Computer

Networking,
Multimedia Basics
(chapter – 5 )
Contents
➢What is a Network?
➢Types of Network
❑ PAN (Personal Area Network)
❑ LAN (Local Area Network)
❑ MAN (Metropolitan Area Network)
❑ WAN (Wide Area Network)
✓ Internet

➢Communication / Transmission Media

❑ Wired
✓ Twisted pair cables
✓ Coaxial cables
✓ Fiber optic cables
❑ Wireless
✓ Microwave
✓ Radio Waves
✓ Infrared
✓ Bluetooth
✓ Wi-Fi
Network
A Network is defined as a collection of devices connected together.
A computer network consists of two or more computers that are linked in order to share resources
(such as printers and CDs), exchange files, or allow electronic communications. The computers on a
network may be linked through cables, telephone lines, radio waves, satellites, or infrared light
beams.
Thus networking is needed because :
(i) It breaks the barriers of distance , cost and time.
(ii) It is very cost effective as compared to telephone networks.
(iii) All types of data viz. text, audio, video, pictures, graphics etc. can be transmitted through it.
STANDALONE COMPUTER : A computer that isn’t connected to a network is known
as a Stand Alone Computer.

WORKSTATION / NODE / HOST : A computer connected to a network is known as a

Workstation or a Node or a Host.
TYPES OF NETWORKS
A computer network is a collection of interlinked computers and/or devices through a
communication medium. A network can be small or large in size. If only a few computers are
connected to a network, then it is known as a small network. On the other hand, if there are a
large number of computers (more than 100 computers) connected to a network, then it is known
as a large network. Networks can be classified on the basis of their size, complexity and the
geographical area covered by them. As per geographical area, networks can be classified into
four types, namely Personal Area Network (PAN), Local Area Network (LAN), Metropolitan Area
Network (MAN) and Wide Area Network (WAN).

1) PERSONAL AREA NETWORK (PAN) : This type of network is used to

provide connectivity to the devices like printers, scanners, cellphones, PDAs, etc., belonging to
an individual. The coverage area of this network is very small and is in the range of just 5 to 10
meters.
2) LOCAL AREA NETWORK (LAN) : A local area network (LAN) is a collection of
devices connected together in one physical location, such as a building, office, or home. A LAN can be
small or large, ranging from a home network with one user to an enterprise network with thousands
of users and devices in an office or school. A LAN is nothing more than two or more computers is close
physical proximity to each other. The simplest example is your house. If you have for example, a
laptop and a phone both connected to the same Wi-Fi , that is a LAN.
Characteristics of LAN :
• LAN helps in resource sharing, for example, data, software and hardware.
• It transfers data at a high speed.
• LAN’s reach is limited.
• LAN technology is generally less expensive than MAN and WAN.
BENEFITS OF LAN :
The advantages of a LAN are the same as those for any group of devices
networked together. The devices can use a single internet connection,
share files with one another, print to shared printers, and be accessed
and even controlled by one another .
3) METROPOLITAN AREA NETWORK (MAN): A Metropolitan
A rea Ne twork (MA N) is a ne tw ork t ha t in t e r con n ec ts us er s wi th c omp u te r r es o ur c e s i n a
g eo g raphi c a rea o r r e gi on la rge r t ha n tha t co v e r e d by ev e n a lar g e l oc al a rea
n e tw ork (L A N) but s ma l l e r t h a n t h e a re a c o v e r e d by a w i de a re a n e tw ork ( WA N) .
The dis t in g u is hin g f e a ture s of MA N a re :

• N e tw o r k s iz e g e n e r al l y r a n g es fr o m 1 0 to 1 0 0 k m . It m a y b e a s s m a l l a s a g r o u p o f
b u i l d i n g s in a c a mp us to a s l a r g e a s c o ve r i n g th e w h o l e c i ty.
• D a ta r a te s a r e mo d e rate to h ig h .
• In g e n e ra l, a MAN is e i th e r o w n e d b y a u s e r g r o u p o r b y a n e tw o rk p r o vi d e r w h o
s e l l s s e r vic e to u s e r s, r a th er th a n a s i n g l e o r g a n i zati on a s i n L AN .
• It fa c i l i ta tes s h a rin g o f r e g i o n al r e s ou rces.
• Th e y p r o vi d e u p l i n k s fo r c o n n ecting L AN s to WAN s a n d in te r ne t.
• It o p e r ates a t a s p e e d o f 3 4 to 1 5 5 M b p s .
• Exp e n s i ve e q u ip ment i s r e q u i re d fo r fo r m i ng a M AN .
Examples of MAN :
• Cable TV network
• Telephone networks providing high-speed DSL lines
4) WIDE AREA NETWORK (WAN) : WAN is a type of network used to cover a
wide geographical area or region. It links different metropolitans , countries and national boundaries. It
may be located entirely within a state or country, or it may be interconnected around the world. The
transfer rate of WAN is up to 155 Mbps or less as it often uses public telephone networks or leased
transmission lines.
The characteristics of WAN are :
• WAN exists in an unlimited geographical area.
• It is very susceptible to errors due to the distances involved.
Wide Area Network Example :

• The Internet is a WAN.

• A network of bank cash dispensers is a WAN.
INTERNET
Internet is a computer-based worldwide information network. It can be assumed as an
example of WAN (Wide Area Network). The internet is composed of a large number of
smaller interconnected networks. These networks may link tens, hundreds, or thousands
of computers, enabling them to share information with each other and to share various
resources, such as powerful supercomputers and databases (collection of data) of
information. The internet has made it possible all over the world to effectively and
inexpensively communicate with each other. Unlike traditional broadcasting media, such
as radio and television, the Internet is a decentralized system. Each connected individual
can communicate with anyone else on the internet and publish idea.
COMMUNICATION/TRANSMISSION MEDIA
During the process of communication between the two devices, the one which sends the information, is called
transmitter and the other which receives the information, is called receiver. In between the two devices, the
medium that carries the information is called the communication channel or transmission media. The
information travels between the connected devices through these mediums . They can be wired or wireless. Type
of networking medium can be selected based on the factors like, data type to be transmitted, the speed and the
transmission distance.

Transmission Media

Wired Wireless

Twisted Pair
Coaxial Cables Fiber Optic Cables
Cables

Microwaves Radio Waves Infrared Bluetooth Wi-Fi

Wired Communication Technology
In this type of technology, a physical medium is used to provide connectivity between the
computers or devices. It is called a wired or guided network technology because the physical
medium involved in this technology is a wire which guide the signals from the source to the
destination. Different types of wires or cables can be used to transmit the data in the wired
technology like twisted pair cables, co-axial cables and optic fibre cables.
1) Twisted pair cables :
It contains two twisted wires that use copper as a conductor. These wires have plastic
insulation and are twisted. The cable wires are twisted to provide protection against
crosstalk and noise.
2) Co-axial Cable :
Coaxial cables can carry signals of higher frequency ranges than twisted pair cables. These
types of cables are generally used in the cable network systems to send the television
signals to the TV sets. These are made of hard copper wires surrounded by insulators. A
mesh of thin wires surrounds the insulator which is covered by a plastic jacket made up of
PVC. As the two conductors used in these cables are organized c0-axially, these are named
as c0-axial cables.
2) Fiber Optic Cables :
It is a type of cable that contains one or more optical fibres coated with plastic layers. Due to
their greater bandwidth, these cables can carry more data. These cables are thinner and
lighter than metallic cables. These are highly reliable cables to carry the information quickly
over the long distances. These are made up of ultra thin fibres of glass called core that can
carry light from a source at one end to a detector at the other end. Because of the total
internal reflection between the glass and cladding that covers the core fibre, there is a
minimum loss of light.
Wireless Communication Technology

In this technology ,there is no physical medium like wires are present to guide the signals to
the destination. That is why, these are also known as unguided transmission medium or
wireless transmission medium. In these, radio waves or microwaves are used to maintain
the communication channel between the two devices over a longer distance. Some other
wireless technologies like Bluetooth, Infrared, Wi-Fi are used for short distance data
transmission.
1) Microwave :
It refers to a radio system that uses high frequencies to send and receive data or
information. Due to high frequencies, microwave stations are located about 30 kilometres
apart. The microwave media follow the line-of-sight transmission. It means data signal is
transmitted in a straight line. Microwave systems have sufficient bandwidth capacity to
support a large number of voice channels and one or two TV channels.
2) Radio Waves :
Radio waves are the longest electromagnetic waves in the electromagnetic spectrum. The
wavelength used in radio waves is longer than that of visible light. The range of frequency
of radio waves can be from as small as 30 kHz to as large as 300 GHz. These frequencies are
divided into Very Low Frequency (VLF), Low Frequency (LF), Medium Frequency (MF),
High Frequency (HF), Very High Frequency (VHF), Ultra High Frequency (UHF), Super High
Frequency (SHF) and Extremely High Frequency (EHF).
3) Infrared :
This technology is used to connect the computing devices using short range wireless signals.
Infrared means below red. The visible light has wavelengths that ranges from red light to
violet. Infrared light lies between the visible and microwave portion of the electromagnetic
spectrum. That’s why this is not visible to the human eyes. This non-visible infrared light is
used to establish link between the two devices by pointing them at each other. Infrared
communication spans to a very short distance (up to 5 meters)and as they cannot penetrate
walls or other obstacles, the devices can only work in the direct line of sight. This technology
is used in remote control units of TVs, DVDs, ACs etc. to connect laptops to peripherals (such
as printers, wireless speakers) or to desktop computers for synchronizing work files.
4) Bluetooth :
Bluetooth technology is a global short range wireless standard that allows various electronic
devices to communicate with each other. It uses short wavelength radio wave transmission
for creating Personal Area Network (PAN) with high level of security at distances up to 10
meters (33 feet). It is commonly used for connecting electronic devices together such as
laptops, mobile phones, digital cameras and wireless headsets.
5) Wi-Fi :
It stands for Wireless Fidelity. It connects a computer over the network without any
wired connection between the sender and the receiver. To start working with Wi-Fi, you
need the following :
• A broadband internet connection.
• A wireless router (to get the connection from ISP).
• A laptop or desktop having a wireless Internet card or external wireless adaptor.
You can connect your computer to the Internet by enabling the Wi-Fi and using the
wireless network.
A hotspot is a public location that allows Wi-Fi access. The users can access the Internet
through the Wi-Fi on their laptop, Wi-Fi phone and Wi-Fi enabled devices. In addition,
hotspots also refers to public locations, such as libraries, hotels and airports, which can
either be free or fee-based wireless Internet access. Thousands of Wi-Fi hotspots are
located all over the world.