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Computer Networks & Web Technologies

Basic networking concepts, including mobile networks; and
Internet and Web Technology concepts

Networks
A network is a set of computers and peripheral devices that are linked together on a permanent
basis so that they can communicate and share resources. This is a
collection of computers and devices connected together via
communications devices and transmission media. Networks allow
computers to share resources, such as hardware, software, data, and
information.

Many schools, businesses and other organizations link computers together to form a network so
that they can transmit data and information to share files, modems or printers. Computers can be
linked in different ways or configurations, to transmit data.

Advantages of a network
1. It enables users to share hardware devices thus saving money
2. Allow users to access data stored on other computers.
3. Allow users to run programs that are not installed on their own computers, but, are
installed somewhere in the network.

Disadvantages of a network
1. Accessing anything across a network is slower than accessing your own computer
2. It creates new problems to handle
3. There will be less customization for shared programs because everyone will have to
follow the same methods for storing or naming files.

Types of networks
There are four (4) main categories of networks:
1. Local area network
2. Metropolitan area network
3. Wide area network
4. Mobile network

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Local area network (LAN)

A LAN is a group of computers or workstations connected on one site, such as a school, colleges
or a block of office. The computers are usually connected by cables using one of the topologies.

Characteristics of a LAN:
● It is limited to a single building or site
● High bandwidth
● Inexpensive cable media to link computers and peripherals
● Data and hardware sharing amongst users
● The network is owned by the organization or company

Metropolitan Area Network (MAN)

A MAN covers a larger area than that of a LAN and smaller area as compared to WAN. It
connects two or more computers that are apart but resides in the same or different cities. It
covers a large geographical area and may serve as an ISP (Internet Service Provider). MAN is
designed for customers who need a high-speed connectivity. Speeds of MAN ranges in terms
of Mbps. It’s hard to design and maintain a Metropolitan Area Network

Wide area network (WAN)

A WAN is spread over a wide geographical area. A typical example of a WAN is the internet,
which links thousands of computers and networks around the globe. The different segments of
WAN are connected by a wide variety of communication media such as satellites, modems,
cables, depending on the distance between the different segments.

Characteristics of a WAN
● It spreads over a wide geographical area.
● Large number of computers
● It consists of a number of sophisticated support devices for eg, routers and gateways

Mobile Network

A mobile network is a communications network that is spread out over an immense land area
around the world and connected wirelessly by transceivers (a transceiver is an electronic device
which is a combination of a radio transmitter and a receiver. It can both transmit and receive
radio waves using an antenna) at fixed locations that are known as cell sites, or base stations.

A mobile network can also be defined as a radio network distributed over land through cells
where each cell includes a fixed location transceiver known as base station. These cells together
provide radio coverage over larger geographical areas. User equipment (UE), such as mobile
phones, is therefore able to communicate even if the equipment is moving through cells during
transmission.

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Major telecommunications providers have deployed voice and data cellular networks over most
of the inhabited land area of Earth. This allows mobile phones and mobile computing devices to
be connected to the public switched telephone network and public Internet access.

Overview of mobile networks: from 2G to current

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Wireless Network Technologies

A large number of technologies have been developed to support wireless networking in different
scenarios.

WiFi- Wi-Fi is the name of a popular wireless networking technology that uses radio waves to
provide wireless high-speed Internet and network connections. A common misconception is that
the term Wi-Fi is short for "wireless fidelity," however this is not the case. Wi-Fi is simply a
trademarked phrase that means IEEE 802.11x. Devices that can use Wi-Fi technologies include
desktops and laptops, smartphones and tablets, smart TVs, printers, digital audio players, digital
cameras, cars and drones. Compatible devices can connect to each other over Wi-Fi through
a wireless access point as well as to connected Ethernet devices and may use it to access the
Internet. 

Hotspot - refers to a location or area that provides wireless internet connections to mobile
computers and other devices. Public hotspots may be created by a business for use by customers,
such as coffee shops or hotels. Public hotspots are typically created from wireless access
points configured to provide Internet access, controlled to some degree by the venue. Private
hotspots may be configured on a smartphone or tablet with a mobile network data plan to allow
internet access to other devices via bluetooth pairing or if both the hotspot device and the devices
accessing it are connected to the same Wi-Fi network.

Bluetooth - This uses short range radio waves to transmit data between two Bluetooth devices.
To communicate with each other, Bluetooth devices often must be within about 10 metres

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(about 33 feet) but can be extended to 100 metres with additional equipment. A Bluetooth
device contains a small chip that allows it to communicate with each other.

Other Networks
Internet

The internet is the largest computer network system in the world. It consists of many smaller
networks connected together by a global public network. The internet is often called the
information superhighway or cyberspace.

Intranet

This is a private network that belongs to an organization, and is designed to be accessible only by
the organization's members, employees or others with authority. The intranet is a network that
belongs to an organization and is accessible only by members of that organization. It has all the
features and capabilities of the internet but is restricted to the members of the organization.

Extranet

This is that part of an intranet that is made accessible to customers, partners, suppliers, or
others outside the company. An extranet provides a secure, physical connection to the
company’s network.

Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN )

A wireless network is where a network is created without wires. Each workstation and file
server on a wireless network has a transceiver and small antenna to send and receive data.

(Discuss their level of privacy.)

Some common network terms

1. Modem: this is a device that converts between analog signals (telephone lines) to digital
signals (computer). The word modem comes from the words Modulate/Demodulate.
Modulate means to convert digital signals to analog signals and demodulate means to
convert analog signals to digital signals.

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2. Bandwidth: a characteristic of a communication channel that determines the speed at

which data can be transmitted over the channel.
3. Upload: means to send information from your computer to another computer in the
network.
4. Download: means to receive information from another computer on the network.
5. E-mail: a method of communication between computers on a network. Mail is sent
electronically using special software from one computer to another. The mail is then kept
in an electric mailbox.
6. Bulletin board: is a facility on the internet where people can post messages on a particular
topic.
7. Protocol: a set of rules that govern the exchange of data between hardware and/or
software components over communications media.
8. Point-to-point transmission – Data transmission where the sending and receiving device
are connected directly.
9. Broadcast transmission – Data transmission where the sending device sends messages to
everyone in a network.

Internet

Terms associated with the internet:

1. Electronic mail (E-Mail) – this is the transmitting of documents from one computer to
another. The computers could be in the same building or thousands of miles away. The
mail is stored in the user’s “mailbox” and can be retrieved at the user’s convenience using
a password.
This is the transmission of mail messages electronically by computers via
communication channels. Email programs are used to create, send, receive, forward,
store, print and delete email messages. Just as with the postal system an e-mail
message must have the address of your intended recipient.

2. Newsgroup – this is an online discussion group. There are over 5000 discussion groups
on the internet, each group covering a particular subject or interest.
This is an online area in which users have written discussions about a particular subject.
To participate in a discussion a user sends a message to the newsgroup, and other users
in the newsgroup read and reply to the message. Some newsgroups require you to enter
a user name and password to participate in discussions.

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3. Internet Relay Chat (IRC) – this allows two or more people from all over the world to
participate in live discussions. For example MSN or Yahoo messenger.
This is a real-time system that lets you talk with as many people as you like, grouped
together in channels , using texted based chat. Once you have accessed IRC, you can
find what topics are being discussed on a particular channel and how many users are
involved. IRC is a variety of text-based chat where each chat room (channel) is
dedicated to a specific topic, and where users are not allowed to discuss topics
unrelated to the channel’s purpose.

4. Web page – an electronic document which normally includes information on a specific

item, person, company, etc

5. Web site – a group of web pages. Multiple pages are grouped to create a company’s,
individual’s or group’s website.

6. Telnet - This is one of the ways that a person can access a remote computer over a
network such as the internet. Telnet programs act as if your computer is a terminal that is
connected to a remote computer. People or companies can limit the privileges of people
who are logging onto their computers via telnet.

7. FTP (File Transfer Protocol) - This is an internet standard that permits file uploading and
downloading (transferring) with other computers on the internet.

8. Uploading - This is the process of transferring documents, graphics and other objects
from your computer to a server or a computer on the internet.

9. Downloading - This is the process of taking a file from a server or a computer on one part
of the internet and copying it to your computer or other storage devices.

10. WWW (World Wide Web) - This consists of a worldwide collection of electronic
documents. Each electronic document on a web is called a web page.

11. Web Page - This is an electronic document on the web, which can contain text, graphics,
audio (sound), and video and usually has built in connections to other documents.

12. Website - This is a collection of related web pages and associated items, such as
documents and pictures, stored on a web server.

13. Web Browser -This is an application software that allows you to go to resources and
websites on the internet. Example, Internet Explorer, Firefox and Netscape Navigator.

14. Web server - Computers that deliver requested web pages to a client computer. (This is a
computer which uses special software to transmit web pages over the internet)

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15. HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) -This is a set of rules that defines how pages are
transferred on the web.

16. HTTPs (Hypertext Transfer Protocol - Secure) - This is a version of HTTP which has
added rules to ensure secure and encrypted data transmission.

17. HTML (Hypertext Mark-up Language) This is a special formatting language that
programmers use to format documents for display on the web.

18. Blogging - This is where internet users post frequent messages of commentary,
description of events, graphics, video, or audio to a personal website. This is called
blogging where the list of entries called blogs starts with the most recent post.

19. Podcasting - A podcast is an audio or video digital file that can be downloaded from the
internet to a personal computer or a portable media device such as iPod.

20. Bulletin board - a public electronic forum that allows users to post or read messages :
MESSAGE BOARD

21. URL (Uniform Resource Locator) This can also be referred to as web address which is
a unique address of a web page. This is made up of four parts
Potocol://Server/Path/Filename. (Protocol – this is the name of the internet protocol
usually http. Server – Hostname, computer on which the file is located. Path -
Directory hierarchy, the top level directory and any lower level subdirectories separated
by /, characters in which the files can be found. Filename – The actual filename of the
document.

22. E-Commerce (Electronic Commerce) - This is a business transaction that occurs over
an electronic network such as the internet. Anyone with access to a computer, an
internet connection, and a means to pay for purchased goods or services can participate
in e-commerce.

23. e-learning - learning done by studying at home using computers and courses provided
on the internet

24. VOIP - Stands for "Voice Over Internet Protocol," and is often pronounced "voip."
VoIP is basically a telephone connection over the Internet. The data is sent digitally,
using the Internet Protocol (IP) instead of analogue telephone lines. This allows people

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to talk to one another long-distance and around the world without having to pay long
distance or international phone charges.

In order to use VoIP, you need a computer, an Internet connection, and VoIP software.
You also need either a microphone, analogue telephone adapter, or VoIP telephone.

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Data Communication
This is the process of transmitting data and information over a communication medium such as
telephone line, cables, from a computer to a user or from one computer to another. Data
communication is essential for electronic mail (e-mail), facsimile (fax), telecommuting,
videoconferencing, global positioning system (GPS) and the internet.

Telecommunication
This is the transmission of data over a long distance without changing it. A telecommunication
system contains the following components:
⬧ A sender – who creates the information to be transmitted.
⬧ A medium – the physical path between sender and receiver
⬧ A receiver – who receives the transmitted information unchanged
⬧ A message – the information that is transmitted

A communication channel is the actual route that the message travels to get from sender to
receiver.

Transmission signals
Data transmitted over a network exists in either:
1. Analogue signals – are signals that we encounter everyday for example, speech.
2. Digital signals – are the language of modern computers which consists of 1’s and 0’s.

Modem- this is a device that converts analogue signals (telephone lines) to digital signals
(computer). The word modem comes from the words Modulate/Demodulate. Modulate means to
convert digital signals to analogue signals and demodulate means to convert analogue signals to
digital signals.
An internal modem is where the telephone line is plugged directly into the computer and an
external modem is plugged into a port on the back of the computer.
A modem enables a computer to send data to and from another computer, over a telephone line.
When sending data a modem converts digital data to analogue signals by varying (modulating)
the frequency of the carried wave. The modem receiving the signal performs the opposite
operation, that is to change (demodulate) the analogue signal back into digital code.

Transmission direction / communication modes

Data can be transmitted in three directions:
1. Simplex – this is where data flows in one direction only eg keyboard

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2. Half duplex – this is where data flows both ways but not at the same time eg flat bridge

3. Full duplex – this is where data can travel in both direction at the same time eg highway

Transmission speed
The amount of data a communication channel can carry depends on its bandwidth. Bandwidths
are quoted in bits per second (bps). There are four types of bandwidths:
1. Narrowband - this transmit data at 45-90 bps eg, telegraph
2. Voiceband – this transmit data between 110 and 9600 bps eg, telephone line
3. Medium band – this transmit data between 9600 and 256,000 bps eg, lines used between
mini and mainframe computers
4. Broadband:- This transmits multiple signals simultaneously. It transmits data up to
several millions bps (between the range of 256,000 and 1,000,000 bps). It is used for
high speed computers, satellites, and network cables.

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Transmission Media

This refers to the physical material along which data travels from one point to another. The
media you use is dependent on the distance of the data to be transmitted.
1. Twisted pairs – telephone line
2. Coaxial cable – cables that connect your television set to the cable television provider
3. Fibre optic cable – high speed and used in internet connections
4. Microwave – radio waves, infrared, x-rays
5. Satellite – picks up uninterrupted radio stations

Wired media in general is:

● High Speed
● Secure
● Used for comparatively shorter distances

Twisted Pair Media

Advantages:
● Better performance at a higher data rate in comparison to UTP
● Eliminates crosstalk
● Cheaper
● Comparatively faster

Disadvantages:
● Comparatively difficult to install and manufacture
● Bulky
● It is relatively slow
● Subject to interference or noise.

Coaxial media
Advantages:

● High bandwidth/speed
● Better noise Immunity
● Easy to install and expand
● Inexpensive
● Can accommodate both analogue and digital signals

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Disadvantages:
● Single cable failure can disrupt the entire network
● The cables can become bulky and heavy.
● Needs a booster over long distances. A booster increases the signal level before passing
the signal on the other part of the network.

Fibre Optic Cable

It uses the concept of reflection of light through a core made up of glass or plastic. The core is
surrounded by a less dense glass or plastic covering called the cladding. It is used for
transmission of large volumes of data.
These cables consist of clear glass fibres which allow data to be transmitted through them as
pulses of light (speed) rather than electronic signals.
This eliminates the problem of electrical interference.
They are also used as a standard medium for connecting networks between buildings as it is not
affected by moisture, lightning or corrosion.
Most telephone companies are replacing existing telephone lines (twisted pair) with fiber optic
cables.

Advantages:
● Increased capacity and bandwidth
● Light weight (The cables are smaller and lighter in
weight.)
● Less signal attenuation
● No interferences from other devices
● Transmit signals over much longer distances than
coaxial cable and twisted pair cables
● Better security for signals during transmission because
they are less susceptible to noise.
Disadvantages:
● Difficult to install and maintain
● Can be difficult to modify.
● High cost
● It is more expensive than the coaxial and twisted pair
cables.
● Fragile

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Radiowaves
These are easy to generate and can
penetrate through buildings. The sending
and receiving antennas need not be
aligned. Frequency Range: 3KHz –
1GHz. AM and FM radios and cordless
phones use Radio Waves for
transmission.

Further Categorized as: (i) Terrestrial and

(ii) Satellite.

Advantages
1) It is always in sight
2) There is no distance limitation

Disadvantage
1) Very expensive to set and maintain

Microwaves
It is a line of sight transmission i.e. the
sending and receiving antennas need to be
properly aligned with each other. The distance
covered by the signal is directly proportional
to the height of the antenna. Frequency
Range: 1GHz – 300GHz. These are majorly
used for mobile phone communication and
television distribution.

Advantages
1) Signals travel at the speed of light (3 * 108 mps)
2) Transmits both analogue and digital data.

Disadvantages
1) Signals cannot travel around corners or bends.
2) The signal cannot penetrate buildings

Examples of systems that use microwaves are:

● Paging systems – one way communication channel
● Cellular networks – two way communication channels

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Infrared

Infrared waves are used for very short distance

communication. They cannot penetrate through
obstacles. This prevents interference between
systems. Frequency Range: 300GHz – 400THz.
It is used in TV remotes, wireless mouse,
keyboard, printer, etc.

Advantage
1) Data can be transmitted directly from one device to another without the use of cables

Disadvantages
1) Requires a line-of-sight for transmission
2) Data can only be transmitted over short distances.

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References & Resources

http://ecomputernotes.com/computernetworkingnotes/communication-networks/what-is-transmis
sion-media-and-types-of-transmission-media

https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/types-transmission-media/

https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/transmission-modes-computer-networks/

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