Chapter 5 Study Outline-ITEC100-20.doc

Chapter 5 Study Outline-ITEC100-20 Fundamentals of Telecommunications Communications – the transmission of a signal from a sender to a receiver by way of a medium such as wires or radio waves. Communications Medium – anything that carries a signal between a sender receiver Telecommunications and Data Communications Telecommunications -- refers to the electronic transmission of signals for communications. Examples: Some telecommunications devices that we interact with on a daily basis include telephones, radios, TVs, and computers. Data communications -- a specialized subset of telecommunications, refers to the electronic collection, processing, and distribution of data, typically between computer systems Telecommunications network -- connects communications and computing devices Computer network -- a specific type of telecommunications network that connects computers and computer systems for data communications This chapter discusses the following components of telecommunications: Networking media: Anything that carries an electronic signal and creates an interface between a sending device and a receiving device. Networking hardware devices and networking software: Work together to enable and control communications signals between communications and computer devices. Characteristics of Telecommunications The characteristics of telecommunications components should be analyzed in terms of speed, quality, and convenience. Telecommunications can allow people to be more productive. For example, being able to access and respond to e-mail during an hour-long daily commute on the bus or train frees up an hour later in the day for going to the gym or some other productive activity. Types of Signals If we measured the voltage on a telephone wire during a conversation, we would see something like Figure 5.4a. Notice that the figure shows a signal that continuously changes over time. This type of continuous fluctuation between high and low voltage is called an analog