Transmission Media

7.1 Copyright © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Permission required for reproduction or display.
 Transmission medium and physical layer

7.2
 Figure 7.2 Classes of transmission media

7.3
7-1 GUIDED MEDIA

Guided media, which are those that provide a contact

from one device to another, include twisted-pair cable,
coaxial cable, and fiber-optic cable.

Topics discussed in this section:

Twisted-Pair Cable
Coaxial Cable
Fiber-Optic Cable

7.4
 Guided Media
 Guided Media, physically , include
twisted-pair cable, coaxial cable, and fiber-
optic cable.
 Twisted-pair cable and coaxial cable use
metallic (copper).
 Optical fiber is a glass or plastic cable
that accepts and transports signals in the
form of light.

7.5
 Twisted-Pair Cable

It is of two types:

 Unshielded Twisted-Pair (UTP) Cable

 Shielded Twisted-Pair (STP) Cable

7.6
 Figure 7.3 Twisted-pair cable

7.7
 Twisted-Pair Cable

Unshielded Twisted-Pair (UTP) Cable:

 Unshielded Twisted-Pair (UTP) Cable

is the most common type of

telecommunication medium in use today.
 Frequency range is suitable for

transmitting both data and voice.

 T.P consists of two conductors, each with

its own colored plastic insulation.

7.8
 Shielded Twisted-Pair (STP) Cable
 Shielded Twisted-Pair (STP) Cable
has a metal foil or braided-mesh
covering that encases each pair of
insulated conductors.
 Metal Casing prevents the
penetration of electromagnetic noise.
 Eliminate Crosstalk, undesired effect
of one channel to another channel.

7.9
 Figure 7.4 UTP and STP cables

7.10
 Coaxial Cable
 Coaxial Cable has a single copper
conductor a plastic layer provides
insulation. Coaxial has a central core
conductor of solid copper enclosed in an
insulating sheath.
 Carries signals of higher frequency ranges
than twisted-pair cable.

7.11
 Figure 7.7 Coaxial cable

7.12
  Different coaxial cable designs are
categorized by their radio government
(RG) rating.
 Each RG number denotes a unique set of
 physical specifications,
 thickness,
 type of inner insulator,
 the construction of the shield, and
 the size and type of the outer casing.

7.13
 Table 7.2 Categories of coaxial cables

7.14
 Figure 7.8 BNC connectors

7.15
 Optical Fiber
 Optical Fiber is made of glass or plastic and
transmits signals in the form of light.
 Fiber optic cable has the ability to transmit
signals over much longer distances than coaxial
and twisted pair.
 It also has the capability to carry information at
vastly greater speeds.
 This capacity broadens communication
possibilities to include services such as video
conferencing and interactive services

7.16
  The cost of fiber optic cables has fallen
significantly in recent years.
 But however the electronic devices required are
significantly more expensive than comparable
devices for copper cable.
 Greater skill is required to install fiber optic
cable.

7.17
  Optical fibers use reflection to guide light
through a channel.
 A glass or plastic core is surrounded by a

cladding of less dense glass or plastic.

 The difference in density of the two

materials must be such that a beam of light

moving through the core is reflected off the
cladding instead of being refracted into it.
 Information is encoded onto a beam of

light as a series of on-off flashes that

represent 1 and 0 bits.

7.18
 Figure 7.14 Fiber construction

7.19
 Figure 7.11 Optical fiber

7.20
 Figure 7.10 Bending of light ray

7.21
 Figure 7.15 Fiber-optic cable connectors

7.22
7-2 UNGUIDED MEDIA: WIRELESS

Unguided media transport electromagnetic waves

without using a physical conductor. This type of
communication is often referred to as wireless
communication.

Topics discussed in this section:

Radio Waves
Microwaves
Infrared

7.23
 Figure 7.17 Electromagnetic spectrum for wireless communication

7.24
 Figure 7.18 Propagation methods

7.25
 Table 7.4 Bands

7.26
 Figure 7.19 Wireless transmission waves

7.27
 Radio waves
 1kHz – 1GHz
 Relatively narrow (compared to microwave)
 Omni directional (all directions)
 Good for long distances (sky propagation),
interference with other waves
 Can penetrate walls
 Low data rate for digital communication.

7.28
 Figure 7.20 Omnidirectional antenna

7.29
 Radio waves are used for multicast
communications, such as radio and
television systems.

7.30
 microwaves
 1GHz – 300GHz (wide band)
 unidirectional
 sending & receiving antennas should be
aligned, no interference
 Can not penetrate walls
 high data rate.
 Requires permission from authorities

7.31
 Figure 7.21 Unidirectional antennas

7.32
 Microwaves are used for unicast
communication such as cellular
telephones, satellite networks,
and wireless LANs.

7.33
 infrared
 300GHz – 300THz
 Can not penetrate walls (short range
communication, no interference)
 Remote control, wireless keyboard

7.34
 Infrared signals can be used for short-
range communication in a closed area
using line-of-sight propagation.

7.35