Course Details

1. Describe the basic principles and characteristics of digital communications.
2. Establish a good background in digital communication systems.
3. Apply the main data encoding and digital modulation techniques on digital data.
4. Illustrate error detection and correction techniques for digital data communications.
5. Explain the switching and multiplexing techniques employed in modern computer networks.

Data transmission: Data transmission terminology. Parameters (amplitude, phase, frequency) of an analog and a digital signal in time and frequency domains. Comparison of analog and digital data transmission. Transmission impairments. Shannon’s and Nyquist’s theorems. Channel capacity over noisy and noise-free environments.

Transmission media: Introduction to the electromagnetic spectrum. Guided and unguided transmission media and their associated characteristics. Wireless transmission. Signal routes over wireless propagation links. Free space loss over line of sight transmission.

Signal encoding techniques: Digital encoding schemes (RZ, NRZ-L, NRZI, Bipolar-AMI, Pseudoternary, Manchester, Differential Manchester). Modulation techniques for digital data, analog signals (ASK, FSK, BFSK, MFSK, PSK, DPSK, QPSK, QAM).

Multiplexing: Frequency Division, Synchronous and Statistical Time Division Multiplexing techniques. Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line.

Digital Data Communication Techniques: Asynchronous and synchronous transmission methods over serial digital data communication links. Types of error for digital data. Error detection and correction techniques. Line configurations of various data links. Characteristics and relevant specifications of serial interfaces (USB, RS-232, Firewire).

• Behrouz A Forouzan, Data Communications and Networking, McGraw-Hill, 4th Ed., 2007
• Simon Haykin, Digital Communications, Wiley, 1988

• William Stallings, Data and Computer Communications, Pearson Prentice Hall, 8th Ed., 2009
• Fred Halsall, Data Communications, Computer Networks and Open Systems, Addison-Wesley, 4th Ed., 1997

Students are taught the course through lectures by means of computer presentations.

Homework require students to describe, explain, justify, and illustrate the main concepts taught at lectures.