN vs WAN, client-server vs peer-to-peer, network hardware roles, factors affecting performance (bandwidth, interference, error rate), common protocols (TCP/IP, HTTP/HTTPS, FTP, email protocols), and star vs mesh topology
• Career progression through six technician ranks (Trainee Technician to Chief Network Architect), XP, coins, streaks and unlockable badges
• A Field Manual (glossary) of every key networking term, linked directly to the OCR specification
• Every job includes a full worked explanation, not just a correct answer
• Runs as a single HTML file: no login, no install, works on any school device (touch, mouse and trackpad all supported)
Use it as the primary teaching resource for the Component 1 networks unit, as a highly visual revision tool before a mock, or paired with PC Builders Inc. as a two-part hardware and networking bundle