What is Communication?

Communication or telecommunication is the process of transmitting and receiving data across

the distance. Data can be voice, sound, images or multimedia.
Components of Communication:-
i. Transmitter (It is source that create messages)
ii. Medium (Through which messages travel)
iii. Receiver (One which receive messages)

What is data & Data Transmission?

Data is collection of raw facts and figures. It can be text, graphics, audio and video.
Characteristics of Data Transmission:-
i. Signal type (analogue vs digital)
ii. Transmission mode (Synchronous vs Asynchronous)
iii. Direction of transmission (simplex, half duplex, full duplex)

Signals
It is an electrical or electromagnetic current that is used for carrying data from one device to
another device.
There are two types of signals
a. Analogue
b. Digital
Analogue Signal
Analogue data signals are in the form of continuously varying waveform which may periodic or
non-periodic. There are two characteristics of an analogue signals.
a. Amplitude ( It is maximum value of signal)
b. Frequency ( It is number of times a wave repeats in a second)
Digital Signal
A digital signal uses on/off or present/absent electrical pulses in discrete rather than a
continuous waveform.
 Direction of Transmission
There are three types of transmission.
I. Simplex
II. Half duplex
III. Full duplex
Simplex Transmission:-
In simplex transmission, data is transmitted only in one direction. Device connected to such a
circuit is either a send-only or receive only. Example is data received from radio or television
station.
Half Duplex Transmission:-
In half-duplex mode, each station can both transmit and receive, but not at the same time.
When one device is sending, the other can only receive, and vice versa. The half-duplex mode is
used in cases where there is no need for communication in both directions at the same time.
An example of a half-duplex device is a walkie-talkie.
Full Duplex Transmission:-
The term full-duplex describes simultaneous data transmission and receptions over one
channel. A full-duplex device is capable of bi-directional network data transmissions at the
same time. A commonplace example of full duplex communications is a telephone call where
both parties can communicate at the same time.
What is Bandwidth?
Bandwidth is the maximum rate of data transfer across a given path. Bandwidth may be
characterized as network bandwidth, data bandwidth, or digital bandwidth.
Types of Bandwidth:-
i. Narrowband
ii. Voice band
iii. Broad band

Data communication speed & Media

Narrow Band
These media communicate data with relatively slow speed. Example is telephone lines. (300–
3400 Hz)
Voice Band
They are faster than narrow band. This refers to the transmission of (voice) information over a
relatively narrow band of frequencies, called the voice spectrum (about 0–3,500 Hz), for which
telephone networks have been designed
Broad Band
Broadband is the transmission of wide bandwidth data over a high speed via microwave,
satellite, coaxial cable and fiber optics.

Communication Media
Communication media refer to the ways, means or channels of transmitting message from
sender to the receiver.
Twisted Pair Cable
Twisted pair cable normally consist of two wires individually insulated in plastic then twisted
around each other and bound together in another layer of plastic insulation. Twisted pair
configuration reduces interference from electrical fields or noise. Twisted pair is relatively slow
and inexpensive.
Coaxial Cable
Coaxial cable, or coax is a type of electrical cable consisting of an inner conductor surrounded
by a concentric conducting shield, with the two separated by a dielectric; many coaxial cables
also have a protective outer sheath or jacket. Coaxial cables offer much higher bandwidths and
support transmission speed up to 100 Mbs.
Fiber Optics Cable
An optical fiber is a flexible, transparent fiber made by drawing glass or plastic to a diameter
slightly thicker than that of a human hair. They support data rate up to 10 Gbps. Optical fiber is
used by telecommunications companies to transmit telephone signals, Internet communication
and cable television signals.
Advantages of Fiber Optic Cable
i. Data transmission speed is higher than twisted pair cable
ii. Its material is lighter and inexpensive
iii. Transmission losses are much lower
iv. Confidential information cannot be routed to unwanted receiver
v. It is durable due immune to corrosive
Disadvantages of Fiber Optic Cable
i. Installing a fiber optic cable is not an easy task because they may break if not properly
handled
ii. Merging of a fiber cable is difficult process
iii. Only one sided information is sent at a time.
iv. Fiber optic cables are vulnerable to physical damages.
Wireless or Unguided Media
An unguided media type transmission is used to transmit electromagnetic waves without
using any of the physical transmission media. Thus it is also called wireless transmission.

Types of Unguided Transmission Media

Radio Waves:

Radio waves are used for wireless communication, including broadcasting and mobile
communication.
They have a wide range of applications, from AM and FM radio to Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.

Microwaves:

Microwaves have shorter wavelengths than radio waves and are often used for point-to-point
communication.
Commonly used in satellite communication, long-distance telephone communication, and
certain types of wireless networks.

Satellite Communication:

Communication satellites in orbit around the Earth facilitate wireless communication over long
distances.
Used for television broadcasting, internet services, and long-distance communication links.

Bluetooth:

Bluetooth is a short-range wireless communication technology that uses radio waves.

Often used for connecting devices such as smartphones, headphones, and peripherals.
Q. Define Protocol and name any three.
A protocol is a set of rules that governs the communications between computers on a network.
A network protocol is an established set of rules that determine how data is transmitted
between different devices in the same network. Types of protocols are:
 i. TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol)
ii. HTTPS (Secure Hyper Text Transmission Protocol)
iii. SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol)
iv. FTP(File Transfer Protocol)

MODEM:-
Modem stands for Modulator and Demodulator. It is a device that modulates signals to
encode digital information for transmission and demodulates signals to decode the
transmitted information.
A modem transmits data in bits per second (bps).
It is necessary for communication between digital devices and Analog devices.
Modem is necessary because it acts as a translator between the devices and rapidly
transmits the information.
It converts the digital signal to Analog and vice versa to communicate between devices.
Types of Modems
1. Telephone modem
A computer is connected through telephone lines to access the network of other
computers. It is cheaper when compared to other modems because it does not have any
installation cost and also the monthly fee of a telephone modem is low. It can be used in
any house if a telephone network is provided.
2. Digital subscriber Line
It provides high speed internet connection through telephone lines. It is expensive when
compared to a telephone modem. The DSL is also connected with phone lines similar to
telephone modem, but the difference is in DSL voice communication and internet service is
used simultaneously whereas in telephone modem it is not provided.
3. Cable modem
Cable Modem is a device that allows high-speed data access via a cable TV (CATV) network.
Most cable modems are currently external devices that connect to the PC through a
standard 10 BASE-T Ethernet card and twisted-pair wiring.
 OSI Model
The Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) model describes seven layers that computer
systems use to communicate over a network. It was the first standard model for network
communications.

Physical Layer (Layer 1):

 Concerned with the physical connection between devices.

 Defines the hardware elements such as cables, switches, and network interface cards.
 Deals with the transmission and reception of raw binary data over a physical medium.

Data Link Layer (Layer 2):

 Responsible for node-to-node communication, error detection, and flow control.
 Divided into two sub-layers: Logical Link Control (LLC) and Media Access Control (MAC).
 Manages access to the physical medium and ensures reliable data transfer.

Network Layer (Layer 3):

 Focuses on logical addressing, routing, and forwarding of data between devices on different
networks.
 Key protocols include IP (Internet Protocol) and ICMP (Internet Control Message Protocol).

Transport Layer (Layer 4):

 Ensures end-to-end communication and data transfer between devices.
 Manages flow control, error checking, and data segmentation.
 Key protocols include TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) and UDP (User Datagram Protocol).
Session Layer (Layer 5):

 Manages sessions or connections between applications on different devices.

 Establishes, maintains, and terminates communication sessions.

Presentation Layer (Layer 6):

 Responsible for data translation, encryption, and compression.
 Ensures that data is presented in a readable format for the application layer.

Application Layer (Layer 7):

 Provides network services directly to end-users or applications.
 Includes protocols for services such as email (SMTP), file transfer (FTP), and web browsing (HTTP).

Synchronous Asynchronous
Synchronous data transmission is a data transfer Asynchronous data transmission is a data transfer
method in which a continuous stream of data signals is method in which the sender and the receiver use the
accompanied by timing signals. flow control method.

Synchronous handler do not return until it finishes Asynchronous handler helps you to run a process
processing the HTTP request for which it is called. independently of sending a response to the user.

Users need to wait until it sending finishes before Users do not have to wait until sending completes
getting a response from the server. before receiving a response from the server.

In this transmission method, blocks of characters are In asynchronous transmission, the information should
transmitted at high- speed on the transmission line. be transmitted character by character.

It sends data in the form of blocks or frames.
Synchronous Transmission is fast.
Synchronous Transmission is costly.
The time interval of transmission is constant.
Synchronous Transmission does not have a gap
between data.
Data is sent in the form of character or byte.
Asynchronous transmission method is slow.
Asynchronous Transmission is economical.
The time interval of transmission is random.
In asynchronous transmission, there is a gap between
data.

Synchronous post back renders the entire page of any Asynchronous post back renders only needed part of
post back. the page.