All 56 questions

  1. How do switches, routers, and firewalls differ?

    Asked in 9 of 337 interviews · last asked Oct 13 · Concept · Junior

    Show answer

    A switch connects devices within a local network and forwards frames using MAC addresses. A router connects different networks and forwards packets using IP addresses. A firewall allows or blocks traffic based on security rules. One device can perform more than one of these roles.

    • Switches usually work at Layer 2; Layer 3 switches can also route traffic.
    • Routers choose paths between IP networks using routing tables.
    • Firewalls can filter by addresses, ports, connection state, or application data.

    What the interviewer checks: The interviewer is checking whether you can separate local forwarding, routing between networks, and security filtering.

    Other ways it was asked
    • “What distinguishes a switch from a router?”
    • “How would you explain the difference between a switch, a router, and a firewall?”
    • “Can you tell me the difference between a switch and a router?”

  2. What is the OSI model, and what are its layers?

    Asked in 9 of 337 interviews · last asked Sep 29 · Concept · Junior

    Show answer

    The OSI (Open Systems Interconnection) model is a reference model that divides network communication into seven layers. From bottom to top, they are Physical, Data Link, Network, Transport, Session, Presentation, and Application. It helps explain network functions and troubleshoot problems.

    • Physical sends raw bits; Data Link handles frames and delivery over a local link.
    • Network handles logical addressing and routing; Transport handles end-to-end data delivery between applications.
    • Session manages communication sessions; Presentation handles data formats, encryption, and compression.
    • Application provides network services to software. Real protocols do not always fit neatly into OSI layers.

    What the interviewer checks: The interviewer checks whether you know the layer order, each layer’s role, and the model’s purpose.

    Other ways it was asked
    • “What is the OSI model?”
    • “Can you explain the OSI reference model?”
    • “Tell me about the OSI model.”

  3. What is the primary difference between Layer 2 and Layer 3?

    Asked in 2 of 337 interviews · last asked Aug 4 · Concept · Junior

    Other ways it was asked
    • “What is the difference between a Layer 2 switch and a Layer 3 switch?”

  4. What does LAN stand for, and how would you define a LAN?

    Asked in 2 of 337 interviews · last asked Oct 21 · Concept · Junior

    Other ways it was asked
    • “What is a LAN, and what is a network?”

  5. What is network topology, and what are its types?

    Asked in 2 of 337 interviews · last asked Jul 26 · Concept · Junior

    Other ways it was asked
    • “What is network topology?”

  6. What are the functions of the data link layer?

    Asked in 2 of 337 interviews · last asked Mar 28 · Concept · Junior

  7. How many layers are present in the TCP/IP model?

    Asked in 2 of 337 interviews · last asked Jul 29 · Concept · Junior

    Other ways it was asked
    • “How many layers are there in the TCP/IP protocol suite?”

  8. What is full-duplex communication?

    Asked in 2 of 337 interviews · last asked Jul 16 · Concept · Junior

    Other ways it was asked
    • “What are half-duplex and full-duplex communication?”

  9. Can you explain the concept of a network?

    Asked in 2 of 337 interviews · last asked Aug 11 · Concept · Junior

    Other ways it was asked
    • “What is network?”

  10. How would you define the difference between the data plane and the control plane?

    Asked once · last asked Jul 16 · Concept · Mid-level

    Other ways it was asked
    • “How would you define the difference between the data plane and the control plane beyond just IP addresses?”

  11. What happens when you type `ping www.google.com` into a terminal on your computer?

    Asked once · last asked Feb 3 · Concept · Junior

  12. How does the TCP/IP stack help transmit data across networks?

    Asked once · last asked Feb 24 · Concept · Mid-level

  13. What additional capabilities are needed to convert an embedded system into an IoT system?

    Asked once · last asked Mar 24 · Concept · Junior

  14. How is a TCP segment encapsulated across Layers 2, 3, and 4, and what fields are present at each layer?

    Asked once · last asked Apr 13 · Concept · Junior

  15. How would you set up and configure a home network?

    Asked once · last asked May 14 · Concept · Junior

    Other ways it was asked
    • “Can you describe your home network setup and how it is configured?”

  16. What is your understanding of networking fundamentals, including TCP/IP, DNS, VPNs, and firewalls, and of operating system security on Linux and/or Windows?

    Asked once · last asked Jun 16 · Concept · Junior

  17. Explain how a router works and the key elements needed to configure one for a new site.

    Asked once · last asked Jul 31 · Scenario · Mid-level

  18. What are MAC addresses and IP addresses, and how do they differ?

    Asked once · last asked Aug 14 · Concept · Junior

  19. Can you explain Layer 3 of the OSI model in detail?

    Asked once · last asked Sep 29 · Concept · Mid-level

  20. What are the characteristics of highly networked automation systems?

    Asked once · last asked Oct 13 · Concept · Mid-level

  21. Which communication networks are commonly used in industrial automation?

    Asked once · last asked Oct 13 · Concept · Junior

  22. Can you explain the OSI model and describe all seven layers?

    Asked once · last asked Jul 16 · Concept · Junior

  23. What are the OSI and TCP/IP models, and how do their layers compare?

    Asked once · last asked Feb 3 · Concept · Junior

  24. What is the role of the session layer in the OSI model?

    Asked once · last asked Feb 3 · Concept · Junior

  25. In what situation would you use a hub, a switch, or a router?

    Asked once · last asked Feb 3 · Concept · Junior

  26. What does it mean when a network is congested?

    Asked once · last asked Feb 3 · Concept · Junior

  27. What can you tell me about the TCP/IP stack?

    Asked once · last asked Feb 24 · Concept · Junior

  28. Can an IoT system exist without the Internet? Why or why not?

    Asked once · last asked Mar 24 · Concept · Junior

  29. What is the difference between the TCP and IP protocols?

    Asked once · last asked Mar 28 · Concept · Junior

  30. What is a server?

    Asked once · last asked Apr 8 · Concept · Junior

  31. What is an IEEE standard?

    Asked once · last asked Apr 8 · Concept · Junior

  32. What is latency?

    Asked once · last asked Apr 17 · Concept · Junior

  33. Can a USB printer be shared over a network?

    Asked once · last asked May 8 · Concept · Junior

    Other ways it was asked
    • “What additional equipment can be used to make a USB printer available over a network?”

  34. How can local devices communicate with central servers in an application?

    Asked once · last asked Jun 11 · Concept · Mid-level

  35. What is the difference between the Internet and the World Wide Web?

    Asked once · last asked Jul 16 · Concept · Junior

  36. What is packet switching?

    Asked once · last asked Jul 16 · Concept · Junior

  37. What is the difference between unicast, multicast, and broadcast?

    Asked once · last asked Jul 16 · Concept · Junior

  38. Which network device repeats incoming signals to all connected ports?

    Asked once · last asked Jul 16 · Concept · Junior

  39. What do stateless and stateful mean, and how do they differ?

    Asked once · last asked Jul 24 · Concept · Junior

  40. What are some fundamental computer networking topics beyond how servers communicate?

    Asked once · last asked Jul 26 · Concept · Junior

  41. Can you give examples of computer networking?

    Asked once · last asked Jul 26 · Concept · Junior

  42. What are examples of computer networking beyond HTTP communication between a browser and a web server?

    Asked once · last asked Jul 26 · Concept · Junior

  43. What are key theoretical and practical concepts in computer networking?

    Asked once · last asked Jul 26 · Concept · Junior

  44. What are the different types of computer networks?

    Asked once · last asked Jul 26 · Concept · Junior

  45. What is networking?

    Asked once · last asked Aug 11 · Concept · Junior

  46. What is information and communication technology (ICT)?

    Asked once · last asked Aug 13 · Concept · Junior

  47. Can you explain the difference between LAN and WAN networks?

    Asked once · last asked Aug 13 · Concept · Junior

  48. What is the TCP/IP model?

    Asked once · last asked Aug 14 · Concept · Junior

  49. What is a network protocol?

    Asked once · last asked Aug 14 · Concept · Junior

  50. What is an address in the context of the OSI model?

    Asked once · last asked Sep 2 · Concept · Junior

  51. What is the difference between LAN, WAN, MAN, and PAN?

    Asked once · last asked Sep 19 · Concept · Junior

  52. In a web application, what is a client and what is a server?

    Asked once · last asked Sep 21 · Concept · Junior

  53. What is an SDN network?

    Asked once · last asked Sep 21 · Concept · Junior

  54. What is a packet, in the context of network traffic?

    Asked once · last asked Oct 7 · Concept · Junior

  55. What is a proxy server, and what is it used for?

    Asked once · last asked Oct 19 · Concept · Junior

  56. How do megabits differ from megabytes, and how do you convert between binary and decimal data units?

    Asked once · last asked Jan 23 · Concept · Junior

    Other ways it was asked
    • “How much do you know about data units and conversions, including megabits versus megabytes and binary versus decimal units?”

More Computer Networks interview questions

How this list is made

Every question here was asked by a real interviewer in a real job interview that a candidate ran MeetAssist in. After the call, the interviewer's questions are pulled from the transcript. Practice sessions, tests, exams and anything that was not a job interview are dropped.

Questions are rewritten so they make sense on their own: names of people, employers and clients are removed, and speech-to-text mistakes are fixed. Small talk, logistics and questions about one candidate's own résumé are left out. Rephrasings of the same question are merged, and the count is the number of different interviews it came up in.

The interviews come from candidates who use MeetAssist, so they lean towards software, data and AI roles: the shares describe these interviews, not every Computer Networks interview. Answers to the most asked questions are written and checked by an editor; a "common mistake" is shown only when reviews of real answers in these interviews show it, with the count.

337 interviews, 208 candidates, Nov 2025 to Oct 2026. Updated every month with new interviews.