Please respond to BOTH of the following prompts.
Question A
What are the most common wireless technologies in use today on computer networks, and what capabilities do they provide that increase mobility?
Question B
What is the difference between asynchronous and synchronous network connections, and why is it important to know the difference?
ANSWER THE ABOVE DISCUSSION TO BOTH QUESTIONS, THEN REPLY TO CLASSMATE DISCUSSION EXPLAINING WHY YOU AGREE.
CLASSMATE’S DISCUSSION
Question A
The most common wireless technologies existing today are a mix of wireless LANs (WLAN), cellular (4G/5G), and Bluetooth. All of these utilize various segments of the radio frequency spectrum but all allow mobility to a degree in their implemented use for information systems. Wireless LAN technologies (B, G, N, AC, and the latest AX) allow for network convergence within a small area or a corporate campus through the use of bridges and/or repeaters (e.g. Cisco Meraki routers) that allow for one to travel vast spans without the need to re-connect to a different network. Cellular wireless technologies have increased in capabilities and accessibility, allowing not only phones, but smart devices and vehicles to communicate wireless to provide things like tracking and health/maintenance/wellness reports. Bluetooth, though limited in distance (approx. 30 feet) allows for ease of device connectivity that can also assist in increasing productivity by wirelessly connecting to these various devices.
Question B
Asynchronous connections are comprised of singular bytes of data that when combined with start, stop, and an error checking parity bits that make up a data packet frame that is then sent in a half-duplex means to a distant end and require minimal hardware and/or software to compute, but because of these extra added bits, make asynchronous connections slow. Synchronous connections are generally eight bits in length, are comprised of a starting sequence flag, control byte (information about data and/or status of sender/receiver), address byte (identifies the frame destination), the actual data being sent, followed by a cyclic checksum (ensures the frame is recompiled in the correct sequence), and a stop flag byte. These synchronous connections are also more efficient than the previous because of the composition structure and how the distant-end can read/understand them faster without waiting for the next packet to arrive in a full-duplex manner. Because of this, it’s important to note which connection type being utilized will support a function, application, or codec to avoid latency or other performance issues.
