1.1.
4 Local Networks
Local networks come in all sizes. They can range from simple networks consisting of two
computers, to networks connecting hundreds of thousands of devices. Networks installed in
small offices, or homes and home offices, are referred to as small office/home office (SOHO)
networks. SOHO networks let you share resources such as printers, documents, pictures, and
music, between a few local users.
In business, large networks can be used to advertise and sell products, order supplies, and
communicate with customers. Communication over a network is usually more efficient and less
expensive than traditional forms of communication, such as regular mail or long distance phone
calls. Networks allow for rapid communication such as email and instant messaging, and provide
consolidation and access to information stored on network servers.
Business and SOHO networks usually provide a shared connection to the internet. The internet
is considered a "network of networks" because it is literally made up of thousands of local
networks that are connected to each other.
Click each button for more information.
Small Home Networks
Small Office and Home Office Networks
Medium to Large Networks
World Wide Networks
Small Home Networks
Small home networks connect a few computers to each other and to the internet.
1.1.5 Mobile Devices
The internet connects more computing devices than just desktop and laptop computers. There
are devices all around that you may interact with on a daily basis that are also connected to the
internet. These include mobile devices, home devices, and a variety of other connected devices.
Click below to learn more about mobile devices.
Smartphone
Tablet
Smartwatch
Smart Glasses
Smartphone
Smartphones are able to connect to the internet from almost anywhere. Smartphones combine
the functions of many different products together, such as a telephone, camera, GPS receiver,
media player, and touch screen computer.
Tablet
Tablets, like smartphones, also have the functionality of multiple devices. With the additional
screen size, they are ideal for watching videos and reading magazines or books. With on-screen
keyboards, users are able to do many of the things they used to do on their laptop computer,
such as composing emails or browsing the web.
Smartwatch
A smartwatch can connect to a smartphone to provide the user with alerts and messages.
Additional functions, such as heart rate monitoring and counting steps, like a pedometer, can
help people who are wearing the device to track their health.
Smart Glasses
A wearable computer in the form of glasses, such as Google Glass, contains a tiny screen that
displays information to the wearer in a similar fashion to the Head-Up Display (HUD) of a fighter
pilot. A small touch pad on the side allows the user to navigate menus while still being able to
see through the smart glasses.
1.2 Data Transmission
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1.2.1 Video - Types of Personal Data
Press the Play button to watch the video.
1.2.2 The Bit
Did you know that computers and networks only work with binary digits, zeros and ones? It can
be difficult to imagine that all of our data is stored and transmitted as a series of bits. Each bit
can only have one of two possible values, 0 or 1. The term bit is an abbreviation of “binary digit”
and represents the smallest piece of data. Humans interpret words and pictures, computers
interpret only patterns of bits.
A bit is stored and transmitted as one of two possible discrete states. This can include two
directions of magnetization, two distinct voltage or current levels, two distinct levels of light
intensity, or any other physical system of two discrete states. For example, a light switch can be
either On or Off; in binary representation, these states would correspond to 1 and 0
respectively.
Every input device (mouse, keyboard, voice-activated receiver) will translate human interaction
into binary code for the CPU to process and store. Every output device (printer, speakers,
monitors, etc.) will take binary data and translate it back into human recognizable form. Within
the computer itself, all data is processed and stored as binary.
Computers use binary codes to represent and interpret letters, numbers and special characters
with bits. A commonly used code is the American Standard Code for Information Interchange
(ASCII). With ASCII, each character is represented by eight bits. For example:
Capital letter: A = 01000001
Number: 9 = 00111001
Special character: # = 00100011
Each group of eight bits, such as the representations of letters and numbers, is known as a byte.
Codes can be used to represent almost any type of information digitally including computer
data, graphics, photos, voice, video, and music.
In the figure, enter up to five characters in the Characters field, then click the Show Me button
to see the ASCII bit translation. Click Reset to enter a different group of characters.
Characters ASCII Bit Translation
Show MeReset
1.2.3 Common Methods of Data Transmission
After the data is transformed into a series of bits, it must be converted into signals that can be
sent across the network media to its destination. Media refers to the physical medium on which
the signals are transmitted. Examples of media are copper wire, fiber-optic cable, and
electromagnetic waves through the air. A signal consists of electrical or optical patterns that are
transmitted from one connected device to another. These patterns represent the digital bits (i.e.
the data) and travel across the media from source to destination as either a series of pulses of
electricity, pulses of light, or radio waves. Signals may be converted many times before
ultimately reaching the destination, as corresponding media changes between source and
destination.
There are three common methods of signal transmission used in networks:
Electrical signals - Transmission is achieved by representing data as electrical pulses on
copper wire.
Optical signals - Transmission is achieved by converting the electrical signals into light
pulses.
Wireless signals - Transmission is achieved by using infrared, microwave, or radio waves
through the air.
Click Play in the figure to see an animation of the three types of signal transmissions.
In most homes and small businesses, network signals are transmitted across copper wires
(cables) or Wi-Fi enabled wireless connections. Larger networks employ fiber-optic cables in
order to reliably carry signals for longer distances.
The figure shows three sets of PCs. Each set consists of two PCs with a type of signal
communication between them. From left to right, the first set is with a label Pulses of electricity.
The second set is labeled Pulses of light. The third set is with a label Radio waves.
Pulses of electricity
Pulses of light
Radio waves
1.3 Bandwidth and Throughput
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1.3.1 Bandwidth
Streaming a movie or playing a multiplayer game requires reliable, fast connections. To support
these “high bandwidth” applications, networks have to be capable of transmitting and receiving
bits at a very high rate.
Different physical media support the transfer of bits at different speeds. The rate of data
transfer is usually discussed in terms of bandwidth and throughput.
Bandwidth is the capacity of a medium to carry data. Digital bandwidth measures the amount
of data that can flow from one place to another in a given amount of time. Bandwidth is
typically measured in the number of bits that (theoretically) can be sent across the media in a
second. Common bandwidth measurements are as follows:
Thousands of bits per second (Kbps)
Millions of bits per second (Mbps)
Billions of bits per second (Gbps)
Physical media properties, current technologies, and the laws of physics all play a role in
determining available bandwidth.
The table shows the commonly used units of measure for bandwidth.
Unit of Bandwidth Abbreviation Equivalence
1 bps = fundamental un
Bits per second bps
bandwidth
Kilobits per second Kbps 1 Kbps = 1,000 bps = 10
Megabits per second Mbps 1 Mbps = 1,000,000 bps
1 Gbps = 1,000,000,000
Gigabits per second Gbps
109 bps
1 Tbps = 1,000,000,000,
Terabits per second Tbps
1012 bps
1.3.2 Throughput
Like bandwidth, throughput is the measure of the transfer of bits across the media over a given
period of time. However, due to a number of factors, throughput does not usually match the
specified bandwidth. Many factors influence throughput including:
The amount of data being sent and received over the connection
The types of data being transmitted
The latency created by the number of network devices encountered between source and
destination
Latency refers to the amount of time, including delays, for data to travel from one given point to
another.
Throughput measurements do not take into account the validity or usefulness of the bits being
transmitted and received. Many messages received through the network are not destined for
specific user applications. An example would be network control messages that regulate traffic
and correct errors.
In an internetwork or network with multiple segments, throughput cannot be faster than the
slowest link of the path from sending device to the receiving device. Even if all or most of the
segments have high bandwidth, it will only take one segment in the path with lower bandwidth
to create a slowdown of the throughput of the entire network.
There are many online speed tests that can reveal the throughput of an internet connection.