The average person typically is not concerned with how the signal is modulated, only that the
device functions as expected. However, to become a better wireless network administrator, it is
useful to have a better understanding of what is actually happening when two stations communicate. The rest of this chapter will introduce you to the fundamentals of encoding data. Chapter 2
will provide much more detail about waves and wave propagation, whereas this chapter provides
an introduction to waves as a basis for understanding carrier signals and data encoding.