Hop is when a portion of data travels from the source to the destination.
Single-hop transmission is when only one such networking device is present as the data packet travels from source to destination.
Whenever the data packet travels from source to destination crossing more than a single networking device, the network can be said to follow multi-hop transmission.
Satellite communication using single-hop transmission and multi-hop transmission finds applications in various sectors such as marine, military, and broadcasting fields
Connectivity is getting so vast that there is some sort of data transmission everywhere in our atmosphere. In satellite communication, data is transmitted from ground stations to satellite and from the satellite to the earth station at the destination. A similar pattern of communication is in telecommunications, computer networks, wireless sensor networks, etc. Communication systems can either use single-hop transmission or multi-hop transmission. There are various merits for single-hop transmission as well as multi-hop transmission. In this article, we will discuss single-hop transmission in detail.
What Is Hop?
Hop refers to a portion of data traveling from a source to a destination. The hop may be from a transmitter to a receiver. Consider radio wave communication: the signal takes an excursion from the Earth and back through the ionosphere. In radio wave communication, the hop count is indicated as the number of reflections from the ionosphere.
Similarly, travel is made by the signals in satellite communication. Signals travel from the Earth station to the satellite and from there to another station. In a communication system where the return trip is not via satellite, it is taken as a half hop. Computer networks also transfer data from one network to another, which can also be described as hop.
Single-hop transmission is popular in telecommunications, as it directly transmits critical data to the base station without loss of data. The quality of the data transmission is improved by following the single-hop transmission technique.
Consider two Earth stations communicating through satellites. Let the Earth stations be ES1 and ES2. For communicating in one direction, the satellite is utilized once; such a transmission refers to single-hop transmission.
In IP-based networks, especially internet networks, data packets reach the destination IP device from the source IP device through networking devices such as gateways, routers, bridges, etc. When only one such networking device is present as the data packet travels from source to destination it forms single-hop transmission.
The figure above shows two Earth stations, ES1 and ES2, respectively. A hub station present in the transmission network is an intermediate point. The data transmitted from ES1 to ES2 through the hub station will see the satellite more than once.
The transmission method in which the signal reaches the satellite more than once is called multi-hop transmission. Whenever the data packet travels from source to destination crossing more than a single networking device, the network can be said to follow multi-hop transmission.
Single-Hop Transmission vs. Multi-Hop Transmission
Single intermediate station between source and destination
Multiple intermediate stations between the source and destination
Simple and easy to manage
Complex network where management is comparatively difficult with advanced routing algorithms
Less error accumulation
Exponential growth in error accumulation
Greater flexibility, as there is no need to establish a direct connection to the destination
Excellent scalability, as several devices can be added to the network
Single-Hop Transmission and Delivery Probability
Imagine a single-hop transmission system carrying ‘L’ bytes of data. The bit error rate (BER) of the communication channel is ‘p’ and the data transmission rate is ‘r’. The probability of delivering the data packet successfully at the destination through single hop transmission (q) is:
As the number of hops ‘n’ increases, the chances of delivering the data packet to the destination decreases. The probability of the data packet transmission reaching the destination successfully also gets reduced. However, the single-hop transmission delivery probability for wired networks is relatively higher than in wireless networks.
Cadence’s design and analysis tools can help you develop communication systems utilizing single-hop transmission or multi-hop transmission. Leading electronics providers rely on Cadence products to optimize power, space, and energy needs for a wide variety of market applications. If you’re looking to learn more about our innovative solutions, talk to our team of experts or subscribe to our YouTube channel.