DATA COMMUNICATION MODEMS

by Clark C. Lugartos and Sherwin Brenz F. Ocampo

Data Communications Modems

• Most common type of data communications equipment

(DCE)
• Also called datasets, dataphones, or simply modems
• modulator + demodulator = modem
HISTORY

• 1960s – in the business world, there is a need to exchange

digital information between computer, computer
terminals, and other computer-controlled equipment
separated by substantial distances
• Analog voice-band telephone circuits – the only available
transmission facility
• Voice Band Modems – designed to operate over the
limited bandwidth of public telephone network (300Hz to
3kHz)
Primary Purpose of Modem

• To interface computers, computer networks, and other

digital terminal equipment to analog communications
facilities
• Other use: Used when computers are too far apart to be
directly interconnected using standard computer cables.
How modems are used to facilitate the
transmission of digital data
A modem is located between DTE and analog
communications channel. Modems work in pairs with one
located at each end of a data communications circuit.
The modems do not need to be manufactured by the same
company, however they must use compatible modulation
schemes, data encoding, formats and transmission rates
Plain Old Telephone Service
(POTS) Modem
• Most common and simplest modem available intended for
interfacing DTE through a serial interface to standard
voice-band telephone lines
• transmission rate of 300bps to 56kbps
• also called telephone-loop modems, since they are
connected to the telephone company through the same
local loops used for voice telephone circuits
Broadband Modems

• Capable of transporting data at much higher bit rates over

wideband communications channels
*optical fiber
*coaxial cable
*microwave radio
*satellite communications
• can operate using a different set of standards and
protocols than telephone loop modems
RS232 - A kind of EIA Standards for digital interfacing. It is
an interface between the DTE and DCE employing serial
binary data interchange. Specifies handshaking and
functions between DTE and DCE
-modulator
-digital signals are encoded onto an analog carrier and these digital signals
modulate the carrier
-output: analog signal carrying digital information
-Digital to Analog Converter
-demodulator
-extract digital information from digitally modulated analog carriers
-Analog to Digital Converter
A modem is a transparent repeater that converts electrical
signals received in digital form to electrical signals in analog
form and vice versa

it simply repeats or
does not interpret or change the retransmits the data
information contained in the data
Bit Rate and Baud Rate

• The baud rate is the rate at which information is

transferred in a communication channel
• The bit rate the number of bits per second that can be
transmitted along a digital network.
Simplified Block Diagram for an
Asynchronous FSK Modem
 Transmit section – accepts
digital information from the
serial interface, converts it to
appropriate voltage levels, and
directs it to the modulator

Serial Interface Circuit –

manages the flow of control,
timing, and data information to
be transferred between the DTE
and modem, which includes
handshaking signals and clocking
information

Receive section – receives

digital information from the
demodulator, converts it to
appropriate voltage levels, and
directs it to the serial interface
 Modulator – receives digital
information from the serial
interface circuit, converts
digital changes in the
information to analog changes
in the carrier

Demodulator – receives
modulated signals from the
BPF and equalizer, converts
the digitally modulated analog
signals to digital signals
Transmit BPF – limits the
bandwidth of the digitally
modulated analog signals to a
bandwidth appropriate for
transmission over a standard
telephone circuit

Bandpass filter and Equalizer –

located in both the transmitter
and receiver sections

Receive BPF – limits the

bandwidth of the signals
allowed to reach the
demodulator, thus reducing
noise and improving system
performance
Equalizer – compensate for
bandwidth and gain
imperfections typically
experienced on voice band
telephone lines
MODEM EQUALIZERS

• Equalization – the compensation for phase delay

distortion and amplitude distortion inherently present on
telephone communications channel
Compromise Equalizers

• located in the transmit section of a modem and provide pre-

equalization
• they shape the transmitted signal by altering its delay and gain
characteristics before the signal reaches the telephone line.
• When a modem is installed, they are manually adjusted to provide
the best error performance (the setting that achieves this is
dependent on electrical length and the type of facilities). Typically
they affect the following:
1. amplitude only 3. amplitude and delay
2. delay only 4. neither amplitude nor delay
Adaptive Equalizers

• located in the receiver section of the modem, where they provide

post-equalization to the received signals
• automatically adjust their gain and delay characteristics to
compensate for phase and amplitude impairments encountered on
the communications channel
Telco Interface Circuit –
matches the impedance of the
modem to the impedance of
the telephone line and regulate
the amplitude of the transmit
signal
-also provides electrical
isolation and protection ;
serves as the separation point
between subscriber equipment
and telephone company
provided equipment
Carrier and Clock Generation
Circuit
• Carrier generation circuit – produces the analog
carriers necessary for the modulation and demodulation
process
• Clock generation circuit – generates the appropriate
clock and timing signals required for performing transmit
and receive functions in an orderly and timely fashion
Bell Systems

• American Telephone & Telegraph (AT&T) once owned 90%

of the telephone companies in the United Stated. They
only allowed equipment manufactured by Western
Electronic Company (WECO) and furnished by Bell
Systems to be connected to AT&T telephone lines. At one
time making, Bell System Modems virtually the only
modems in existence
Carterfone Decision

• AT&T lost a landmark Supreme Court decision in 1968

which allowed equipment manufactured by non-Bell
companies to interconnect to the vast AT&T
communications network
• began the interconnect industry, which has led to
competitive data communications offerings by a large
number of independent companies
Bell Systems Today

• Today, the Bell System-compatible modems are used

primarily on relatively simple telemetry circuits, such as
remote alarm systems and on metropolitan and wide-area
private-line data networks such as those used by
department stores.
Modem Classifications

• General classification: asynchronous and synchronous

• Can be categorized to
-internal or external
-low speed, medium speed, high speed or very high speed
-wide band or voice band
-personal or commercial
• Regardless of classification, they all share a common goal:
To convert digital pulses to analog signals in the
transmitter and analog signals to digital pulses in the
receiver
Asynchronous Voice Band Modems

• generally classified as low speed voice band modems

• use relatively simple modulation schemes: ASK and FSK
• restricted to relatively low speed applications, generally
less than 2400bps such as telemetry and caller ID
• Example: Bell system 103 and Bell system 202T/S
Bell System 103
• capable of full duplex operation over a two wire
telephone line at bit rates up to 300bps and operates on
300 baud
• there are two data channels, each with their own mark
and space frequencies
• full duplex operation
  Low band channel High band channel
Bandwidth 300Hz to 1650Hz 1650Hz to 3000Hz
Mark frequency 1270Hz 2225Hz
Space frequency 1070Hz 2025Hz
Bell System 202T/S
• 1200 baud transceiver utilizing FSK with transmission rate
of 1200bps

202T 202S
Four wire Two-wire
Full duplex Half duplex
Utilized on four-wire private- Designed for two-wire
line data circuits switched public telephone
network
Synchronous Voice Band Modems
• uses PSK or QAM
• transmission rates between 2400bps and 56000bps
• added clock and carrier recovery circuits
Phase Shift Keying (PSK)
• commonly used in medium speed synchronous voice-band
modems operating between 2400bps to 4800bps
  QPSK 8 PSK
Transmission Rate 2400 bps 4800 bps
Bandwidth Efficiency 2 bps/Hz 3 bps/Hz
Baud Rate 1200 baud 1600 baud
Minimum Bandwidth 1200 Hz 1600 Hz
Modem 201 C 208 A
Modem Carrier 1600 Hz 1600 Hz
Frequency
Modem Output 1000Hz-2200Hz 800Hz-2400 Hz
Spectrum
Phase Shift Keying (PSK)
• 201 C and 208A – full duplex modems designed to be used
with four wire private-line circuits
• Can operate over two wire dial up circuit but only in
simplex mode
• Half duplex two wire versions: 201 B and 208 B
16-QAM (Quadrature Amplitude
Modulation)
• high speed synchronous voice band modems that
opearate at 9600 bps
  16 QAM
Transmission Rate 9600 bps
Bandwidth Efficiency 4 bps/Hz
Baud Rate 2400 baud
Minimum Bandwidth 2400 Hz
Modem 209 A
Modem Carrier Frequency 1650 Hz
Modem Output Spectrum 450Hz-2850Hz
16-QAM (Quadrature Amplitude
Modulation)
• 209 A – four wire synchronous voice band modem
designed to be used on full duplex private line circuits
• 209 B – two wire version designed for half duplex
operation on dial up circuits
MODEM SYNCHRONIZATION
• Training sequence – during the request-to-send/clear-to-
send (RTS/CTS) delay, a transmit modem outputs a
special, internally generated bit pattern called training
sequence
-used to synchronize the receive modem at the distant
end of the communications channel
MODEM SYNCHRONIZATION
• Functions of training sequence:
1. initializes the communications channel
2. verifies continuity
3. initialize descrambler circuits in receive modem
4. initialize automatic equalizers in receive modem
5. synchronize the receive modem’s carrier to the transmit modem’s
carrier
6. synchronize the receive modem’s clock to the transmit modem’s
clock
 Additional facts!
Funtionality Modem Router
Layer Data Link Layer Network Layer
Function Facilitates a connection to the Internet Directs data in a network. Passes data
by transmitting and receiving data over between home computers and modems
telephone lines
Ports 2 ports. One for ISP and one for router 2/4/8 ports
Data Transmission Form Packet Packet
Device type Inter-networking device Networking device
Connections Can connect to 1 PC using Ethernet port Can connect to multiple PC’s or
networking devices via Ethernet port or
Wireless connection (WiFi)
Necessary for Internet Yes. No, but provides additional security and
Connection? allow for multiple connections
Independent Yes. A modem can work without a Routers can share information between
router, delivering information (such as computers, but cannot connect to the
Internet access) to a single PC Internet without a modem
Security No security measures Provides security measures to proctect
network
Thank you for Listening!
Interesting Facts about Routers
• Wireless Internet was founded in September 1990! Wi-Fi is only few years away
before its 30th birthday
• With a whopping 71% of mobile communications flowing over wireless internet,
Wi-Fi is now the biggest transmitter of communications around the world!
• Previous names for Wi-Fi were WaveLAN, FlankSpeed, DragonFly, WECA, and
IEEE 802.11b Direct Sequence, before the more consumer friendly name of WiFi
was adopted.
• Interbrand invented the term “Wi-Fi” as a play on words of the term “Hi-Fi” or
“High Fidelity”. However, Wi-Fi doesn’t actually stand for anything. What added
to the confusion was the Wi-Fi Alliance’s use of a non-sense advertising slogan.
“The Standard for Wireless Fidelity” which lead people to think that Wi-Fi was an
abbreviation of “Wireless “Fidelity”
• With the global average internet speed sitting at 5.6Mbps, South Korea is storming
ahead as the fastest country in the world with an average internet speed of
26.7Mbps!
• Wi-Fi signals generally emit from your router in a doughnut shape.
• 5GHz Wi-Fi actually starts at around 4.9GHz and goes all the way to 5.7GHz – this can
vary widely between different regions due to what frequencies are allowed.
• Ethernet – the most commonly used wired network standard, was invented almost
half a century ago in the early 1970’s by Bob Metcalfe.
• In the early days of computer networking, coaxial cables were used, the same type
of cabling that is commonly used for cable or satellite TV today.
• In 1992, Vinton G. Cerf, VP, known as the “Father of the Internet,” first predicted that
IP would appear on everything. He also wore a controversial T-shirt with the phrase,
which apparently caused quite the stir at the time!
• You may have only heard it recently, but the term Internet of Things (IoT) has
actually been around for almost 20 years! It was first coined in 1999 by Kevin Ashton,
a British visionary and engineer.
• In 2016 there was approximately 7 billion people living on the planet, and over 23
billion devices connected to the Internet – that’s an average of 3 devices per
person
• By 2020 it is estimated there will be over 50 billion Wi-Fi connected devices
worldwide being used by 7.8 billion people – over doubling the amount of
average devices per person!
• In 2016 over 15 billion Wi-Fi connected devices were shipped across the globe!
• 90% of consumers are being driven towards the connected smart home trend
by better security for their homes and families.
• Right now 3.7billion people are using the Internet – that’s over half the world’s
population connected to the world wide web just like you are