DATA

COMMUNICATION
WHAT IS COMMUNICATION?

• Communication is the process of transmitting data from

one person or device to another.
Communication between computers can be as simple as
connecting two computers to a single printer using a data
switch box, or as complex as the Internet, that links
thousands of mini, micro, mainframe and supercomputers
across the globe.
 WHAT IS DATA
COMMUNICATION?

Data communication is the process of transmitting

data and information over a communication medium
such as: telephone lines, coaxial cables, fibre optic
cables or through microwave signals, from a
computer to a user or from one computer to another.
 1.4

COMPONENTS OF A DATA COMMUNICATION

SYSTEM
COMMUNICATION
CHANNELS
• Transmission of data is done through a medium called a
communication channel.

• A communication channel is a pathway where information can be

conveyed / transmitted.

• Information sent through a communication channel has a source from

which the information originates, and a destination to which the
information is delivered.
COMMUNICATION CHANNELS
• Consists of one or more transmission media
Transmission Medium
• Materials carrying the signal
• Allows a bit stream to be transported from one machine to
another
Two types:
• Physical: wired (cable)/bounded/guided media
• Wireless: Air(no cables)/unbounded/unguided media
 GUIDED
MEDIA

■ Copper wires
■ Twisted Pair 1
■ UTP – Unshielded Twisted Pair
■ STP - Shielded Twisted Pair
■ Coaxial cables 2
■ Fibre 3
UNGUIDED MEDIA
■ Radio waves
■ Microwave links
■ IR – Infra Red
TWISTED PAIR
■ Pairs of insulated copper wires twisted
together
■ Covered with an outer insulating jacket
■ Two types
■ Shielded twisted-pair (STP)
■ Unshielded twisted-pair (UTP)
TWISTED PAIR CONT…

■ One or more pairs of wires

■ Twisted around each other

■ Resistant to interference

■ Have been used for telephone networks

for over a century.
STP &
UTP
PROS & CONS

■ Inexpensive
■ Easy to work with

■ Can run up to several Kilometres

■ For long distances repeaters are needed

■ With the distance bandwidth reduces

COAXIAL CABLES
■ In early days of networking these types of
cables were heavily used
■ Carry electric current at radio frequencies
■ Used for cable television and broadband
Internet connections
ADVANTAGES
■ Easy to install
■ Inexpensive
■ Since it is shielded can span a higher
distance at higher speeds than twisted
pair
■ High bandwidth
DISADVANTAGES

■ Higher cost compared to twisted pair

■ Harder to work with & cable easily get

damaged
FIBRE OPTICS

■ Bundle of glass or plastic fibres

■ Sends signals on pulses of light

■ Immune to Electromagnetic & other

interferences
■ High bandwidth, speed, long distance
Summary of types of Wired / Physical
Transmission media
 WIRELESS
NETWORKING
■ Wireless networks are computer networks that are
not connected by cables of any kind. These networks
use radio waves to connect devices such as laptops
and mobile phones to the Internet and to your
business network and its applications.
Characteristics of Wireless
Networking
■ Increased use with the introduction of mobile
devices
■ Connections use electromagnetic waves
■ Not as fast and reliable as cables, but are
convenient

■ Hybrid networks use cable & wireless

 Characteristics of Wireless
Networking (contd.)
■ Have different wavelengths (Starting from longest
to shortest):

■ Radio Transmission

■ Microwave

■ Infrared

■ Light and X-Rays

RADIO
TRANSMISSION
Radio transmission is the sending of
something (usually information) with the use
of radio waves.

Radio waves are one type of electromagnetic

waves used to transmit signals; other types of
electromagnetic waves include: infrared,
ultraviolet, microwaves, x-rays, etc.

Examples of radio transmissions are signals

from over-the-air radio or television stations,
cell phones, or walkie-talkies.
Characteristics of Radio Transmission
■ Unguided transmission - Intangible media
■ Easy to generate
■ Travel long distances
■ Main means of communication for cell phones
■ Penetrate buildings easily
■ Satellite enable radio signals to be sent worldwide.
■ Omni directional
■ At high frequencies they travel in straight lines
 Characteristics of Microwave
Transmission
■ Above 100MHz, waves travel in straight lines
■ Can be narrowly focused
■ Antennas at transmitter & receiver ends must be
aligned (Line of Sight)
■ Long distance links must have repeaters
■ Does not penetrate through objects
 Characteristics of
Infrared (IR)
■ Used for short range communication
■ Do not pass through solid objects
■ Simple to develop & cost effective
■ Low speed
■ Cannot be used outdoor
■ Used in remote controllers, hand held
devices, laptops, etc.
SATELLITE COMMUNICATION
■ Make use of geosynchronous Satellites
■ Orbiting the earth at a distance of 36000
km above the equator
■ Period of the satellite is 24 hours
■ Uses different bands for different
purposes
■ Telecommunication, TV broadcasting
WIRELESS TECHNOLOGIES

■ Wi-Fi – method of data transmission

that is used in LAN’s and for Internet
access

■ Bluetooth – wireless method of

data transmission that use radio signals
to send data over short distances

■ Hotspot – a public place where

you can access Wi-Fi
Summary - How Wireless Technology
Works
TRANSMISSION
SIGNALS
• Computer systems represent data as distinct on (1)
and off (0) electrical states, that is, in a digital
form
• Because it is a faster and more efficient process,
data is also transmitted over computer systems in a
digital form
TRANSMISSION SIGNALS
CONT’D

• What is the difference between analog

and digital signals?
ANALOG SIGNALS
• A computer performs its tasks by turning on and off a series
of electronic switches represented by the numerical digits of
0 and 1.
• Analog signals are what we encounter every day of our
lives. Speech is an analog signal, and varies in amplitude
(volume) and frequency (pitch)
DIGITAL SIGNALS
• Digital signals are the language of modern computers. They
normally comprise only two states, expressed as ON or
OFF, 1 or 0 respectively
• For a computer to accept data transmitted over telephone
lines the data must be converted to digital form
• The device needed to translate between the analog phone
line and the digital computer is the modem.
DIGITAL SIGNAL CONT’D

• Modem is derived from the words Modulate and

Demodulate, which describes the function of the
modem.
• The process of converting analog signal to digital
signal is called demodulation.
 Later Date:
THE TRANSMISSION Types of
Modem
PROCESS
• The computer digital signals are converted to
analog by modulation
• The signal is then sent over the analog phone line
• The analog signal is then converted back to the
digital signal by demodulation and sent to the
computer
TRANSMISSION
DIRECTION
The three (3) basic
transmission
directions are:
• Simplex
• Half-duplex
• Duplex (Full
duplex)
SIMPLEX
Data transmission in a simplex
channel flows in one direction.
Simplex channels are not often used
because it is not possible to send
back error or control signals to the
transmitted.
Example of Simplex Transmission

We likely won’t see simplex operation in everyday networks.

You do, however, come into contact with simplex
transmissions more than you think. Your cable company
sends video in a one-way data transmission to your
television set.
HALF DUPLEX

A half duplex channel can send and

receive data, but not at the same time. It
is like a one-lane bridge where two-way
traffic must give way in order to cross.
Only one end transmits at a time, the
other end receives.
 Example of Half-duplex transmission

For a practical example, we could make reference to phones.

If you try to call someone who is using the phone line, you
will more than likely get a busy tone and not get a
connection to the person. This is the same principle;
although with computers we will get a destructive loss in
data, as compared to a busy tone the phone would provide.
FULL DUPLEX (DUPLEX)

Data can travel in both directions

simultaneously. There is no need
to switch from transmit to the
receive mode, as in the case of
half duplex.
 Example of Full duplex transmission

Virtually no collisions take place on a full-duplex

transmission. Perhaps a bigger benefit is the increase in
overall throughput- since we are sending and receiving on
two different channels, we just theoretically doubled our
data transfer rate.
Summary
ACTIVITY
• What is transmission direction?
• List the 3 basic transmission
directions
 PROTOCOLS
Telecommunication network is made up of a
wide variety of software and hardware
technologies. For the different devices to
communicate they must follow a set of
rules, called protocols, that enables the
computer to “talk to” each other.
Protocols perform the following functions in a
telecommunication network:

• Identify each device in the communication path

• Secure the attention of the other device
• Verify the correct receipt of a transmitted message
• Verify that a message requires retransmission
because it cannot be correctly interpreted
• Perform recovery when errors occur
CLASS
ACTIVITY
1. What is data communication?

2. Name the three (3) categories of data communication and

explain each category.

3. Name the different types of communication systems in

which data can be transmitted and give examples of each
TRANSMISSION SPEED

• The communication channels have different data

transmission speeds.

• The bits-per-second (bps) transmission capability of a

channel is determined by its bandwidth.
TYPES OF BANDWIDTH

They are four (4) types of bandwidth:

• Narrowband
• Voice band
• Medium band
• Broadband
BANDWIDTH
Narrowband
• This transmits data at 45-90bps. Telegraph channels fall in this
category.
Voice band
• This is the bandwidth of a standard telephone line and is one of
the most widely used methods of transferring data.
Medium band
• Medium band is the bandwidth of special leased lines used
mainly with minicomputers and mainframe computers.
BANDWIDTH CONT’D
Broad band
• This is the bandwidth that includes microwave, satellites, coaxial
cable, and fibre optic channels.
• It is used for very high speed computers whose processors
communicate directly with each other.
• Microwave signals are very high frequency radio signals that can
be transmitted through space.
• A communication satellite accepts signals beamed to it from a
point on earth and then reflects the signals to another point.
BANDWIDTH CONT’D
• Communication satellites can transmit data that includes
text, voice, pictures and video.