Inside Modem

Introduction to Modem

Modem (from modulator-demodulator) is a device that modulates an analog carrier signal to encode digital information, and also demodulates such a carrier signal to decode the transmitted information.

The goal is to produce a signal that can be transmitted easily and decoded to reproduce the original digital data. Modems can be used over any means of transmitting analog signals, from driven diodes to radio.

The most familiar example is a voiceband modem that turns the digital '1s and 0s' of a personal computer into sounds that can be transmitted over the telephone lines of Plain Old Telephone Systems (POTS), and once received on the other side, converts those 1s and 0s back into a form used by a USB, Serial, or Network connection.

Modems are generally classified by the amount of data they can send in a given time, normally measured in bits per second, or "bps". They can also be classified by Baud, the number of distinct symbols transmitted per second; these numbers are directly connected, but not necessarily in linear fashion (as discussed under Baud.)

A modem (a modulator/demodulator) lets you connect your computer to a standard telephone line so you can transmit and receive electronically transmitted data. It is the key that unlocks the world of the Internet and its World Wide Web, commercial online services, electronic mail (E-mail), and bulletin board systems (BBSes).

Types of Modems

Depending upon how your computer is configured and your preferences, you can have an external, internal or PC modem card. All three types work the same way, but each has its advantages and disadvantages.

External modem

This is the simplest type of modem to install because you don't have to open the computer. External modems have their own power supply and connect with a cable to a computer's serial port. The telephone line plugs into a socket on the rear panel of the modem.

Because external modems have their own power supply, you can turn off the modem to break an online connection quickly without powering down the computer.

Another advantage over an internal modem is that an external modem's separate power supply does not drain any power from the computer. You also can monitor your modem's connection activity by watching the status lights.

Internal modem

Most internal modems come installed in the computer you buy. Internal modems are more directly integrated into the computer system and, therefore, do not need any special attention. Internal modems are activated when you run a communications program and are turned off when you exit the program. This convenience is especially useful for novice users.

Internal modems usually cost less than external modems, but the price difference is usually small. The major disadvantage with internal modems is their location: inside the computer. When you want to replace an internal modem you have to go inside the computer case to make the switch.

PC Card modem

These modems, designed for portable computers, are the size of a credit card and fit into the PC Card slot on notebook and handheld computers. These modems are removed when the modem is not needed. Except for their size, PC Card modems are like a combination of external and internal modems.

These devices are plugged directly into an external slot in the portable computer, so no cable is required other than the telephone line connection. The cards are powered by the computer, which is fine unless the computer is battery-operated. Running a PC Card modem while the portable computer is operating on battery power drastically decreases the life of your batteries.

How Modem Works?

When a modem first makes a connection, you will hear screeching sounds coming from the modem. These are digital signals coming from the computer to which you are connecting being modulated into audible sounds. The modem sends a higher-pitched tone to represent the digit I and a lower-pitched tone to represent the digit 0.

At the other end of your modem connection, the computer attached to its modem reverses this process. The receiving modem demodulates the various tones into digital signals and sends them to the receiving computer.

Actually, the process is a bit more complicated than sending and receiving signals in one direction and then another. Modems simultaneously send and receive signals in small chunks. The modems can tell incoming from outgoing data signals by the type of standard tones they use.

Another part of the translation process involves transmission integrity. The modems exchange an added mathematical code along the way. This special code, called a checksum, lets both computers know if the data segments are coming through properly.

If the mathematical sums do not match, the modems communicate with each other by resending the missing segments of data. Modems also have special circuitry that allows them to compress digital signals before modulating them and then decompressing them after demoduating the signals. The compression/decompression process compacts the data so that it can travel along telephone lines more efficiently.

Modems convert analog data transmitted over phone lines into digital data computers can read; they also convert digital data into analog data so it can be transmitted. This process involves modulating and demodulating the computer’s digital signals into analog signals that travel over the telephone lines.

In other words, the modem translates computer data into the language used by telephones and then reverses the process to translate the responding data back into computer language.

What is the difference between digital and analog signals?

A computer performs its tasks by turning on and off a series of electronic switches represented by the numerical digits of 0 and 1. A 0 is the code for off, and a 1 is the code for on. Combinations of these digital codes represent text, computer commands, and graphics inside the computer. By comparison, the telephone works by sending sounds in a continuous analog signal sent along an electronic current that varies in frequency and strength.