ECE08L – Data Communications Laboratory

Activity 1
INTRODUCTION TO
NETWORKING DEVICES

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I. Introduction
Data communications involves various devices that play specific roles in transmitting, receiving and
processing data. These devices works together to ensure the efficient and secure transfer of data in a
network environment. The specific devices are used depends on the type of network, its size and the
communication requirements of the connected devices.

II. Objective
1. To have familiarity of various networking components and devices.

III. Activity

Instruction: Look for a picture of the following components and describe them. Provide these in
the space provided.

INTERFACES
Network Interface Card (NIC) Wide Area Network Interface Card (WIC) –
Cisco

 Also known as NIC or network

interface controller
 A circuit board that installed on the
computer to connect to the network.
 It works as an indispensable component
for the network connection of
computers.
 Also known as a WAN Interface Card
 A type of expansion module that can be
inserted into a Cisco router or switch.
 It provides additional connectivity
options for wide area network (WAN)
connections.

CONNECTORS
RJ-45 RJ-11 (Registered Jack-11)

 The eight-pin RJ45 connector is a  A telephone interface that uses a cable

standardized interface which often of twisted wire pairs and a modular jack
connects a computer to a Local Area with two, four or six contacts.
Network (LAN).  RJ-11 is the common connector for
 This type of connector was originally plugging a telephone into the wall and
developed for telephone the handset into the telephone.
communications but is now used in a
range of applications.
 The abbreviation, RJ45, stands for
Registered Jack-45. Registered Jack
specifications are related to the wiring
patterns of the jacks, rather than their
physical characteristics.
 The term RJ45 has also come to refer to
a range of connectors for Ethernet jacks.
An 8 Position/8 Contact connector,
called an 8P8C, is a modular connector
for telecommunication cables. It is also
informally referred to as an RJ45.

DB-9 (Female) DB-60 (Male)

 The DB9 Female Connector provides a
right-angle PCB-mounted jack that
accepts a standard RS-232 serial cable
or USB-to-Serial adapter.
 This provides for a solid, optionally
bolted, connection from a PCB to a host
for serial communication.
 It uses a standard, interleaved 9-pin
solder hole pattern
 This also called a DTE/DCE crossover
cable or DB60 to DB60.
 This is used to connect two serial ports
together in a Cisco CCNA, CCNP &
CCIE certification lab to simulate a
WAN connection.
 Compatible with the following series:
1800, 2800.

Smart V-35 (Male)

 V.35 is a high-speed serial interface

 The connection uses 3 flush metal
contacts and is held in place
magnetically, like the MagSafe power
adapter.
 The Smart Connector can also provide
electrical power to the peripheral or
designed to support both higher data
rates and connectivity between DTEs
(data-terminal equipment) or DCEs
(data-communication equipment) over
digital lines.
 draw power to charge the iPad.
OPTICAL TERMINATION
MT-RJ
 A Mechanical Transfer Registered
Jack (MT-RJ) is a connector used for
fiber optic cables.
 They are very small in size and hence
are particularly useful in small-sized
devices. MT-RJ connectors carry two
fibers, and are available in two designs,
with mating pins (male) and without
(female).
SC
 SC, abbreviated for Subscriber
Connector, has also been referred to
as Square Connector or Standard
Connector.
 It’s a popular fiber-optic connector
due to its low-cost, durability and
simple installation for both point-to-
point and passive optical networking.
 SC is a push-pull device that uses a
ceramic ferrule to deliver highly
accurate alignment in a fiber-optic
link.
 It’s a square-shaped connector—also
known as “stick and click” for its SC
acronym—that comes with a locking
tab that enables the push-on and pull-
off operation
NETWORK MEDIA
Straight-through cable
 Straight-Through refers to cables that
have the pin assignments on each end of
the cable. In other words, Pin 1
connector A goes to Pin 1 on connector
B, Pin 2 to Pin 2, etc.
 Straight-Through wired cables are most
ST
 Straight Tip connector
 A fiber-optic cable connector that uses a
bayonet plug and socket.
 It was the first de facto standard
connector for most commercial wiring.
For bi-directional transmission, two
fiber cables and two ST connectors are
used. ST is specified by the TIA as
FOCIS-2.
LC
 Lucent Connector
 LC is a push-pull connector, but
unlike SC’s locking tab, it employs a
latch with a smaller ferrule, and that
makes it hugely popular in data
communications and other high-
density patch applications
Cross-over cable
 Crossover Ethernet cable is more
commonly used to connect a computer
to a computer and may be a little harder
to find since they aren’t used nearly as
much as straight through Ethernet cable.
 A crossover Ethernet cable is a type
 commonly used to connect a host to a
client. When we talk about cat5e patch
cables, the Straight-Through wired cat5e
patch cable is used to connect
computers, printers, and other network
client devices to the router switch or hub
(the host device in this instance).
 It is most often used to connect two
of Ethernet cable used to connect
computing devices together directly.
Unlike straight through cable, the RJ45
crossover cable uses two different
wiring standards: one end uses the
T568A wiring standard, and the other
end uses the T568B wiring standard.
The internal wiring of Ethernet
crossover cables reverses the transmit
and receive signals.
devices of the same type: e.g. two
computers (via network interface
controller) or two switches to each
other.

Rollover Cable

 A rollover cable is a network cable that

connects a computer terminal to a
network router’s console port.
 It is also referred to as a Cisco console
cable and is normally flat and light blue
so as to distinguish it from other
network cable types.
 The pin-outs on one end of the cable
are reversed from the opposite end,
which is how the cable derived its name.
 Rollover cables are also known as Yost
cables or Yost Serial Device Wiring
Standard connectors.

DEVICES
End-devices / Hosts Repeaters

 The network devices that people are

most familiar with are called end
devices, or hosts. These devices form
the interface between users and the
underlying communication network.

Some examples of end devices are:

 Repeaters are network devices operating
 Computers (work stations, laptops, file at physical layer of the OSI model that
servers, web servers) amplify or regenerate an incoming
signal before retransmitting it.
 Network printers  They are incorporated in networks to
expand its coverage area.
 VoIP phones  They are also known as signal boosters.

 TelePresence endpoint
  Security cameras
 Mobile handheld devices (such as
smartphones, tablets, PDAs, and wireless
debit/credit card readers and barcode
scanners)
A host device is either the source or destination
of a message transmitted over the network.
Hubs
 A hub is a common connection point
 Also known as a network hub
 Used for connection of devices in a
network.
 It works as a central connection for all
the devices that are connected through a
hub. The hub has numerous ports. If a
packet reaches at one port, it is able to
see by all the segments of the network
due to a packet is copied to the other
ports.
 A network hub has no routing tables or
intelligence (unlike a network switch or
router), which is used to send
information and broadcast all network
data across each and every connection.
LAN Switch
 A network device that cross-connects
clients, servers and network devices.
 Also known as a "frame switch," stand-
alone LAN switches are common in
Ethernet networks.
 A switch with four or more ports
Router
Bridges
 A network bridge connects multiple
network segments, streamlining
communication and resource sharing
among devices.
 It filters traffic, ensuring data flows
efficiently between different parts of a
network. By doing so, it enhances
performance and extends the reach of
networks.
 A network bridge, also known as a layer
2 switch, is a hardware device used to
create a connection between two
separate computer networks or to divide
one network into two
Wireless Access Point (WAP)
 A wireless access point (WAP) is a
hardware device or configured node on
a local area network (LAN) that allows
wireless capable devices and wired
networks to connect through a wireless
standard, including Wi-Fi or Bluetooth.
WAPs feature radio transmitters and
antennae, which facilitate connectivity
between devices and the Internet or a
network.
 A WAP is also known as a hotspot.
  A router is a hardware device that serves
as the connecting point between a local
network and the internet.
 Routers manage — or “route” — web
traffic and data between devices on
different networks, and they let multiple
devices share the same internet
connection.

IV. Conclusion
For the entirety of this experiment, the student has successfully familiarized herself to various
networking components and devices used in data communication. This knowledge will help the
student in grasping an understanding for different topics to be discussed in the future. Also, through
this activity the learner will be able to differentiate the various component and devices which can be
serve as an edge in learning and future matters as a student or an engineer. Additionally, this will
help the students as it will serve as foundation in learning about data communication. Knowing what
to use, how it is used, it’s advantages and disadvantages as component or device will definitely make
the work easier and can help the student to be more eager to deepen their knowledge about the
topics.

V. References

 Moris. (n.d.). What is Network Interface Card: Purposes, Functions & types | FS Community.

Knowledge. https://community.fs.com/article/nic-card-guide-for-beginners-functions-types-and-

selection-tips.html

 What is a cisco wic card? (n.d.). https://www.genuinemodules.com/what-is-a-cisco-wic-

card_a102#:~:text=A%20Cisco%20WIC%20(WAN%20Interface,various%20types%20of%20WAN

%20connections.

 Ellis, J. (2022, October 26). RJ45 Connectors | Registered Jack-45. Comms Express Ltd.

https://www.comms-express.com/infozone/article/rj45-connectors-registered-jack-45/

 PCMag. (n.d.). Definition of RJ-11. PCMAG. https://www.pcmag.com/encyclopedia/term/rj-11

 Parallax. (2024, January 18). DB9 Female Connector - Parallax.

https://www.parallax.com/product/db9-female-connector/#:~:text=The%20DB9%20Female

%20Connector%20provides,a%20host%20for%20serial%20communication.

 DTE/DCE back to back DB60 crossover cable. (n.d.). CertificationKits.

https://shop.certificationkits.com/dte-dce-back-to-back-db60-crossover-cable/#:~:text=This%20also

%20called%20a%20DTE,following%20series%3A%201800%2C%202800.

 Wiki, C. T. A. (n.d.). Smart Connector. Apple Wiki. https://apple.fandom.com/wiki/Smart_Connector

 V.35 - the original serial interface (blackbox.co.uk)Mechanical transfer registered Jack. (2015,

September 1). Techopedia. Retrieved February 20, 2024, from

https://www.techopedia.com/definition/734/mechanical-transfer-registered-jack-mt-rj

 PCMag. (n.d.-c). Definition of ST connector. PCMAG. https://www.pcmag.com/encyclopedia/term/st-

connector#:~:text=(Straight%20Tip%20connector)%20A%20fiber,two%20ST%20connectors%20are

%20used.

 Electronics, A. (2022, October 13). Fiber-optic connectors: SC vs. LC. Arrow.com.

https://www.arrow.com/en/research-and-events/articles/fiber-optic-connectors-sc-vs-lc

 Alice.Gui. (2019, April 24). Cable Difference: Straight Through vs Crossover Cable. Fiber Optic

Cabling Solutions. https://www.cables-solutions.com/difference-between-straight-through-and-

crossover-cable.html

 Straight-through, crossover & rollover cable pinouts explained | Computer cable store. (n.d.).

https://www.computercablestore.com/straight-through-crossover-and-rollover-wiring

 Javanx3d, & Javanx3d. (2019, April 6). What is a Rollover Cable? - Tech-FAQ. Tech-FAQ -.

https://www.tech-faq.com/rollover-cable.html

 What are Repeaters in Computer Network? (n.d.). https://www.tutorialspoint.com/what-are-repeaters-in-

computer-network

 1.2.1.2 End devices. (n.d.). http://cisco.num.edu.mn/CCNA_R&S1/course/module1/1.2.1.2/1.2.1.2.html

 Harvey, V. (2024, January 11). What is a Network Bridge? Easy Tech Junkie.

https://www.easytechjunkie.com/what-is-a-network-bridge.htm

 Hub | What is the hub - javatpoint. (n.d.). www.javatpoint.com. https://www.javatpoint.com/hub

 PCMag. (n.d.-a). Definition of LAN switch. PCMAG. https://www.pcmag.com/encyclopedia/term/lan-

switch

 Wireless Access Point. (2020, June 23). Techopedia. Retrieved February 21, 2024, from

https://www.techopedia.com/definition/13538/wireless-access-point-wap

 Burdova, C. (2023, October 11). What is a router and how does it work? What Is a Router and How

Does It Work? https://www.avg.com/en/signal/what-is-a-router