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Introduction to Computer Networking - Beginner Crash Course (Udemy.com)

Learn the basics of IP, Ethernet, VPNs, WANs, DHCP, DNS, with no prior knowledge required. Bonus IP addressing course!

4.7
15,882 reviews

Created by: Rick Crisci

Last updated February 2026

Our take

Based on the ratings of 15,882 students, a sample of their written reviews and the syllabus, as the course stood in February 2026. No course pays to be reviewed.

This is a seven-hour starter course on how networks fit together. It runs 58 lectures across eight sections: Ethernet and MAC addresses, routing, VLANs, VPNs, DNS and DHCP, network management, security, and a short WiFi lecture. The last 110 minutes are a bonus block on IP addressing and subnetting. It is built for people with no background, including those who need to follow technical conversations with colleagues and customers, and for anyone starting toward Network+ or CCNA.

Reviewers keep coming back to the teaching. Rick Crisci uses everyday analogies and diagrams, and students say the explanations stay clear even when they started from nothing. The chapter quizzes and summaries get credit for making things stick. The complaints are small but real. Subnetting is the hard part: one reviewer found it very difficult to follow, and another felt the IP addressing section stands apart from the earlier lessons. One reviewer found the quizzes too many and tedious, and another disliked a required AI roleplay exercise.

The rating is 4.7 from 15,882 reviews, and more than 14,600 of those are four or five stars. The last update was in February 2026, so it is current. This is a vocabulary and concepts course, not a lab course, and the data lists no coding exercises or practice tests. Take it first if networking still sounds like a foreign language, then move on to a certification course or practice labs.

Best forPeople with zero networking background who want plain analogies and a quiz after each chapter.
Skip it ifYou want hands-on labs or packet captures, or you already know routing and subnetting basics.

Pros

  • Chapter quizzes and summaries help the material stick, according to reviewers
  • Everyday analogies make networking concepts easy to follow for total beginners
  • Downloadable PDF study guides, with most lectures running only 5 to 10 minutes
  • Bonus 110-minute block covers IP addressing, subnets and decimal to binary

Cons

  • The subnetting section is hard to follow and feels separate from earlier lessons
  • One reviewer found the quizzes too many and tedious, and another disliked a required AI roleplay task
  • WiFi gets a single lecture, and the syllabus shows no labs or practice tests
Unbelievably clear instructions and analogies used to tie the concepts to real-world uses.
Nicole Marie Loven, a student

Truly beginner friendly, with no experience needed. Fits people with no networking background, though subnetting is a stretch.

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What you will learn

  • Understand basic networking concepts, including switches, routers, and TCP/IP
  • Learn about network protocols including NAT, Ethernet, VLANs, VPNs, and DNS
  • Follow packets as they move through a network with clear diagrams
  • Use downloadable PDF study guides to reinforce what you learn in the videos
  • Understand multi-destination traffic including broadcasts, unknown unicast, and multicast
  • Use the Free Bonus IP addressing course to learn all about IP addresses, subnets, and more

Course content

8 sections · 58 lectures · 7 hours of video 42 quizzes

  1. 1Introduction 2 free previews2 lectures · 1 quiz · 12 min
  2. 2Basics of Layers 2, 3, and 4 4 free previews7 lectures · 6 quizzes · 1 hour
  3. 3IP Addressing, Routing, and VLAN Basics 2 free previews5 lectures · 4 quizzes · 38 min
  4. 4The Internet, WANs and VPNs 1 free preview8 lectures · 5 quizzes · 53 min
  5. 5Network Management, Design, and Troubleshooting 2 free previews12 lectures · 7 quizzes · 1.4 hours
  6. 6Network Security 2 free previews7 lectures · 6 quizzes · 46 min
  7. 7WiFi1 lecture · 1 quiz · 13 min
  8. 8IP Addressing and Subnetting 4 free previews16 lectures · 12 quizzes · 1.8 hours

Who it is for

The instructor says it suits

  • Anyone who needs to understand basic networking concepts
  • Anyone pursuing an certification like the CCNA or Network +

What you need before you start

  • No experience necessary

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Course Description

"This course explains concepts in a way where you genuinely don't need experience to understand. Relating the concepts to normal daily scenarios or routines is a great way to teach, and to get some much content done in 2 hours is fantastic." -Adam

"It was very informative, and I enjoyed the instructor's explanations and examples. I will recommend him to friends any day!" -Frank

Do you need to understand the basics of Computer Networking? Have you found that many training resources use complex technical jargon that makes it difficult to understand the basic concepts? If you need to get a basic understanding of Networking quickly and clearly, this is the course for you.

Frequent quizzes and downloadable PDF study guides are recent additions to this course that will help you learn even faster!

This course answers the questions:

  • What is an Ethernet network and how do MAC addresses work?

  • How is a router used to forward traffic between different networks?

  • What is the difference between and IPSEC and Layer 2 VPN?

  • How does DNS work, and why is it important?

  • What is DHCP, and how does it distribute IP addresses?

  • What are subnets, network addresses, and broadcast addresses?

  • What is the difference between a public IP address and a private IP address?

  • Key Features of this course:

    • Many downloadable PDF study guides included!

    • Most lectures in this course are 5 - 10 minutes long.

    • Ideal starting point for CompTIA Network+ prep.

    • Quizzes included after each chapter.

Bonus content! If you need to get a basic understanding of IP Addressing quickly and clearly, this is the course for you!

This course addresses the following topics:

  • What is the purpose of IP addresses?

  • Private vs. Public IPs

  • IPv4 vs. IPv6

  • IP address structure in decimal and binary forms

  • How to create subnets and design network environments with multiple subnets

  • Variable Length Subnet Masking and classful addresses
Read More Beginner Beginner Level product length iconTime: 7h

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Instructor Details

Rick Crisci

I am the owner of TrainerTests and have delivered thousands of hours of official live training to my students, and I love teaching people new skills.

I provide video training unlike any other organization. I believe in using high quality illustrations and animations to simplify complex concepts. In my courses you will get the technical depth that you need, with a focus on making sure that you completely understand the underlying concepts.

Please feel free to connect with me on LinkedIn, I always enjoy making new contacts with my students!

Read More

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Reviews

4.7

15,882 ratings on Udemy

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By Katri Keränen on 7/24/2026

Very good course to get basic understanding of networking concepts! I feel this knowledge will really help me follow some technical conversations my customers and tech colleagues will have. It will also serve as a foundation for me to build product knowledge on. I find that the IP addressing section is a bit separate as it doesn't note the things we learned in previous sections.

By Carolina Maria Salse Pazos on 7/17/2026

I would say that majority of the modules were very well explained for someone like me with no prior knowledge about Networking. The subnet part of the course was very difficult to follow. Overall, it was a very good course for beginners.

By Nicole Marie Loven on 6/18/2026

Unbelievably clear instructions and analogies used to tie the concepts to real-world uses. 10/10 recommend this to anyone wanting to gain a working knowledge of basic Networking Fundamentals.

By Nikhat Mallick on 6/15/2026

really really good explanations here. The fundamentals are paramount for mastery over any subject, and the instructor here really makes the fundamentals solid, preparing you for anything in the future.

By Ivan Bolshov on 6/6/2026

Great at explaining the basics of various networking and troubleshooting topics/concepts through simple diagrams. The quizes are quite helpful, too.

By Marcin Marzejon on 4/29/2026

Interesting and compacted and making me fall asleep. The tone of voice of the tutour and monotonic pace in which he was talking was making it hard for me not to zone out and focus for more than 15 minutes at a time.

By Wim Mol on 4/29/2026

Very clear explanations, which introduce many different parts of the networking stack concisely, yet covering every fundamental step you need for the bigger picture to make sense.

By Samselvaprabu on 3/11/2026

Neat and clear explanation of concepts. Roleplay is such a nice idea This course is useful for testers and developers to know what is happening in the Network. So that when Network admin explains the problems we can be in sync. I feel this course is neatly organized and explained with good diagrams and crisp review

By Anonymized User on 1/23/2026

The best Udemy course I've ever taken. Only concrete information, no unnecessary content, explained in a very accessible way. The course author has a unique gift for teaching. The last chapter is a bit disjointed and clearly cobbled together from other videos, but that's a minor detail.

By Paul Caruana on 1/16/2026

Rick has done an excellent job, exactly the topics I need to learn about. His clear confident style and dynamic presentations lend for a satisfying learning experience. Will be recommending this course to my colleagues.

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Overall Score : 94 / 100

Introduction to Computer Networking - Beginner Crash Course
Visit course on Udemy Write a review
  • Video Duration: icon 7h
  • Price: $79.99
  • Provider: icon Udemy
  • Updated: icon February 2026
  • Level: Beginner Beginner
  • Language: icon English
  • Certificate: icon Yes
  • Lectures:58 in 8 sections
  • Practice:42 quizzes
  • Students:58,300
  • Subtitles:17 languages
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