Customer Reviews

Communication Networks

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I am using this textbook for a Masters-level course in network communications.

This book covers each topic quite well, but I found it difficult to use for out-of-order reading. Particularly when using algebraic notation, the meanings of the variables are not defined in each and every example, meaning that you have to manually go back through the book to find out where in the book the values were first defined. For this reason, where mathematical formulas are involved (which is quite often), it's difficult to locate a topic and read up just on that topic without a lot of frustration. It would be much easier to use if the variable definitions were repeated in each example.

So, perhaps it is good for a cover-to-cover read for someone who is able to take in and understand information thoroughly on the first pass, but it's not good as a reference book or for people who follow a different method of learning.

This was for my communications networks class. We went through a majority of the book (ch 1-8). I feel like it's already getting outdated (c)2004. But it gives a good introductory explanation of a huge variety of topics. I like the topic so reading the book was actually enjoyable unlike other engineering textbooks. It's not that long winded.
The homework problems included are pretty hard and sometimes the wording was confusing. A couple times we had to look up things on the internet. And the solution manuals were sort of ambiguous on the method to solve the problems. The appendix has some good formulas.
There's also a pdf ebook out there too. That makes things convenient.

Chapters:
1 Communication Networks and Services
2 Applications and Layered Architectures
3 Digital Transmission Fundamentals
4 Circuit-Switching Networks
5 Peer-to-Peer Protocols and Data Link Layer
6 Medium Access Control Protocols and Local Area Networks
7 Packet-Switching Networks
8 TCP/IP
9 ATM Networks
10 Advanced Network Architectures
11 Security Protocols
12 Multimedia Information

I needed this book to complete one graduate course and the price asked by the school was too high, this one is the same, however a lot cheaper. thanks again

I received my book in a great condition, and as promised, it is an international edition.