Data Communication

Modem: Modulator/Demodulator, Types of Modems

Transmission of Digital Signals: Baseband & Broadband Transmissions
 Modem
• The term modem is a composite word that refers to the two functional
entities that make up the device: modulator and demodulator.
• A modulator creates a bandpass analog signal from binary data. A
demodulator recovers the binary data from the modulated signal.
 Types of Modem
• There are five types of modems: dialup modem, cable modem digital subscriber
line (DSL) modem, ISDN and wireless or radio frequency modem.
• A dialup modem sends a receives information over an analog telephone line.
• A cable modem uses coaxial cables that connect to the back of the modem and the
bolt-like outlet in your wall or on your cable box. This type of modem delivers
high speed internet to your device.
• DSL and dial-up modems use a cable that connects to your phone line. DSL,
however, still allows you to use your landline telephone while connected to the
internet.
• An ISDN modem sends digital data and information from a computer to an ISDN
line and receives digital data and information from an ISDN line.
• A Wireless Modem send and recive information over a wireless network.
 Dialup Modem
• To connect two computers or a computer to internet service provider (ISP)
via an analogue telephone line, a modem is required at each end of the
telephone line. The modem provides the interface between the digital
computer system and the analogue telephone line.
• The modem accepts a bit stream from the computer and uses it to modulate
a sine wave carrier on the telephone line. For incoming signals, the process
is reversed, and the carrier wave is demodulated to reproduce the original
stream of bits.
• The modem may be an add-on card mounted directly into the motherboard
of the PC (using an ISA or PCI slot) or implemented as an external unit in
its own.
• A modem that can send and receive faxes is called a fax modem.
 Types of dialup Modem
• V.32 and V.32 bis
▪ The V.32 modem uses a combined modulation and encoding technique called
trellis coded modulation. The data stream is divided into 4-bit sections . The
data rate of V.32 modems is 9600 bps.
▪ The V.32bis modem was the first of the ITU-T standards to support 14,400-bps
transmission and can just upward or downward speed depending on the of the
line or signal.
• V.34 bis
▪ The V.34bis modem provides a bit rate of 28,800 with a 960-point
constellation and a bit rate of 33,600 bps with a 1664-point constellation.
 Types of Dialup Modem
• 56K modems: V.90 & V.92
▪ Modems with a bit rate of 56,000 bps are called 56K modems.
▪ They are asymmetric in that the downloading rate (flow of data from the Internet
service provider to the PC) is a maximum of 56 kbps, while the uploading rate (flow
of data from the PC to the Internet provider) can be a maximum of 33.6 kbps.
▪ V.92 modems can adjust their speed, and if the noise allows, they can upload data at
the rate of 48 kbps. The downloading rate is still 56 kbps.
▪ The V.92 modem has additional features. For example, the modem can interrupt the
Internet connection when there is an incoming call if the line has call-waiting service.
 Cable Modem
• Cable offers a significant speed increase in Internet performance
compared to a dial-up connection and is one of the fastest broadband
solutions.
• A cable modem is a hardware device that allows your computer to
communicate with an Internet service provider over a coaxial cable
connection.
• A cable modem works by connecting a coaxial cable and then a Cat
5 (Ethernet) cord from the modem to a computer or network router.
Network routers share your Internet connection between multiple
computers. More modern cable modems may have the router built-in
with the ability to share the connection over Wi-Fi.
 Cable Modem
• Set top box
▪ A device that converts
video content to analog or
digital TV signals
• CMTS
▪ A cable modem
termination system or
CMTS is a piece of
equipment, typically
located in a cable
company's office, which is
used to provide high speed
data services, such as cable
Internet or Voice over
Internet Protocol, to cable
subscribers.
 Operation
• Signals enter the CMTS from the internet via high capacity links through
an Ethernet interface, and emerge on the other side as radio frequency (RF)
signals via a coaxial/RF interface. The RF signal carrying the Internet data is
then combined with the television signal, and transmitted via cable to the
subscriber's premises, where a splitter separates the Internet data from the
television signal once more.
• The RF Internet data is sent to the subscriber's cable modem via one coaxial
cable, while the TV signal is sent to a set top box via another coaxial cable.
Each CMTS can manage the Internet traffic for thousands of subscribers,
and any given headend may have a number of CMTSs.
 DSL modem
• DSL modems are hardware devices that allow your computer to
communicate with an Internet service provider over a DSL connection.
A traditional phone line (RJ-11) connects to the back of the DSL
modem, and a Cat 5 (Ethernet) cable connects the modem to router or
computer..
• DSL offers a significant speed increase in Internet performance
compared to a dial-up connection although is not as fast as most Cable
broadband connections.
 DSL Modem

DSLAM (Digital Subscriber Line Access Multiplexer)

A DSLAM, is a piece of hardware that splits the voice from the data traffic. This device is
located within the POP (Point of Presence) of a local operator, also called the Exchange,
property of the ISP or Internet Service Provider
 ISDN modem
• An ISDN modem sends digital data and information from a computer
to an ISDN line and receives digital data and information from
an ISDN line. ... ISDN and DSL modems usually are external devices,
in which one end connects to the telephone line and the other end
connects to a port on the system unit.
 Wireless Modem
• A wireless modem that uses the wireless network to connect to the
Internet wirelessly from a notebook computer, a smart phone, or other
mobile device. Wireless modems, which have an external or built-in
antenna, are available as PC Cards, ExpressCard modules, and flash
cards.
Transmission of Digital
Signals
Baseband & Broadband Transmissions
 Digital Signals
• Information can be represented by
❖ Analog signals
✔ Analog signals are continuous time and continuous value signals
❖ Digital signals
✔ Digital signals are Discrete time and discrete value signals
• A digital signal can have two are more than two levels (finite levels).
 Bandwidth of Digital signals
• Digital signals have infinite bandwidth
✔ The bandwidth is defined as the range of frequencies present in a composite
signal.
• Periodic digital signals have infinite bandwidth and discrete
frequencies
• Non-periodic digital signals have infinite bandwidth and continues
frequencies.
Time Domain and frequency Domain
representation of Digital Signals
 Baseband Transmission
Baseband transmission means sending a digital signal over a channel
without changing the digital signal to an analog signal. The Figure
shows baseband transmission.

Baseband transmission requires that we have a low-pass

channel, a channel with a bandwidth that starts from zero.
 Baseband Transmission
• In baseband we have a dedicated medium with a bandwidth
constituting only one channel. For example, the entire bandwidth of a
cable connecting two computers is one single channel.
• A low-pass channel with infinite bandwidth is ideal, but we cannot
have such a channel in real life. However, we can get close.
• As another example, we may connect several computers to a bus, but
not allow more than two stations to communicate at a time. Again we
have a low-pass channel, and we can use it for baseband
communication.
 Wide bandwidth and limited bandwidth
channels
• Low-Pass Channel with Wide Bandwidth
✔ Baseband transmission of a digital signal that preserves the shape of the digital
signal is possible only if we have a low-pass channel with an infinite or very
wide bandwidth.
• Low-Pass Channel with Limited Bandwidth
• In a low-pass channel with limited bandwidth, we approximate the digital
signal with an analog signal. The level of approximation depends on the
bandwidth available.
Broadband Transmission (Using Modulation)
• Broadband transmission or modulation means changing the digital
signal to an analog signal for transmission. Modulation allows us to
use a bandpass channel-a channel with a bandwidth that does not start
from zero. This type of channel is more available than a low-pass
channel. The figure shows a bandpass channel.
Conversion of digital signals to analog signals
 Baseband vs Broadband Transmission
Broadband Transmission is a transmission
Baseband Transmission is a transmission
technique that many signals with multiple
technique that one signal requires the entire
frequencies transmit data through a single channel
bandwidth of the channel to send data.
simultaneously.
Type of Signals
Uses digital signals Uses analog signals
Number of Signals
Sends one signal at a time Sends multiple signals simultaneously
Signal Range
Signals travel a long distance without much
Signals travel a short distance
attenuation
Transmission Type
Bidirectional Unidirectional
Multiplexing
Uses Time Division Multiplexing Uses Frequency Division Multiplexing
Examples
Ethernet is an example Cable TV, Wi-Fi