MODULE -I [PART I]
Data Communication
✓ Definition:
Transferring data over a transmission medium between two or more devices, systems, or
places is known as data communication.
✓ Components:
1. Message: A message is a piece of information that is to be transmitted from one person to
another. It could be a text file, an audio file, a video file, etc.
2. Sender: It is simply a device that sends data messages. It can be a computer, mobile,
telephone, laptop, video camera, or workstation, etc.
3. Receiver: It is a device that receives messages. It can be a computer, telephone mobile,
workstation, etc.
4. Transmission Medium / Communication Channels: Communication channels are the
medium that connect two or more workstations. Workstations can be connected by either
wired media or wireless media.
▪ Wired/Guided media transmission: In this transmission medium, the physical link is
created using wires or cables between two or more computers or devices, and then
the data is transmitted using these cables in terms of signals. Guided media
transmission of the following types:
1. Twisted Pair Cable: Unshielded Twisted Pair (UTP) and Shielded Twisted Pair
(STP)
2. Coaxial Cable
3. Optical Fibre
▪ Wireless/Unguided media transmission: The unguided transmission media is a
transmission mode in which the signals are propagated from one device to another
device wirelessly. Signals can wave through the air, water, or vacuum.
1. Microwave
2. Radio wave
3. Infrared
5. Set of rules (Protocol): When someone sends the data (The sender), it should be
understandable to the receiver also otherwise it is meaningless. Therefore, there are some set
of rules (protocols) that is followed by every computer connected to the internet
✓ Types of data communication
As we know that data communication is communication in which we can send or receive
data from one device to another. The data communication is divided into three types:
1. Simplex Communication: It is one-way communication or we can say that unidirectional
communication in which one device only receives and another device only sends data and
devices uses their entire capacity in transmission. For example, IoT, entering data using a
keyboard, listening music using a speaker, etc.
2. Half Duplex communication: It is a two-way communication, or we can say that it is a
bidirectional communication in which both the devices can send and receive data but not at
the same time. When one device is sending data then another device is only receiving and
vice-versa. For example, walkie-talkie.
3. Full-duplex communication: It is a two-way communication or we can say that it is a
bidirectional communication in which both the devices can send and receive data at the same
time. For example, mobile phones, landlines, etc.
✓ Representing Data (How information becomes signal)
User Data [Numbers, Text, Images, Audio, video]
Binary Representation (At this level data is digital 0s and 1s)
• Numbers Two's Complement, IEEE-754, Binary/Hex
• Text ASCII, Unicode, UTF-8
• Images Pixels in RGB values
• Audio Sampled and Quantized
• Video Sequence of Images (frames) often compressed using codecs
Protocol Formatting: Data is organized into protocol data units (PDUs). Each layer adds its
own header:
• Application Layer: Data in human-readable formats (HTML, JSON, XML).
• Transport Layer (TCP/UDP): Adds port numbers, sequence numbers, checksums.
• Network Layer (IP): Adds source & destination IP addresses.
• Data Link Layer (Ethernet/Wi-Fi): Adds MAC addresses, frame check sequence (CRC).
• Physical Layer: Converts final frame into bits/signals.
Bit Encoding: Raw bits (0 and 1) need special encoding so they can be carried reliably:
• Line Coding (Binary → Digital Signals)
o NRZ: 0 = low, 1 = high voltage.
o Manchester: transition in middle of bit → easy synchronization.
o Scrambling/Block coding (4B/5B, 8B/10B) to avoid long runs of 0s.
Signal Mapping: Bits are converted into electrical, optical, or electromagnetic signals:
• Electrical Signals: Copper cables (Ethernet twisted pair).
• Optical Pulses: Fiber optic (light ON/OFF or modulated wavelength).
• Radio Waves: Wi-Fi, 4G/5G, Satellite.
Modulation techniques:
ASK (Amplitude Shift Keying) |FSK (Frequency Shift Keying) |PSK (Phase Shift Keying)
| QAM (Quadrature Amplitude Modulation)
Error Control & Multiplexing Level: To ensure correct representation:
• Error Detection: CRC, checksums.
• Error Correction: Hamming, Reed-Solomon, LDPC codes.
• Multiplexing: Multiple users’ data represented on same channel via
o TDM (time division),
o FDM/WDM (frequency/wavelength division),
o CDM (codes).