Cell phones have become inseparable and an indispensable part of our modern life. A cell phone can connect you to anyone from almost any corner of the planet. We probably have read everywhere about how cell phones work, but hardly anyone knows what exactly these waves are or the spectrum, Wi-Fi or cellular data vary significantly. Have you ever imagined that without the internet, a cell phone would be just a tiny box to receive and end a call? Here we explore how the internet works on a cell phone that has taken the technology to a whole new level. Almost all the software in a present generation cell phone works with the help of the internet.
We all know that a cell phone is a two-way radio, comprising a radio transmitter and a radio receiver. However, the first mobile phone relied on analogue technology. The present generation cellphones make use of the digital technology that turns the sounds of a voice into a pattern of numbers (an electrical signal) and then transmit them via radio waves to the nearest cell tower. Digital technology has numerous advantages including sending and receiving of texts messages, Web pages, MP3 music files, digital photos, etc. In contrast to analogue technology, Digital technology is way much more secure (encrypted).
Cell phones transmit radio waves in all directions, patterns of electromagnetic waves that invisibly travel through space at the speed of light. It can be absorbed and reflected by the objects around us before they make up to the nearest cell tower.
Cellular DataThe two main components that make cellular data to work on a device: Spectrum and Hardware
Spectrum- The word spectrum in a telecommunication sector mainly refers to the electromagnetic spectrum. The electromagnetic spectrum has properties like wavelength and frequency, which enable it to transmit data from one device to the other. Larger wavelength (smaller frequency), the larger the frequency, the smaller will be a wavelength. Generally, low frequencies (higher wavelength property) are great for sending small files very far (low bandwidth). A high frequency (low wavelength property) can send larger files to a short distance (high bandwidth). For example, when we tune FM radios to 101.9 FM, we’re turning to the radio wave portion of the electromagnetic-spectrum at 101.9 Mega-Hertz. These waves also can hit each other, and cancel out which is called interference, and it is one of the biggest challenge in the telecommunications industry today.
Hardware- The hardware includes a cell phone that mainly needs two things to work: a transmitter (send waves) and a receiver (accept waves). It conducts a two-way communication where our voice gets converted into an electrical signal. Now if we switch from a voice call to downloading a game, the process that it works is the same, just that the request gets routed to a different place called server.
Wi-FiWi-Fi and Cellular data carry out the same job, but they differ in the way of operation.
WiFi Spectrum- The first difference is that it uses a higher frequency, lower wavelength (more bandwidth), making it faster than cellular data. But these waves can’t travel far, and that’s why close to a router placement is so important. The two frequencies mostly used for WiFi are 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz.
Wi-Fi Hardware- The main three components to the hardware that runs our home network:
Router- Routers shouldn’t be confused with modems. It is the hardware that our devices remain to be connected. The role of the router is to organize all the signals that we send from our devices and successfully get it to the internet and receive it back.
Modem- A modem is what we get from our cable company. It connects the signal request from the router to the internet. Usually, it is connected to the router by an Ethernet cord. The connection helps to transmit an electrical signal from the device to Router, and then to a Modem. The modem is connected to a small cell by a Coaxial cable (fibre optic cable) somewhere in the house or outside.
Ethernet Hub- The company's server
Besides, In cellular data, the waves are sent wirelessly, but in Wi-Fi, electrical signals are sent via a cable.