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SNR Note

The document explains the concept of signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and its importance in determining theoretical bit rate limits in data communication. It discusses formulas for calculating data rates in noiseless (Nyquist) and noisy (Shannon) channels, providing examples to illustrate the calculations. The document emphasizes the relationship between bandwidth, signal levels, and data rates, highlighting the practical limits of increasing signal levels for reliable communication.

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18 views4 pages

SNR Note

The document explains the concept of signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and its importance in determining theoretical bit rate limits in data communication. It discusses formulas for calculating data rates in noiseless (Nyquist) and noisy (Shannon) channels, providing examples to illustrate the calculations. The document emphasizes the relationship between bandwidth, signal levels, and data rates, highlighting the practical limits of increasing signal levels for reliable communication.

Uploaded by

drakekendrick40
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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SIGNAL TO NOISE (SNR OR S/N)

To find the theoretical bit rate limit, we need to know the ratio of the signal power
to the noise power. The signal-to-noise ratio is defined as.
𝐴𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑔𝑒 𝑆𝑖𝑔𝑛𝑎𝑙 𝑃𝑜𝑤𝑒𝑟
𝑆𝑁𝑅 =
𝐴𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑔𝑒 𝑁𝑜𝑖𝑠𝑒 𝑃𝑜𝑤𝑒𝑟
SNR is actually the ratio of what is wanted (signal) to what is not wanted (noise). A
high SNR means the signal is less corrupted by noise, a low SNR means the signal is
more corrupted by noise.
Because SNR is the ratio of two powers, it is often described in decibel units, SNR(dB),
defined as:
𝑆𝑁𝑅𝑑𝐵 = 10𝑙𝑜𝑔10 𝑆𝑁𝑅

EXAMPLE:
The power of a signal is 10mW and the power of the noise is 1μW. What are the
values of SNR and SNRdB?

SOLUTION:
10 × 10−3
𝑆𝑁𝑅 =
1 × 10−6
= 10 × 10−3−(−6)
= 10 × 103

𝑆𝑁𝑅𝑑𝐵 = 10 log10 𝑆𝑁𝑅


= 10 log10 10,000
= 10 log10 104
= 40𝑑𝐵

DATA RATE LIMITS


A very important consideration in data communication is how fast we can send data
in bits per second, over a channel. Data rate depends on three factors:
• The bandwidth available.
• The level of the signal we use.
• The quantity of the channel (the level of noise).
Two theoretical formulas were developed to calculate the data rate:
• Noiseless channel, developed by Nyquist
• Noisy channel, developed by Shannon

NOISELESS CHANNEL (NYQUIST BITRATE)


For a noiseless channel, the Nyquist bit rate formular defines the theoretical
maximum bit rate as:
𝐵𝑖𝑡 𝑅𝑎𝑡𝑒 = 2 × 𝑏𝑎𝑛𝑑𝑤𝑖𝑑𝑡ℎ × log 2 𝐿
In this formula;
• Bit rate – the bit rate in bits per second,
• Bandwidth – Bandwidth of the channel,
• L – number of signal levels used to represent data.
According to the formula, given a specific bandwidth, we can have any bit rate we
want by increasing the number of signal levels. Although the idea is theoretically
correct, practically there is a limit. When we increase the number of signal levels, we
impose a burden on the receiver. If the number of levels in a signal is just 2, the
receiver can easily distinguish between a ‘0’ and a ‘1’. If the level of a signal is 64,
the receiver must be very sophisticated to distinguish between 64 different levels. In
other words, increasing the levels of a signal reduces the reliability of the system.

EXAMPLE:
Consider a noiseless channel with a bandwidth of 3000Hz transmitting a signal with
4 signal levels (for each level, we send 2 bits). The maximum bit rate is?

SOLUTION:
𝐵𝑖𝑡 𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑒 = 2 × 3000 × log 2 4
= 2 × 3000 × 2
= 12,000𝑏𝑝𝑠

EXAMPLE:
We need to send 265Kbs over a noiseless channel with a bandwidth of 20KHz. How
many signal levels do we need?
SOLUTION:
𝑈𝑠𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑁𝑦𝑞𝑢𝑖𝑠𝑡 𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑚𝑢𝑙𝑎
𝐵𝑖𝑡 𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑒 = 2 × 𝑏𝑎𝑛𝑑𝑤𝑖𝑑𝑡ℎ × log 2 𝐿
265,000 = 2 × 20,000 × log 2 𝐿
265,000
log 2 𝐿 = = 6.625
2 × 20,000
∴𝐿 = 26.625
= 98.7 𝑙𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑙𝑠

The result is not a power of 2. Since this result is not a power of 2, we need to either
increase the number of levels or reduce the bit rate. If we have 128 levels (27), the
bit rate is 280 kbps. If we have 64 levels, the bit rate is 240kbps.

NOISY CHANNEL (SHANNON CAPACITY)


In reality, we cannot have a noiseless channel, the channel is always noisy. Shannon
derived a formula called Shannon Capacity to determine the theoretical highest data
rate for a noisy channel.
𝐶𝑎𝑝𝑎𝑐𝑖𝑡𝑦 = 𝑏𝑎𝑛𝑑𝑤𝑖𝑑𝑡ℎ × log 2 (1 + 𝑆𝑁𝑅)
In the above formula:
• Capacity – the capacity of the channel in bits per second
• Bandwidth – the bandwidth of the channel
• SNR – is the signal-to-noise ratio
In the Shannon formula, there is no indication of the signal level, which means that
no matter how many levels we have, we cannot achieve a data rate higher than the
capacity of the channel.

EXAMPLE:
A telephone has a bandwidth of 3000Hz and signal-to-noise of 1023. Find the
channel capacity.
SOLUTION:
𝐶 = 𝐵𝑙𝑜𝑔2 (1 + 𝑆𝑁𝑅)
= 3000 × log 2 (1 + 1023)
= 3000 × log 2 (1024)
= 3000 × 10 = 30,000𝑏𝑝𝑠 = 30𝐾𝑏𝑝𝑠

In practice, we need to use both methods to find the limits and signal levels. For
example.

QUESTION:
A channel has 1Mhz bandwidth and SNR of 63. What are the appropriate bit rate
and signal level?

SOLUTION:
First, we use the Shannon formula to find the upper limit.
𝐶 = 𝐵𝑙𝑜𝑔2 (1 + 𝑆𝑁𝑅)
= 106 × log 2 (1 + 63)
= 106 × log 2 64
= 106 × log 2 26
= 106 × 6 log 2 2
= 106 × 6 = 6 × 106 𝑏𝑝𝑠
= 6𝑀𝑏𝑝𝑠

The Shannon formula gives us 6Mbps, the upper limit. But for better performance,
we choose something lower, say 4Mbps.
Then, we use the Nyquist formula to find the number of levels.
𝐵𝑖𝑡 𝑅𝑎𝑡𝑒 = 2𝐵𝑙𝑜𝑔2 𝐿 = 2 × 𝐵 × log 2 𝐿
4𝑀𝑏𝑝𝑠 = 2 × 1𝑀ℎ𝑧 × 𝐿𝑜𝑔2 𝐿
4
𝐿𝑜𝑔2 𝐿 = =2
2
𝐿 = 22 = 4

Hence, the Shannon capacity gives us the upper limit while the Nyquist formula tells
us how many signal levels we need.

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