Communication devices

Communication Devices

DTE (Data Terminal Equipment) is the device that controls the data coming to or from a device such as a computer.  A DTE connects by a wired connection to a DCE (Data Communications Equipment). An example of a technology that can connect is a laptop. A laptop connects with a wired connect. A limitation would be if you do not have enough RAM (Random Access Memory) to hold the information of the internet connection. Another limitation would be the range of the connection. If you are too far away you would not have a very good connection to the internet.  

DCTE (Data Circuit-terminating Equipment) works together with the DTE. This allows you to connect to the internet or to the network service. The DCE controls the communication so it makes it easier to connect. An example would be a wireless router in your home. This would allow you to connect your laptop or other devices to the internet. A limitation could be if you do not have enough Ethernet ports to connect multiple devices. Another limitation of DCE would be if there was too much data. A DCE can only take a certain amount of data so if there was too much data it would get overloaded.

A laptop is a type of DTE that connects to a DCTE to connect to a network or the internet. Laptops can be either connected by a wired or a wireless connection. The connection is made by connecting the DCTE to the DTE then connecting the DCTE to the laptop. There are some limitations for a laptop. One of these limitations would be the range. If you could not reach to a connection you would not be able to get internet. This would be a problem if you were using an Ethernet cable.

A smartphone is another example of a DCTE. A smartphone connects wirelessly to the DCTE as there is no Ethernet cable built into smartphones. A smartphone uses a chip to communicate with the DCTE so you can still get internet. A limitation with smartphone is that you cannot connect via an Ethernet cable so the internet would be slower.

A switch is used for connecting multiple computers together to create a network. This allows all of the connected computers to have access to the internet. The switches have Ethernet ports that are used to connect to the internet.

A router also allows different networks to connect to each other. Routers allow you to connect to the internet. They can also manage the amount of bandwidth that each computer gets. This allows the internet to run smoothly to all of the computers connected.

 A wireless Access Point such as a router allows wireless devices to connect to a network. An example of a WAP would be Wi-Fi as you can connect to hotspot. These are mainly used in a public area. WAP’s are easy to connect to if there is a hotspot near. With public networks you normally have to just join the network but in some cases you have to put in some details.

A modem is a device that encodes digital signals into analog signals and transfers data via telephone lines. This allows you to connect to the internet easily and with no fuss. Today the routers have the modem built in so it makes it easier to set up when connecting to the internet.

A server is a computer that sends information to other computers. It can be used either in a LAN connection (Local Area Network) or in a WAN connection (Wide Area Network) via the internet. LAN servers are normally used in offices or in a school as it is all in the same area. An example of a WAN server would be a website server. This serves you the information and allows you to view the website.

References

Tech Terms (2014) Server definition [Online] Accessed at:  http://techterms.com/definition/server [Accessed on: 20/01/15]

Webopedia (2015) DTE – Data Terminal Equipment [Online] Accessed at: http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/D/DTE.html [Accessed on: 20/01/15]

Tech Terms (2014) Switch definition [Online] Accessed at:  http://techterms.com/definition/switch [Accessed on: 20/01/15]

Anderson, K. Atkinson-Beaumont, D.Kaye, A. Lawson, J. McGill, R. Phillips, J and Richardson, D., 2011. Information Technology Level 3 Book 2 BTEC National. Harlow: Pearson Education Limited.