2019/20 Semester 1

IT1001 Introduction to Computing

Lecture 3
Data Communications and Networking
(Chapter 8)

Hyelim Oh, PhD

hyelim.oh@nus.edu.sg | 6516 6732| COM2-0415

Department of Information Systems & Analytics

NUS School of Computing
Outline
• Data Communication
• Communication Media & Channel
• Signals
• Networks
• Devices
• Types of Network
• By geographical area
• By hierarchy
Communication Systems
• Communication
• Sending and receiving of messages in the form of
signals
 Communication system/network
 Links devices together so that data and
information can be shared among them.
 Communication channels
 Medium through which signals are transmitted
 Wired or wireless
Communication Systems
• Communication signals
• Means of data communication
• Usually takes the form of an electromagnetic
signal-waves of light, electricity, or sound
• Can travel through the air (wireless) or through
cables (wired)
Communication Systems
 Components of a general communication
system
 Shannon’s model (1948)
Communication Signals
• When data is transmitted, noise enters into
the signal
• Noise can have several causes
• Transmitted media
• Background noise from sender or receiver
• Interference by other signals

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 Signals
• Analog signals • Digital signals
• Data in continuous wave
• E.g., sound waves that
make up phone
conversations
• Composed of signals with
different frequency (a
spectrum: lowest
frequency ~ highest
frequency)
• Signal rate & channel
capacity are measured in
hertz (Hz) of bandwidth
(1Hz=1 cycle per second)
• Data in discontinuous pulses
(0 & 1)
• 2 states – ON (1) or OFF (0)
• E.g., computer signal
• Signal rate & channel
capacity are measured in
bits per second (bps):
bandwidth
• Increased bandwidth=faster
transmission speed
Communication Channels
• Wired (through cables)
• Twisted pair
• Coaxial
• Fiber-optic
• Wireless (through air)
• Infrared (IrDA)
• Bluetooth
• Wi-Fi
• NFC (newer RFID technology)
• Satellites
• Mobile phone network
Wired Communication Channels
• Twisted pair
• Telephone land lines
• Network cable
• Coaxial
• The cable in “cable television”
• Low signal distortion
• Fiber-Optic
• Thin standards of glass that carry data
by means of pulses of light
• Foundation transmission medium for
Internet backbone (up to 1Gbps)
• Carry more data without loss of signal
strength for longer distance than
twisted pair or coaxial cable
• Better data security as it is difficult to
intercept beams of light than electric
signals
Wired Communication Channels
Wired Communication Channels
 Advantages
 Data transmission is dependable, their carrying
capacity and speed are not affected by airborne
interference from rain, snow or electrical devices
 More secure as a device can join a wired network
only if it is physically connected by a cable
 Disadvantages
 Costly: purchase, installation, repair
 Limited mobility
 Cable can carry electrical surges that have the
potential to damage network equipment
Wireless Communication Channel
• Works similar to wired except using the Air as a
medium for transmitting electromagnetic signals
operating on different frequencies
• Most widely-spread wireless channels
• Radio wave
Wireless Communication Channel
• Radio Waves
• Carries data as electromagnetic radio waves
• Used in data transmission over short to long
distance
• Bluetooth
• WiFi
• NFC/RFID
• Satellite
• Cellular network
• Sent and received by a transceiver that is equipped
with an antenna
• Usually need repeaters in long range data
transmission
Wireless Communication Channel
• Infrared(IrDA) wave:
• Carries data as infrared beams (red light wave
below what the human eyes can see)
• Suffers from line-of-sight limitation
• Signals need to travel in a straight line from source to
destination
• Works within short distance (a few meters)
• Speed ~ 4Mbps
• Remote controls
• Thermal Imaging
Wireless Communication Channel
• Bluetooth
• Wireless communication standard that relies on
radio waves
• Designed for interoperability between different
devices
• E.g., keyboard, printers, headsets, mobile phones, etc
• For short range data transmission (<10m)
• Does not require line-of-sight
• Speed 1Mbps to 3Mbps
• Version 4.0 up to 25Mbps (Low Energy)
• Creates a Personal Area Network (PAN)
Wireless Communication Channel
 RFID
 Radio Frequency Identification
 NFC
 Near field communication
 E.g., contactless payment
 Low power, short range
communications
Wireless Communication Channel
• WiFi
• Uses radio waves
• Sends information by changing electrical pulses into waves
• Received waves by transforming them into electrical pulses
• Good to about 30m depending on variant
• Used in campuses, airports, coffee shops, etc
• Requires Wireless Access Point
• Device that connects computers together wirelessly
• Typically connects to a wired network
Wireless Communication Channel
• Mobile Phone Network
• Cover countries
• Uses cellular towers within cells
• Calls are transferred from cell tower to cell tower
as the individual moves
• Cell tower forwards call to the Mobile Telephone
Switching Office
• Mobile phone transmission speed depends on the
cellular standard being used
Wireless Communication Channel
• Mobile Phone Network Triangulation of Location
Wireless Communication Channel
• Mobile Phone Network
• Current standards:
• 1G(eneration) - analog and voice
• 2G - digital, both voice and data (GSM)
• 3G – multimedia data and voice communication
• 4G – up to 100Mbps
• 4G+ - peak speed up to 1.5Gbps
• 5G? - peak speed up to 20Gbps
• (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2DG3pMcNNlw)
Wireless Communication Channel
• Satellite
• Useful for long range data transmission to
locations where physical cabling is impractical
or impossible
• Limitation: Propagation delay/latency
Wireless Communication Channel
• Satellite
• Application example: GPS
• GPS=Global Positioning System
• Developed by the US department of Defense
• Formed by a constellation of 27 Earth-orbiting
satellites
• Requires a GPS receiver e.g., Smartphone, GPS
navigator in a car
Wireless Communication Channel
 Advantages
 Mobility
 Disadvantages
 Speed
 Range
 Security
Networks
• Any system of two or more computers that
linked together
• Why is networking important?
• Enable sharing computer hardware recourses
• E.g., networked printer
• Enable sharing data and software programs
• Enable communication
• Enable people to work together
• …
Network Devices
• Network interface card (NIC)
• Ethernet Adapter
• Allows a computer to a network
• Modem
• Performs a necessary conversion
of signals
• Hub/switch
• Connect multiple computers and
peripherals
• Router
• Links network together
• Transmission medium
• Wired or Wireless
Network Interface Card (NIC)
• Allows computer/devices to connect to
a network
• Wired/wireless
• Ethernet
• Commonly used computer networking
technology for local area network (LAN)
• Older PC/laptop requires installation of
a Network Interface Card to the
motherboard/Card Slot
• Newer motherboards/laptops include
Ethernet Port
• Also possible to use USB Ethernet
adapter
Modem
• Modulator/Demodulator
• Connect your computer to a network
• Signal conversion
• Recall: computers only understand digital signals
• Convert the digital signals into some signals (e.g., analog
signals, light signals) that can travel over various
communications channels (e.g., DSL, cable, fiber-optic)
• Usually supplied by your Internet service provider
(ISP)
Modem
• DSL (Digital Subscriber Line) Modem
• Provide fast network connection through telephone line
• Can talk on the phone while surfing the Internet
• ADSL (Asymmetric DSL)
• Used in North America and Singapore
• Asymmetric=the transmission speed for upstream and
downstream is different
• Downstream=download; upstream=upload
• ADSL: downstream rate> upstream rate
• SDSL (Symmetric DSL)
• Slower than ADSL
• Downstream rate= Upstream rate
• Dedicated cable
Modem
• Cable Modem
• For broadband connection
• Provide fast network connection through cable TV
networks
• Transmission speed in Singapore
• Up to 100 Mbps downstream & 30 Mbps upstream
• Shared cable

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Modem
• Optical Modem
• Optical Network Terminal (ONT)
• For broadband connection
• Provide fast network connection
through fiber optical cable
• Conversion between optical
signals (for fiber optical cable)
and digital signals (for
computers)
• Transmission speed in
Singapore
• Up to 1Gbps downstream
Devices-A Connected Look
Hub and Switch
• Hub
• Connects computers and peripherals to a network
• Broadcast all messages it gets to every computer
• Only intended recipient computer accepts the
message, others discard it
• Only 1 message at a time for moving across the
network
• Collision if 2 computers transmit at the same
time
• Switch
• Same functions as hub but “smarter”
• Selective bridge
• Forward message only to the intended
recipient
• Allow multiple messages simultaneously
Router

• Provides a link between

networks
• Forward data across
networks from source to
destination
• Connects at least 2 networks
• Eases the problems of linking
incompatible networks
• Communicate with other
routers using routing
protocols
Devices-A Connected Look
Network Setup
1. Modem connected to ISP
2. Router connected to modem
3. Configure the router
 Use a computer to access the router’s
configuration software by using browser
4. Connect wired and wireless device
Network Setup
 Configure the router
1. Change the router password
Network Setup
 Configure the router
2. Create an SSID (service set identifier): network
name
Network Setup
 Configure the router
3. Activate encryption
Network Setup
 Configure the router
4. Create network password
Network Setup
 Configure the router
5. Activate DHCP
Network Example
Network Types
• Classification by geographical area
• LAN (Local Area Network)
• WAN (Wide Area Network)
• Classification by hierarchy (relationship
between computers)
• Client-server network
• Peer-to-peer network
• Hybrid network
Local Area Network
• Connect computers/devices in close proximity
(home, office, campus, etc)
• Nodes are connected to hubs/switches via
twisted pair cable
• Nodes do not have to use the same OS
• Wireless LAN
• WiFi
Local Area Network
• Organizational LAN
• Managed by network
administrator using network
management software
• Servers on LAN
• File Server : Storehouse for
shared data and software
• Print Server: Accepts,
prioritizes and processes
print job
Local Area Network
• Organizational LAN is highly complex
WAN
• WAN (Wide Area Network)
• Network that extends over long distance
• Data is transmitted long-distance between
networks on a collection of common pathways
(backbone)
• Connects geographically distributed company sites
and government institutions
Communication between LAN and WAN

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Network Topologies
• Topology
• How devices in the network are connected
• Bus network
• A central cable in which all devices are attached to
Network Topologies
• Topology
• Star network
• A host device is connected directly to several other
devices
Client-Server Network
• Network architecture describing how computers can talk to
one another in the network
• Server: computer/devices that provides services to other
computers/devices
• Client: computer or devices that requests services from
server
• E.g., print server, web server

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Network Topologies
• Topology
• Mesh network
• Multiple connection between different devices so that
messages can be sent to another device
Peer-to-Peer (P2P) Network
• All computers have equal status
• Both a “client” and a “server” to other computers
in the network
• Uses diverse connectivity between
participants
• Collective bandwidth of network
• Popular P2P fire sharing protocol
• BitTorrent
• Reduce the bandwidth bottleneck