Fundamentals of Data Communication Networks

What every electrical engineering student and technical professional needs to know about data exchange across networks

While most electrical engineering students learn how the individual components that make up data communication technologies work, they rarely learn how the parts work together in complete data communication networks. In part, this is due to the fact that until now there have been no texts on data communication networking written for undergraduate electrical engineering students. Based on the author’s years of classroom experience, Fundamentals of Data Communication Networks fills that gap in the pedagogical literature, providing readers with a much-needed overview of all relevant aspects of data communication networking, addressed from the perspective of the various technologies involved.

The demand for information exchange in networks continues to grow at a staggering rate, and that demand will continue to mount exponentially as the number of interconnected IoT-enabled devices grows to an expected twenty-six billion by the year 2020. Never has it been more urgent for engineering students to understand the fundamental science and technology behind data communication, and this book, the first of its kind, gives them that understanding. To achieve this goal, the book:

Combines signal theory, data protocols, and wireless networking concepts into one textExplores the full range of issues that affect common processes such as media downloads and online gamesAddresses services for the network layer, the transport layer, and the application layerInvestigates multiple access schemes and local area networks with coverage of services for the physical layer and the data link layerDescribes mobile communication networks and critical issues in network securityIncludes problem sets in each chapter to test and fine-tune readers’ understanding Fundamentals of Data Communication Networks is a must-read for advanced undergraduates and graduate students in electrical and computer engineering. It is also a valuable working resource for researchers, electrical engineers, and technical professionals.