1.4 Connectivity

Question 1

What are the different connectivity methods?

Answer 1

Infrared, Bluetooth, Fibre optic, Laser, Wireless, Copper cables, Microwave, GSM / 5G and Satellites

Question 2

Advantages of Infrared

Answer 2

1) Inexpensive to install
2) Works over low bandwidth of 115Kbps
3) Works well over shorter distances - 10m

Question 3

Disadvantages of Infrared

Answer 3

1) Only works in line of sight
2) Short range - only 10m
3) Low bandwidth

Question 4

Advantages of Bluetooth

Answer 4

1) Works over good bandwidth of 24mbps
2) Excellent over short distance through walls
3) Passwords only allow users to connect
4) World standard devices are compatible

Question 5

Disadvantages of Bluetooth

Answer 5

1) Short range technology
2) Not high bandwidth

Question 6

Advantages of Fibre optic

Answer 6

1) Carry signals over large distances - 100m
2) Extremely large data capacity
3) Immune to interference and corrosion
4) Can be used for different services at the same time
5) Plenty of bandwidth
6) Excellent security

Question 7

Disadvantages of Fibre optic

Answer 7

1) More expensive than copper cabling
2) Needs specialist operators to install fibre
3) Failures more catastrophic than copper - all go off
4) Connecting fibres together is difficult

Question 8

Advantages of Laser

Answer 8

1) Wide bandwidth compared to infrared
2) Can be set up quickly

Question 9

Disadvantages of Laser

Answer 9

1) Affected by the weather - fog or storm
2) Requires line of sight to work

Question 10

Advantages of Wireless

Answer 10

1) No physical cables needed
2) Device can work anywhere within range
3) Works on different floors
4) Smartphones can roam without 3G charges
5) Sufficient bandwidth for most users
6) wi-fi certified devices are compatible

Question 11

Disadvantages of Wireless

Answer 11

1) Slower than cabled networks - 54mbps vs 100mbps
2) Requires wireless access point (WAP)
3) Only supports limited number of connections
4) Performance depends on structure of building

Question 12

Advantages of Copper cables

Answer 12

1) Cheaper than fibre optic
2) Easier to bend into shape
3) Less likely to break

Question 13

Disadvantages of Copper cables

Answer 13

1) Poorly insulated - prone to interference
2) lower bandwidth than fibre optic

Question 14

Advantages of Microwave

Answer 14

1) Large amounts of data can be transferred
2) Radio waves are used to send signals

Question 15

Disadvantages of Microwave

Answer 15

1) Must be in line of sight to work
2) Affected by bad weather - interference

Question 16

Advantages of Satellite

Answer 16

1) Satellites can transmit data up to 45,000 miles

Question 17

Disadvantages of Satellites

Answer 17

1) There is a delay between data transmission and it being recieved
This is due to the large distance covered

Question 18

Facts about GSM / 5G

Answer 18

1) GSM used to connect networks, calls and messages
2) Each generation has faster and more secure networks
3) Currently we have 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G