Getting Started with Communications Engineering

Communication engineering forms an essential part of our daily life. Therefore, it becomes necessary to understand the basics of Communication engineering in different domains. In this article, we will study what is communication engineering and which components are used in communication engineering.

We will also discuss the different types of communication engineering and see some basic characteristics of communication engineering. We will cover the advantages, disadvantages, and applications of communication engineering. Later, we will study some solved examples and conclude the article with some frequently asked questions that readers can refer to.

What is Communications Engineering?

As the name suggests, communication engineering is a form of engineering that is used for establishing connections between people, and systems servers to ensure proper communication between them. This connection is established using the principles of communication engineering that help to coordinate between different systems, servers, satellites, and RADARS.

Let us study the different components necessary in communication engineering.

Components of Communications Engineering

Let us see the basic components that make up a communication channel

Communication System

• Information Source: This refers to the source which generates the necessary information that needs to be communicated to the receiver at the other end of communication system.
• Transmitter: Transmitter is the device which converts the input signal into a form that can be easily transmitted, this is known as modulation. This is mainly necessary for wireless communication where information is passed in the form of radio waves through transmission antennas.
• Channel: Channel can be defined as a physical medium used for transferring signal from sender to the receiver end. It can also be used in case there are multiple sources which need to be combined at channel before passing it to the receiver.
• Noise: Noise can be termed as an unwanted disturbance in our signal. During the transmission of signal different channels can introduce unwanted disturbance in our signal which can corrupt the original message.
• Receiver: Receiver performs the task of demodulating the data it receives. This is done to ensure that data is available in a form such that it can be interpreted by the user. Therefore, the original message is obtained at this point.
• User: This is the person or device who is present at th receiving end to receive the original message.

Types of Communications Engineering

There are different types of Communication Engineering based on some parameters.

Types of Communication Engineering Based on Type of Signal

1. Analog Communications
2. Digital Communications

Types of Communication Engineering Based on Channel

1. Wired Communication
2. Wireless Communication

Let us study the two different types of communication engineering based on type of signal

Analog Communications

Analog Communications Engineering is used for transferring analogue signals. These signals can have any amplitude value between a given range. Therefore, there are infinite possible amplitude values for signal amplitude.

Example: Signals used in Telephone and radio communication

Digital Communications

Digital Communications Engineering is used for transferring Digital signals. These signals can only have discrete value between a given range. Therefore, there are only two possible amplitude values for signal amplitude i.e. ‘0’ and ‘1’.

Example: Signals used in transferring emails, SMS, videos or other messages.

Types of communication signals

Let us study the two different types of communication engineering based on channel used

Wired Communication

As the name suggests, a wired communication uses a physical medium like wire for transferring information from source to destination. This is generally used for communication over a short range.

Example: Parallel wire communication, Twisted wire communication, Coaxial cable communication, Optical fibre communication

Wireless Communication

As the name suggests, a wireless communication doesn’t use a physical medium for transferring information from source to destination. It involves use of RADARs and antennas for transferring signal as radio waves. This is generally used for long distance communication.

Example: Ground wave communication, Skywave communication, Space wave communication, Satellite communication

Transmission Media

As the name suggests, transmission medium is any channel in a Communication system that is used for transferring data from source to destination. Since data is transferred through electromagnetic waves, a transmission medium must support these electromagnetic waves.

Let us see the classification of transmission media:

Guided Media

Guided Media can be described as a form of medium that uses wires to transfer signal data from source to destination. Therefore, it is also known as wired transmission medium that uses links. It is generally used for transferring data securely over short distances.

Example: Twisted Pair Cable , Coaxial Cable, Optical Fiber Cable, microstrip line, Stripeline.

Unguided Media

Unguided Media can be described as a form of medium that does not use any physical medium to transfer signal data from source to destination. Therefore, it is also known as wireless transmission medium that is unbounded. It is generally used for transferring data over large distances.

Example: Radio waves, Microwaves, Infrared.

Modulation

Modulation is the method used in communication systems to covert the original signal into a form that allows it to be transmitted efficiently. This is done by adding a modulating signal to the original signal. Here are the two type of modulation:

• Analog Modulation: In analogue modulation, the modulation is performed on an analog signal so that carrier signal can be transmitted over large distances. For example amplitude Modulation, Frequency Modulation, Phase Modulation
• Digital Modulation: In digital modulation, the modulation is performed on digital signals so that the analog carrier wave can travel over large distances. For example bandpass modulation and Passband modulation.

Multiplexing Techniques

The term multiplexing is used for efficiently using the available bandwidth in the communication system. A formal definition of multiplexing is

Multiplexing is a method of sending one or more signals over a single channel by sharing the available bandwidth.

Let us study the types of multiplexing

• Time Division Multiplexing: This method of multiplexing involves sharing of a certain bandwidth by the different stations of communication system on a time basis. This allows enough time for each station to broadcast their signal.
• Code Division Multiplexing: This mode of multiplexing is based on a certain code which is allotted to each station in the communication system. The code is then decode by the system to allow signal transfer.
• Frequency Division Multiplexing: This technique is based on dividing the available bandwidth of the communication system between the different stations. Note that this can only be applied when bandwidth of whole system is greater than the individual station bandwidth.

Characteristics of Communications Engineering

Let us see some characteristics of communication engineering

• Communication Engineering systems are used for transmitting and receiving signals efficiently with minimum noise. This generally involves techniques like modulation and demodulation.
• Communication Engineering systems need to ensure proper security of information being transferred to prevent any unauthorized access. This is done using techniques like encryption and authentication.
• Communication Engineering systems also include some methods to detect and correct the errors in our data. This is done using some error-detecting codes to make modifications in data with errors.
• Communication Engineering systems transfers data securely through certain set of protocols called transmission protocols for example local area networks (LANs), wide area networks (WANs), and the internet.
• Communication Engineering systems also provide the feature of multiplexing and demultiplexing. This is done to efficiently transfer signals in given bandwidth by dividing certain bandwidth to each signal.

Advantages of Communications Engineering

Let us study some advantages of communications engineering

• Communication Engineering provides an efficient method for transmitting signals over long ranges and helps to establish necessary connection between systems.
• Communication Engineering helps to transfer the signal by efficiently managing the bandwidth available. This is done by multiplexing of signals over a given channel bandwidth.
• Communication Engineering helps to transfer data safely with full security. This encryption is necessary when some important and private information is being transferred.
• Communication Engineering can transfer data without occupying much storage. This is done by compressing the data being transferred using compression techniques.
• Communication Engineering is used for transferring data with high speed and by ensuring proper reliability and integrity of the information.

Disadvantages of Communications Engineering

Let us study some disadvantages of communications engineering

• Communication engineering involves huge infrastructure for implementing the whole setup. This increases the cost required for implementation especially when it is being implemented on a large scale.
• No matter how much encrypted the data is, there is always a security thread of data being transmitted. Hackers can use advanced technology to hack the weak communication system to obtain sensitive information.
• The quality of signals can deteriorate as it passes through communication systems. This can be attributed to environmental factors or physical factors that can degrade the quality of signal.
• Communication Systems require huge power for performing tasks like modulation, demodulation, encoding, decoding etc. This can lead to environmental degradation due to unnecessary power used.
• The lack of equal distribution of technological resources among people can lead to a disparity among the public. Not everyone will have equal access to the benefits of communication system leading to a gap in the society.

Applications of Communications Engineering

Let us study some applications of communications engineering

• Communication Engineering is used for transferring data using fibre optics. They are generally used by companies for transferring data at a high rate and over long distances.
• Communication Engineering is used for establishing connections between satellites and base stations. This is done using wireless communication to collect the data from satellites like weather forecast and GPS.
• Communication Engineering is used in wireless LAN networks like wi-fi or Bluetooth for transferring messages through mobile phones and computers.
• Communication engineering is used in entertainment and news industry. It is used for broadcasting information for news and is even used for radio broadcasting using radio waves.
• Smart devices like home automation systems or other motion sensors employ the use of communication engineering for implementing communication protocols and establishing connections.

Conclusion

We have seen how communications engineering form an integral part of engineering. We have seen how Communication Engineering is used in almost every domain to receive and transfer all the necessary information between to systems. We have also seen how communication systems can be either wireless or wired depending on our needs. Despite, the great features offered by communication engineering, there are certain limitations associated with it. Advancement in technology is being made to make Communication Engineering systems more efficient with time.

Communication Engineering – FAQs

What is modulation in Communication Engineering ?

Modulation in Communication Engineering refers to converting the original signal in a digital form such that it can be transferred conveniently over a medium.

On what basis can Communication Engineering systems be classified?

Communication Engineering is classified on the basis of medium of transmission as wired and wireless and on the basis of type of signal as analogue and digital.

What are the components involved in a Communication Engineering system?

The components used in Communication Engineering systems include Information Source, Input Transducer, Transmitter, Channel, Receiver, Output Transducer