What is needed for a computer to communicate?

A communications device is any type of hardware capable of transmitting data, instructions, and information between a sending device and a receiving device. At the sending end, a communications device sends the data, instructions, or information from the sending device to a communications channel. At the receiving end, a communications device receives the signals from the communications channel.

Some types of communications devices: dial-up modems, digital modems, wireless modems, network cards, wireless access points, routers, hubs and switches, repeaters, bridges and gateways.

Dial-up modems:  A dial-up modem usually is in the form of an adapter

What is needed for a computer to communicate?
card that you insert in an expansion slot on a computer’s motherboard. One end of a standard telephone cord attaches to a port on the modem card and the other end plugs into a telephone outlet. [Explanation as to how it works: you usually double-click on the Internet Explorer or Mozilla icon, which initiates the dial-up process. You will hear a phone number being dialed, and then a series of clicks and beeps as the connection is being modulated to connect to your Internet Service Provider (ISP) modem. Once it is done, it has gets an Internet Protocol (IP) address from the ISP, which enables your computer to connect to the Internet network. This process is very slow and it is rarely used today.]  

Digital modems: A digital modem is a communications device that sends and receives data and information to and from a digital

What is needed for a computer to communicate?
line. These modems typically include
built-in Wi-Fi connectivity.

 

 

 

Wireless modems: A wireless modem is a modem that bypasses the telephone system and connects directly to a wireless network, through which it can directly access the Internet connectivity provided by an Internet Service Provider (ISP) e.g. FLOW or Digicel. Wireless modems may be prebuilt into smartphones, mobile phones and personal data assistants (PDAs).

What is needed for a computer to communicate?

Network cards- A network card, sometimes called a network interface card (NIC pronounced nick), is a communications device that enables a computer or device
that does not have built-in networking capability to access a network. The Ethernet card that you plug in at the back of the computer is connected to the NIC.

What is needed for a computer to communicate?

Wireless access points- Wireless access points (WAPs) are networking devices that allow Wi-Fi devices to connect to a wired network. They form Wireless Local

What is needed for a computer to communicate?
area network (WLANs). It acts as a central transmitter and receiver of wireless radio signals. [For example, WAP around the school allows students  to access the school’s network wirelessly from their classrooms, library, dorms, and other campus locations. To access the network, the notebook computer or mobile device must have built-in wireless capability or wireless network card].  

Routers: A router is hardware device designed to receive, analyze and move incoming packets of data to another network.  A router is a communications dev

What is needed for a computer to communicate?
ice that
connects multiple computers or other routers together and transmits data to its correct destination on a network.

 

 

 

 

Hubs and switches- A hub or switch is a device that provides a central point

What is needed for a computer to communicate?
for cables in a network. A hub is a networking device that allows one to connect multiple PCs to a single network.

 

 

 

Repeaters- A repeater is a network device that retransmits a received signal with more power and to an extended geographical network boundary than what would be capable with the original signal. A repeater is implemented in computer networks to expand the coverage area of the network, spread a weak or broken signal and/or service remote nodes. Repeaters amplify the received/input signal to a higher frequency domain so that it is reusable, scalable and available.

What is needed for a computer to communicate?

Bridges- A bridge is a type of computer network device that provides interconnection with other bridge networks that use the same protocol. Bridge devices are used to connect two different networks together and provide communication between them

What is needed for a computer to communicate?

Gateways- A gateway is a data communication device that provides a remote network with connectivity to a host network. Gateways serve as the entry and exit point of a network; all data routed inward or outward must first pass through and communicate with the gateway in order to use routing paths.

What is needed for a computer to communicate?

ROUTER VS MODEM: In short, your router creates a network between the computers in your home or office, while your modem connects the network-and thus the computers on it – to the internet.

ROUTER VS WIRELESS ACCESS POINT: A WAP is a device that allows clients to connect wirelessly while a router is a network device that directs the traffic from one network element to another.

WHY DO COMPUTERS NEED COMMUNICATION DEVICES?

A computer can work fine without a communication device. However, for a computer to communicate with other computers they need a communication device. For example, for your computer to connect to the Internet to view a web page it needs a communication device. Without a communication device you’d have to use a sneaker net to transfer or share data between computers. Sneaker net is an informal term for the transfer of electronic information by physically moving media such as magnetic tape, floppy disks, optical discs, USB flash drives or external hard drives between computers, rather than transmitting it over a computer network.

 

Questions

  1. List two wireless and two wired communication devices.
  2. ____________________ is responsible for moving packets of data in the network.
  3. This communication device is prebuilt in smart phones__________________
  4. With ______________________ you have to call your ISP to connect to the Internet using telephone line but with ________________________ you use a digital line to connect to the internet.
  5. _______________________ enables computers to have networking capability.
  6. ________________________ allow persons to connect to a wired network wirelessly.
  7. This communication device is the central point for all cables used in a network_______________.
  1. _____________ are devices that are used to connect two different networks together and provide communication between them.
  2. A ________ is implemented in computer networks to expand the coverage area of the network
  3. Devices that serve as the entry and exit point of a network are called __

 

Next Topic: Objective 2: Describe correctly at least three communication software that are used in computer networks- Communication software should include applications for IRC, email, Internet telephony, pod-casting, blogging, and file transfer.

How does a computer communicate?

Computer communications uses protocols which establish a set of rules for the communication to be successful and error free. The protocol architecture can let the data to transmit from a computer to another within a specific set of operations using hardware and software.

What is one of the main ways to communicate with a computer?

The keyboard is one of the main ways to communicate with a computer. There are many different types of keyboards, but most are very similar and allow you to accomplish the same basic tasks.