Communication

Mode
Communication mode
•The way in which data is transmitted from one
device to another device is known as transmission
mode.
•The transmission mode is also known as the
communication mode.
Types of Communication mode
Simplex
In Simplex mode, the communication is
unidirectional, as on a one-way street. Only one of
the two devices on a link can transmit, the other can
only receive. The simplex mode can use the entire
capacity of the channel to send data in one
direction.
Example: Keyboard and traditional monitors. The
keyboard can only introduce input, the monitor can
only give the output
Advantages:
•Simplex mode is the easiest and most reliable mode
of communication.
•It is the most cost-effective mode, as it only requires
one communication channel.
•There is no need for coordination between the
transmitting and receiving devices, which simplifies
the communication process.
•Simplex mode is particularly useful in situations
where feedback or response is not required, such as
broadcasting or surveillance.
Disadvantages:
•Only one-way communication is possible.
•There is no way to verify if the transmitted data has
been received correctly.
•Simplex mode is not suitable for applications that
require bidirectional communication.
2. Half-Duplex Mode
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. The entire capacity of the channel
can be utilized for each direction.
Example: Walkie-talkie in which message is sent one
at a time and messages are sent in both directions.
Advantages:
•Half-duplex mode allows for bidirectional communication,
which is useful in situations where devices need to send
and receive data.
•It is a more efficient mode of communication than simplex
mode, as the channel can be used for both transmission
and reception.
•Half-duplex mode is less expensive than full-duplex mode,
as it only requires one communication channel.
Disadvantages:
•Half-duplex mode is less reliable than Full-Duplex mode, as
both devices cannot transmit at the same time.
•There is a delay between transmission and reception,
which can cause problems in some applications.
•There is a need for coordination between the transmitting
and receiving devices, which can complicate the
communication process.
3. Full-Duplex Mode
In full-duplex mode, both stations can transmit and
receive simultaneously. In full duplex mode, signals going
in one direction share the capacity of the link with signals
going in another direction, this sharing can occur in two
ways:
•Either the link must contain two physically separate
transmission paths, one for sending and the other for
receiving.
•Or the capacity is divided between signals traveling in
both directions.
•Example: Telephone Network in which there is
communication between two persons by a telephone line,
through which both can talk and listen at the same time.
Advantages:
•Full-duplex mode allows for simultaneous bidirectional
communication, which is ideal for real-time applications such
as video conferencing or online gaming.
•It is the most efficient mode of communication, as both
devices can transmit and receive data simultaneously.
•Full-duplex mode provides a high level of reliability and
accuracy, as there is no need for error correction
mechanisms.
Disadvantages:
•Full-duplex mode is the most expensive mode, as it requires
two communication channels.
•It is more complex than simplex and half-duplex modes, as it
requires two physically separate transmission paths or a
division of channel capacity.
•Full-duplex mode may not be suitable for all applications, as
it requires a high level of bandwidth and may not be
necessary for some types of communication.
LAN
1. LAN is an acronym for Local Area Network.
2. LAN is a network that usually connects a small group of computers in a given
geographical area.
3. The LAN is private. Hospitals, homes, schools, offices, etc., may own it.
4. Very easy to design and maintain.
5. LAN offers a very high Internet speed.
6. It faces a very short propagation delay.
7. The LAN exhibits a better fault tolerance than the rest of the networks.
8. The congestion in the network is very low.
9. LAN typically allows a single pair of devices to establish a communication. But
it may also support more computers.
10. Schools, homes, colleges, hospitals, offices, etc., can privately use it.
MAN
1. MAN is an acronym for Metropolitan Area Network.
2. MAN is a comparatively wider network that covers large regions- like towns, cities,
etc.
3. The MAN can be both private or public. Many organizations and telecom operators
may own them.
4. Comparatively difficult to design and maintain.
5. MAN offers a moderate Internet speed.
6. It faces a moderate propagation delay.
7. The MAN exhibits a lesser fault tolerance.
8. It exhibits a higher network congestion.
9. MAN allows multiple computers to interact simultaneously with each other.
10. It basically covers a city, a small town, or any given area with a bigger radius than
the LAN.
WAN
1. WAN is an acronym for Wide Area Network.
2. The WAN network spans to an even larger locality. It has the capacity to
connect various countries together. For example, the Internet is a WAN.
3. The WAN can also be both private or public.
4. Very difficult to design and maintain.
5. WAN offers a low Internet speed.
6. It faces a high propagation delay.
7. The WAN also exhibits a lesser fault tolerance.
8. It exhibits a higher congestion in the network.
9. A huge group of computers can easily interact with each other using the
WAN.
10. It covers an entire country, a subcontinent, or an equivalent area.
Transmission Media
Transmission media refers to the physical pathway
through which data travels from one device to
another. It can be classified into two main types:
guided media and unguided media.
Guided Media
Guided media, also known as bounded or wired
media, uses physical cables to transmit data signals.
The most common types of guided media include:
Twisted Pair Cable:
Twisted pair cable is a type of guided media used for
transmitting signals in telecommunications and
computer networks. It consists of pairs of insulated
copper wires twisted together in a helical form. The
twisting helps to reduce electromagnetic interference
(EMI) from external sources and crosstalk between
adjacent pairs. Twisted pair cables are categorized
into two main types based on their construction and
usage:
Unshielded Twisted Pair (UTP):
UTP consists of two insulated copper wires twisted
around one another. This type of cable has the ability
to block interference and does not depend on a
physical shield for this purpose. It is used for
telephonic applications.
Advantages of Unshielded
Twisted Pair
Least expensive
Easy to install
High-speed capacity
Disadvantages of Unshielded
Twisted Pair:
Susceptible to external interference
Lower capacity and performance in comparison to
STP
Short distance transmission due to attenuation
Shielded twisted pair(STP)
This type of cable consists of a special jacket (a
copper braid covering or a foil shield) to block
external interference. It is used in fast-data-rate
Ethernet and in voice and data channels of telephone
lines.
Advantages
•Better performance at a higher data rate in
comparison to UTP
•Eliminates crosstalk
•Comparatively faster
Disadvantages of Shielded
Twisted Pair
•Comparatively difficult to install and manufacture
•More expensive
•Bulky
Coaxial Cable
It has an outer plastic covering containing an
insulation layer made of PVC or Teflon and 2 parallel
conductors each having a separate insulated
protection cover. The coaxial cable transmits
information in two modes: Baseband mode(dedicated
cable bandwidth) and Broadband mode(cable
bandwidth is split into separate ranges). Cable TVs
and analog television networks widely use Coaxial
cables.
Advantages of Coaxial Cable
Coaxial cables support high bandwidth.
•It is easy to install coaxial cables.
•Coaxial cables have better cut-through resistance so
they are more reliable and durable.
•Less affected by noise or cross-talk or
electromagnetic inference.
•Coaxial cables support multiple channels
Disadvantages of Coaxial Cable
•Coaxial cables are expensive.
•The coaxial cable must be grounded in order to
prevent any crosstalk.
•As a Coaxial cable has multiple layers it is very
bulky.
•There is a chance of breaking the coaxial cable and
attaching a “t-joint” by hackers, this compromises
the security of the data.
Optical Fiber Cable
Optical Fibre Cable uses the concept of refraction of
light through a core made up of glass or plastic. The
core is surrounded by a less dense glass or plastic
covering called the cladding. It is used for the
transmission of large volumes of data. The cable can
be unidirectional or bidirectional. The WDM
(Wavelength Division Multiplexer) supports two
modes, namely unidirectional and bidirectional
mode.
Advantages of Optical Fibre
Cable
•Increased capacity and bandwidth
•Lightweight
•Less signal attenuation
•Immunity to electromagnetic interference
•Resistance to corrosive materials
Disadvantages of Optical Fibre
Cable
•Difficult to install and maintain
•High cost
•Fragile
Unguided media
Unguided media, also known as unbounded or
wireless media, refers to the transmission medium
through which data signals propagate without the
use of any physical conductor or cable. Instead of
using wires or cables, unguided media relies on
electromagnetic waves to transmit data between
devices.
Radio Waves
Radio waves are easy to generate and can penetrate
through buildings. The sending and receiving
antennas need not be aligned. Frequency
Range:3KHz – 1GHz. AM and FM radios and cordless
phones use Radio waves for transmission.
Advantages:
It is inexpensive and easy to produce.
It covers larger geographical.
Disadvantages:
The data transfer rate is slower than that in wired
media.
The quality of data transmission is very poor.
Microwave
Sending and receiving information using a microwave
is known as microwave transmission. It is the
Transmission of information (voice, data, television,
telephony, radio signals)by microwave signals.
Microwaves are widely used for point-to-point
communications.
Advantages:
It has high bandwidth than radio wave.
The quality of data transmission is better than radio wave.
Disadvantages:
It cannot bend and pass obstacles so requires line of sight
for data transmission.
It does not cover very large space because of earths
curvature.
Satellite
•A satellite is a physical object that revolves around
the earth at a known height.
•Satellite communication is more reliable nowadays
as it offers more flexibility than cable and fiber optic
systems.
•We can communicate with any point on the globe by
using satellite communication.
Advantages:
It covers all geographical area of earth.
It has higher bandwidth than radio or microwave
data transmission.
Disadvantages:
It is very expensive for installation and for
maintenance.
It has signals experience propagation delay.
Basis Radiowave Microwave Infrared wave

These are These are

These are omni-
Direction unidirectional in unidirectional in
directional in nature.
nature. nature.
At low frequency,
At low frequency,
they can penetrate
they can penetrate They cannot
through solid objects
through solid objects penetrate through
Penetration and walls but high
and walls. at high any solid object and
frequency they
frequency, they walls.
bounce off the
cannot penetrate.
obstacle.
Frequency range: 3 Frequency range: 1 Frequency range: 300
Frequency range
KHz to 1GHz. GHz to 300 GHz. GHz to 400 GHz.
These offers poor These offers medium These offers high
Security
security. security. security.
Attenuation is
Attenuation Attenuation is high. Attenuation is low.
variable.
Some frequencies in Some frequencies in
There is no need of
the radio-waves the microwaves
Government License government license
require government require government
to use these waves.
license to use these. license to use these.
Setup and usage Cost Setup and usage Cost Usage Cost is very
Usage Cost
is moderate. is high. less.
Causes of Transmission impairments
1. Jitter: It is the delay in time while transmitting data packets over the
network. Change in route and network congestion may cause Jitter.
More the jitter poorer with be the quality of communication. i.e audio
video streaming.
2. Echo and Singing: When the transmitted signal are fed back to the
source again then this is considered as echo as well as singing. They
are the repetition of waveform when transmitted signal are coupled
into the returned path.
3. Cross talk: This is the effect caused when signal transmitted on one
channel creates an unwanted effect in another channel during
communication. Simply when one signal is shared in two or more
transmission system then there arises cross talk. It reduces the quality
of communication.
4. Distortion: The change in original transmitted signal waveform
is known as distortion. Due to distortion receiver denote receive
the original signal rather distorted signal is received. This
reduces quality of communication and is one of the reason for
network impairments.
5. Noise: The interference in communication process is called
noise. There may be various reason for interference during
transmission of data over the network. The most commonly
encountered is EMI (Electro Magnetic Interference)
6. Bandwidth: The rate of data transmission in a given medium
per unit time is known as bandwidth . It is generally measured in
terms of bps, Kbps, Mbps etc. Higher the bandwidth, higher will
be the data transmission and faster will be the communication.
But if bandwidth is low then it leads to network congestion
causing network impairments.