Identifying and Using Network Hand Tools

Transmission Media

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 Transmission Media
 Introduction

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 Transmission Media
Introduction
Transmission medium: the physical path between transmitter
and receiver.
Transmission media operates at Physical Layer .
The physical layer is responsible for movements of individual
bits from one device to the another.
Computers and other telecommunication devices use signal to
represent data.
For the purpose of telecoms, transmission media can be
divided into two categories: Guided (twisted-pair cable, coaxial
cable and fiber-optic cable) and Unguided (usually air-
electromagnetic waves ).

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 Transmission Media
Introduction

Transmission Media Categories

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 Transmission Media
Guided Media
For guided media, the medium itself is more important in
determining the limitations of transmission.
 Twisted-Pair Cable
Twisted-pair cable uses metallic (copper) conductors that
accept and transport signals in the form of electric current.
Twisted pair cables consist of one or more pairs of insulated
copper wires that are twisted together and housed in a
protective jacket.

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 Transmission Media
Guided Media

- Twisting wires reduces the effect of electromagnetic interference (the EM

energy the cable emits) or crosstalk .
 When the wires are twisted, the waves from different twists cancel out, so
the wire radiates (produce heat) less effectively
- More twists = better quality
 Twisted pairs can be used for transmitting either analog or digital signals.
- Telephone network (between house and local exchange)
- LAN (10 Mbps or 100 Mbps)
Advantages:
- Easy to work with (Install)
- Less expensive
Disadvantages:
- Low data rate
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- Short range
 Transmission Media
Guided Media
Types:
- Shielded twisted pair (STP): a metallic shield around the wire pairs
minimizes the impact of the penetration of noise or crosstalk.
- Unshielded twisted
pair (UTP)

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 Transmission Media
Guided Media
 Twisted-Pair Cable
oShielded Twisted Pair:
Shielded Twisted Pair cables are used almost exclusively (not
including) in European countries-IBM Production.

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 Transmission Media
Guided Media
 Twisted-Pair Cable
oShielded Twisted Pair:
Cost:
- STP cable costs more than thin coaxial or unshielded twisted-
pair cable. STP is less costly, however, than thick coax or fiber-
optic cable.
Capacity:
- The most common data rate for STP cable is 16 Mbps
Attenuation:
- All varieties of twisted-pair cable have attenuation
characteristics that
limit the length of cable runs to a few hundred meters, although a
100- 9
meter limit is most common.
 Transmission Media
Guided Media

 Twisted-Pair Cable
oUnshielded Twisted Pair:
o It is a type of twisted pair cable commonly used in networking
and telecommunications applications. UTP cables consist of
multiple pairs of insulated copper wires that are twisted
together. Each pair is color-coded for identification.

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 Transmission Media
Guided Media
 Twisted-Pair Cable
oUnshielded Twisted Pair:
oUTP stands for Unshielded Twisted Pair. It is a type of twisted
pair cable commonly used in networking and
telecommunications applications. UTP cables consist of
multiple pairs of insulated copper wires that are twisted
together. Each pair is color-coded for identification.
UTP connector :
The most common UTP connector is RJ45 (RJ=Registered
Jack)

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 Transmission Media
Guided Media
UTP connector :
Color code for 4 cable pairs
Pair # Primary colorSecondary color (stripe)
1BlueWhite
2OrangeWhite
3GreenWhite
4BrownWhite

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 Transmission Media
Guided Media

A straight-through cable:
Straight-Through refers to cables that have the pin
assignments on each end of the cable. In other words, Pin 1
connector A goes to Pin 1 on connector B, Pin 2 to Pin 2, etc.
Straight-Through wired cables are most commonly used to
connect a host to a client. When we talk about cat5e patch
cables, the Straight-Through wired cat5e patch cable is used to
connect computers, printers, and other network client devices
to the router switch or hub (the host device in this instance).

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 Transmission Media
Guided Media

Crossover Cable:
Crossover wired cables (commonly called crossover cables) are very much like
Straight-Through cables with the exception that TX and RX lines are crossed (they
are at opposite positions on either end of the cable. Using the 568-B standard as an
example below, you will see that Pin 1 on connector A goes to Pin 3 on connector B.
Pin 2 on connector A goes to Pin 6 on connector B, etc. Crossover cables are most
commonly used to connect two hosts directly. Examples would be connecting a
computer directly to another computer, connecting a switch directly to another
switch, or connecting a router to a router. Note: While in the past, when connecting
two host devices directly, a crossover cable was required. Nowadays, most devices
have auto-sensing technology that detects the cable and device and crosses pairs
when needed.

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 Transmission Media
Guided Media
 Coaxial Cable
Like twisted pair, coaxial cable (or coax) also carries data in the
form of electrical signals.
It provides improved shielding compared to UTP, so has a lower
signal-to-noise ratio and can therefore carry more data
Although coax has improved data carrying characteristics,
most local area networking uses twisted pair because coax is
physically harder to install and is more expensive.

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 Transmission Media
Guided Media
 Coaxial Cable
Coaxial Cable Connectors:

- To connect coaxial cable to devices, we need coaxial connectors. The most

common
type of connector used today is the Bayone-Neill-Concelman (BNC),
connector.
- Three popular types of these connectors: the BNC connector, the BNC 16
T
connector, and the BNC terminator.
 Guided Media

 Coaxial Cable
Coaxial Cable Connectors:
- The BNC connector is used to connect the end of the cable to a device, such
as TV set.
- The BNC T connector is used in Ethernet networks to branch out to a
connection to a computer or other device.
- The BNC terminator is used at the end of the cable to prevent the reflection
of the
signal.

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Transmission Media
Guided Media

 Fiber Optic Cable

A fiber-optic cable is made of glass or plastic and transmits
signals in the form of light.
Light travels in a straight line as long as it is moving through a
single uniform substance.
If a ray of light traveling through one substance suddenly
enters another substance (of a different density), the ray
changes direction.

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 Transmission Media
Guided Media

 Fiber Optic Cable

Optical Fiber  
 Core
• Glass or plastic with a higher index of
refraction than the cladding
• Carries the signal
 Cladding
• Glass or plastic with a lower index of
refraction than the core
 Buffer (one type of component made from
plastic)
• Protects the fiber from damage and
moisture 19

 Jacket
 Transmission Media
Guided Media
 Fiber Optic Cable
Fiber-Optic Cable Connectors :
There are three types of connectors for fiber-optic cables:

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 Transmission Media
Guided Media
 Fiber Optic Cable
Fiber-Optic Cable Connectors :
There are
three types of connectors for fiber-optic cables:
The subscriber channel (SC) connector is used for cable
TV.
The straight-tip (ST) connector is used for connecting
cable to
networking devices.
Mechanical Transfer Registered Jack (MT-RJ) is a
connector that is the same size as RJ45. MTRJ connectors
are designed to snap into the Ethernet port of a computer,
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modem, or wireless router and provide that computer or
 Transmission Media
Guided Media

 Fiber Optic Cable

Advantages and Disadvantages of Optical Fiber:
Advantages
Fiber-optic cable has several advantages over metallic cable
(twisted-pair or coaxial).
Higher bandwidth. Fiber-optic cable can support dramatically
higher bandwidths (and hence data rates) than either twisted-pair
or coaxial
cable (Data
rates of hundreds of Gbps)
Less signal attenuation. Fiber-optic transmission distance is
significantly greater than that of other guided media. A signal can
run for 50 km without requiring regeneration. We need repeaters
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every 5 km for coaxial or twisted-pair cable.
 Transmission Media
Guided Media
 Fiber Optic Cable
Advantages and Disadvantages of Optical Fiber:
Disadvantages
There are some disadvantages in the use of optical fiber.
Installation and maintenance. Fiber-optic cable is a relatively
new technology. Its installation and maintenance require
expertise that is not yet available every where.
Unidirectional light propagation. Propagation of light is
unidirectional. If we need bidirectional communication, two
fibers are needed.
Cost is relatively more expensive than those of other guided
media.
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 Transmission Media
Unguided Media
Unguided media transport electromagnetic waves without
using a physical conductor.
This type of communication is often referred to as wireless
communication. Signals are normally broadcast through free
space and thus are available to anyone who has a device
capable of receiving them.
Electromagnetic spectrum for wireless communication
The electromagnetic spectrum, ranging from 3 kHz to 900 THz,
used for wireless communication.

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 Transmission Media
Unguided Media
Wireless transmission waves
We can divide wireless transmission into three broad groups:
radio waves, microwaves, and infrared waves.

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 Transmission Media
Unguided Media
Wireless transmission waves
Radio wave:
Electromagnetic waves ranging in frequencies
between 3 kHz and 1 GHz are normally called radio
waves; waves ranging in frequencies between 1 and
300 GHz are called microwaves.

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 Transmission Media
Unguided Media
Wireless transmission waves
Radio wave:
Radio waves, particularly those waves that propagate in the sky
mode, can travel long distances. This makes radio waves a
good candidate for long-distance broadcasting such as AM
radio.
Radio waves, particularly those of low and medium
frequencies, can penetrate walls.
 Omni directional Antenna

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 Transmission Media
Unguided Media
Wireless transmission waves
Radio wave:
Application:
- Broadcast radio (AM,FM)
- TV
- Cellular phones
Micro waves:
Electromagnetic waves having frequencies between 1 and 300
GHz are called microwaves.
Microwaves are unidirectional. When an antenna transmits
microwave waves, they can be narrowly focused. This means
that the sending and receiving antennas need to be aligned.
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 Transmission Media
Unguided Media
Wireless transmission waves
Micro waves:
Microwave propagation is line-of-sight 
  that are far apart need to be
very tall.

Very high-frequency microwaves cannot penetrate

walls. This characteristic can be a disadvantage if
receivers are inside buildings.
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 Transmission Media
Unguided Media
Wireless transmission waves
Micro waves:

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 Transmission Media
Unguided Media
Wireless transmission waves
Micro waves:
Microwave Applications
Microwaves, due to their unidirectional properties, are very
useful when unicast (one-to-one) communication is needed
between the sender and the receiver.
-- Cellular phones
-- Satellite networks
-- Wireless LANs

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 Transmission Media
Unguided Media
Wireless transmission waves
Infrared:
Infrared waves, with frequencies from 300 GHz to 400 THz, can
be used for short-range communication in a closed area using
line-of-sight propagation.
Infrared waves, having high frequencies, cannot penetrate
walls.
This advantageous characteristic prevents interference
between one system and another; a short-range communication
system in one room
cannot be affected by another system in the next room.
 In

Addition, we cannot use infrared waves outside a building

because the sun's rays contain infrared waves that can interfere
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with the communication.
 Transmission Media
Unguided Media
Wireless transmission waves
Infrared:
Applications
The infrared band, almost 400 THz, has an excellent potential for
data transmission.
The Infrared Data Association (IrDA), an association for
sponsoring the use of infrared waves, has established standards
for using these signals for communication between devices such
as keyboards, mice, PCs, and printers.
For example, some manufacturers provide a special port called
the IrDA port that allows a wireless keyboard to communicate with
a PC.
The standard originally defined a data rate of 75 kbps for a
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distance up to 8 m. The recent standard defines a data
rate of 4 Mbps.
 Transmission Media
Unguided Media
Wireless transmission waves
(Bluetooth:)

A technology that makes use of the 2.4 GHz band. It is

limited to low-speed, short-range communications.
It allows one-to-many communications has made Bluetooth
technology the preferred method over IR.
Bluetooth can transmit through solid, non-metal objects
Its typical link range is from 10 cm to 10 m, but can be
extended to 100 m by increasing the power.

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 Transmission Media
Unguided Media
Wireless transmission waves
Satellite Communication:
What is Satellite?
The word "satellite" refers to a machine that is launched into
space and moves around Earth or another body in space which
play role as a “relay station”
Satellite Microwave, Similar to terrestrial microwave except the
signal travels from a ground station on earth to a satellite
(Uplink) and back to another ground station (Downlink).
Satellite receives on one frequency, amplifies or repeats signal
and transmits on another frequency
A communication satellite can be thought of as a big
microwave repeater in the sky. 35
 Transmission Media
Unguided Media
Wireless transmission waves
Satellite Communication:

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