Networking Fundamentals

Radio waves

For this chapter, we will look at wireless communication through the use of radio waves, as opposed to light waves. Radio waves form part of the electromagnetic spectrum, and appear, as the name would suggest, in the radio frequency zone of the spectrum. These waves are generated by passing an alternating current through a conductor and transmitted out of an antenna as a waveform (Figure 4.3) or sine wave. Data is transmitted through these radio waves:

Figure 4.3: Waveform

How close each of the peaks of the waves are is dictated by the frequency, which is discussed in the following subsection.