Module 1 NETWORK SUMMARY
Internet is a Collections networks that can freely communicate with each other
Types of Networks
Small Home Networks; Connect a few computers to each other and the computer e.g.
smartphones and tablets
Small office and home office Network (SOHO); is a network for small businesses that often
run out of small office spaces, homes, or even virtually e.g. a small business with few
employees
Medium to large networks: Network used by a school or cooperation e.g. a university
campus
Worldwide networks; connect hundreds of millions of computers worldwide
Data: Information that is translated, processed, or stored by a computer
Types of Data
Volunteered data; is data shared by individuals such as social network profile
inferred data; is data you generate by activity or information derived from existing data e.g.
credit card, credit score
observed data; is captured by recording the actions of individuals such as location data
when using cell phones
Bit is the smallest piece of data on a computer, and it is just 0 and 1
Byte is a group of 8 bits that is represented by numbers and letters
Media: refers to the physical medium on which the signals are transmitted. Examples of
media are copper wire, fiber-optic cable, and electromagnetic waves through the air.
A signal consists of electrical or optical patterns that are transmitted from one connected
device to another.
Methods of Signal transmission
Electrical signals - Transmission is achieved by representing data as electrical pulses on
copper wire.
Optical signals - Transmission is achieved by converting the electrical signals into light
pulses.
Wireless signals - Transmission is achieved by using infrared, microwave, or radio waves
through the air.
Bandwith is the maximum data transmission capacity over a network, measured by
bits per second
throughput is the amount of data that travels across a network, from a source to a
destination, over a given period.
However, due to several factors, throughput does not usually match the specified
bandwidth. Many factors influence throughput including:
The amount of data being sent and received over the connection
The types of data being transmitted
The latency created by the number of network devices encountered between source
and destination
While Latency refers to the amount of time, including delays, for data to travel from one
given point to another.
