3. Addressing

The suggestion on the previous page of giving each device an identity is fine in theory, but in practice it has to be a bit more complicated. Because

• The numbering scheme has to be 'computer friendly'
• The scheme has to handle a vast amount of devices
• The scheme has to deal with more than one network

In terms of being 'computer friendly', the numbering scheme should be based on binary numbers, as that is what computers are designed to use. So an addressing scheme called 'IP' or 'Internet Protocol' was agreed upon, more that thirty years ago.