Communications and Network

1. Uses of Computer Communications

1.1. Text messaging allows users to send and receive short text messages on a phone or other mobile device or computer

1.2. Picture messaging allows users to send pictures and sound files

1.3. Video messaging allows users to send short video clips

2. Network Communications Standards

2.1. Ethernet is a network standard that specifies no computer controls when data can be transmitted

2.2. The token ring standard specifies that computers and devices on the network share or pass a special signal (token)

2.3. TCP/IP is a network standard that defines how messages are routed from one end of a network to another

2.4. Bluetooth defines how two Bluetooth devices use short-range radio waves to transmit data

2.5. UWB (ultra-wideband) specifies how two UWB devices use short-range radio waves to communicate at high speeds

3. Communications Software

3.1. Help users establish a connection to another computer or network

3.2. Manage the transmission of data, instructions, and information

3.3. Provide an interface for users to communicate with one another

4. Home Networks

4.1. Connect to the Internet at the same time

4.2. Share a single high-speed Internet connection

4.3. Access files and programs on other computers

4.4. Connect game consoles to the Internet

5. Communications Channel

5.1. The amount of data that can travel over a communications channel sometimes is called the bandwidth

5.2. Latency is the time it takes a signal to travel from one location to another on a network

5.3. Transmission media carries one or more signals

5.4. Broadband media transmit multiple signals simultaneously

6. Network Communications Standards

6.1. Ethernet is a network standard that specifies no computer controls when data can be transmitted

7. Objectives Overview

7.1. Discuss the purpose of the components required for successful communications and identify various sending and receiving devices

7.1.1. New node

7.2. Describe the various network communications standards

7.3. Differentiate among a star network, bus network, and ring network

7.4. Describe commonly used communications devices

8. Networks

8.1. A local area network (LAN) is a network that connects computers and devices in a limited geographical area

8.2. New node

8.3. New node

8.4. A wireless LAN (WLAN) is a LAN that uses no physical wires

9. Communications Over the Telephone Network

9.1. ADSL connections transmit data downstream at a much faster rate than upstream

10. Communications Devices

10.1. A communications device is any type of hardware capable of transmitting data, instructions, and information between a sending device and a receiving device

10.2. A dial-up modem converts signals between analog and digital

10.3. A wireless modem uses the cell phone network to connect to the Internet wirelessly from a notebook computer, a smart phone, or other mobile device

10.4. A network card enables a computer or device to access a network

11. Wireless Transmission Media

11.1. Cellular radio is a form of broadcast radio that is used widely for mobile communications

11.2. A communications satellite is a space station that receives microwave signals from an earth-based station, amplifies it, and broadcasts the signal over a wide area