DATA COMMUNICATION
(LECTURE 06)
DATA TRANSMISSION
TOPICS
3.1 Concepts and Terminology
3.2 Analog and Digital Data Transmission
3.3 Transmission Impairments (attenuation, distortion, and noise)
3.4 Channel Capacity
(Calculate the performance of data transmission including bandwidth,
throughput, latency, and jitter. )
Expected Learning Outcomes:
• Recognize the concept of analog and digital signals and
their use in day to day communication.
• Identify which transmission impairments cause problems in
communication and their remedies.
• Appreciate the importance of date rate limits in
communication and performance measurement.
The effectiveness of a data communications system depends on four
fundamental characteristics: delivery, accuracy, timeliness, and
jitter.
Delivery. The system must deliver data to the correct destination.
Data must be received by the intended device or user and only by
that device or user.
Accuracy. The system must deliver the data accurately. Data that
have been altered in transmission and left uncorrected are
unusable.
Timeliness. The system must deliver data in a timely manner. Data delivered late are
useless. In the case of video and audio, timely delivery means delivering data as they
are produced, in the same order that they are produced, and without significant
delay. This kind of delivery is called real-time transmission.
Jitter. Jitter refers to the variation in the packet arrival time. It is the uneven delay in the
delivery of audio or video packets.
For example, let us assume that video packets are sent every 30 ms. If some of the
packets arrive with 30-ms delay and others with 40-ms delay, an uneven quality in the
video is the result.
Communication is
in the form of
electromagnetic
waves
Unguided media
Guided media (wireless)
Propagation
Twisted pair,
through air,
coaxial cable,
vacuum, and
optical fiber
seawater
IMPORTANT: Data must be transformed to Electromagnetic signal.
Direct link
• No intermediate devices other than amplifiers
or repeaters used to increase signal strength
Point-to-point
• Direct link between two devices
• Are the only 2 devices sharing medium
Multi-point
• More than two devices share the same medium
• Analog
Data • Digital
• Analog
Signal • Digital What is Signal?
What is Meaningful Signal?
Data can be analog or digital. The term analog data refers to information that is
continuous; digital data refers to information that has discrete states.
Analog data take on continuous values.
Digital data take on discrete values.
Signals can be analog or digital. Analog signals can have an infinite number of
values in a range; digital signals can have only a limited number of values.
time domain concepts
analog signal
varies in a smooth way over time
digital signal
maintains a constant level then changes to another constant level
periodic signal
pattern repeated over time
aperiodic signal
pattern not repeated over time
continuous signal might represent speech
discrete signal might represent binary 1s and 0s.
Both analog and digital signals can take one of two forms.
—Periodic: completes a pattern within a measurable time frame called a period
and repeats that pattern over subsequent identical periods
—Aperiodic: Signal changes without exhibiting a pattern or cycle that repeats
over time
In data communications, we commonly use periodic
analog signals and nonperiodic digital signals.
Periodic analog signals can be classified as simple or
composite.
A simple periodic analog signal, a sine wave, cannot be
decomposed into simpler signals.
A composite periodic analog signal is composed of multiple
sine waves.
Topics discussed in this section:
• Sine Wave
• Wavelength
• Time and Frequency Domain
• Composite Signals
• Bandwidth 3.1
peak amplitude (A)
maximum strength of signal
volts
frequency (f)
rate of change of signal
Hertz (Hz) or cycles per second
period = time for one repetition (T)
T = 1/f
phase ()
relative position in time
The amplitude of a variable is
the measure of how far, and in
what direction, that variable
differs from zero.
Thus, signal amplitudes can be
either positive or negative.
Two signals
Same phase and frequency, but different
amplitude
The period of a signal is sometimes called one cycle of the signal.
Frequency is measured in Hertz (Hz), meaning 1 cycle per second.
Denoted by f
Frequencyis the rate of change with respect to time. Change in a
short span of time means high frequency.
Change over a long span of time means low frequency.
If a signal does not change at all, its frequency is
zero.
If a signal changes instantaneously, its frequency is
infinite.
Period refers to the amount of time, in seconds, a
signal needs to complete 1 cycle.
• Denoted by T, measured in seconds.
Frequency refers to the number of periods in one
second
• Denoted by f, measured in Hertz (Hz)
Frequency and period are the inverse of each
other.
3.2
Example (1)
The power we use at home has a frequency of 50 Hz.
The period of this sine wave can be determined as
follows:
The period of a signal is 100 ms. What is its frequency in
kilohertz?
(1 Hz = 10−3 kHz)
Solution
First, we change 100 ms to seconds, and then we
calculate the frequency from the period (1 Hz = 10−3
kHz)
Two Signals
Same amplitude and phase, but different frequencies
Wavelength can be defined as the
distance between two successive
crests or troughs of a wave. It is
measured in the direction of the
wave. ...
This means the longer the
wavelength, lower the frequency.
In the same manner, shorter the
wavelength, higher will be the
frequency.
• The phase is another measurement of a wave
and refers to the point where a wave is in the
cycle.
• It is measured in
degrees (0°-360°) or radians (0-2π).
• Denoted with the Greek symbol Phi (ϕ).
2π = 360°
Or
π = 180°
Following figure shows the Same amplitude and frequency, but different phases.
A sine wave is offset 1/6 cycle with respect to time 0.
What is its phase in degrees and radians?
Solution
We know that 1 complete cycle is 360°.
Therefore, 1/6 cycle is
peak amplitude (A)
maximum strength of signal
volts
frequency (f)
rate of change of signal
Hertz (Hz) or cycles per second
period = time for one repetition (T)
T = 1/f
phase ()
relative position in time
3.3