Question

What is attenuation in the communication system?

Answer 1

Let us take a very simple and real life example to understand the basic meaning of attenuation. Suppose we are talking with our friend while walking side by side on a busy street. At this time, we can hear each other very easily. Now, if our friend is at the other side of the street and we try to talk then it is difficult to communicate clearly due to the traffic noise. This traffic noise which disturbs our communication is a kind of attenuation.

Complete answer:
Attenuation is basically defined as the loss of transmission signal strength which is measured in decibels (dB). If we are trying to talk on a phone call or sending an email and if the
attenuation increases, it becomes very difficult to transmit the information clearly.There are three main parameters which causes attenuation in communication system:
Noise: Extra noise on networks, like radio frequencies, electrical currents, and wire leakage, may interfere with the signal and cause attenuation. The more noise we have, the more attenuation we experience.
Physical surroundings: Physical surroundings like temperature, wall barriers, and improper wire installation may distort the transmission.
Travel distance: The further a transmission has to travel from its current location (our home or workplace) to its Central Office (the location of our connection provider), the more noise it experiences along the way.

Note: We can say that attenuation is a loss of signal strength which reduces the maximum available speed of the connection because of the need for multiple repeat transmission. The level of attenuation we experience and its impact on our communication depends on the distance between us and our connection provider.