Professional Documents
Culture Documents
School of Informatics,
Department of Computer Science
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CHAPTER THREE
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Data Transmission Media
Transmission media refers to the physical media through which
communication signals (data and information are transmitted).
Transmission media can be divided into two broad categories:
guided/wired media and unguided/wireless media.
Guided/wired media uses a cabling system that guides the
data signals along a specific path.
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Guided Media
A signal travelling along the guided media is directed and
contained by the physical limits of the medium.
The data signals are bound by the cabling system.
Cabling refers to transmission medium that consists of
cables.
There are three major groups of cables:
1. Twisted-pair cable
2. Coaxial cable
3. Fiber-optic cable
• Twisted-pair and Coaxial cable accepts and transports
signal in the form of electric current.
• Fiber-optic cable as a light
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Transmission Impairments
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Noise
Another form of noise that hinders data transmission is
cross talk.
Cross talk occurs when a signal travelling on one wire or
cable infringes on the signal travelling over an adjacent
wire or cable.
When cross talk occurs between two cables, it’s called
alien cross talk.
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Attenuation
Attenuation is the loss of a signal’s strength as it travels
away from its source.
To compensate for attenuation, both analog and digital
signals are boosted.
However, the technology used to boost an analog signal is
different from that used to boost a digital signal.
Analog signals pass through an amplifier, an electronic
device that increases the voltage, or strength, of the
signals.
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Attenuation
When an analog signal is amplified, the noise that it has
accumulated is also amplified.
After multiple amplifications, an analog signal may become
difficult to interpret.
When digital signals are repeated, they are actually
retransmitted in their original form, without the noise
they might have accumulated previously.
This process is known as regeneration.
A device that regenerates a digital signal is called a
repeater.
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Twisted-Pair Cable
A twisted pair cable consists of two conductors (copper),
each with its own plastic insulation, twisted together.
There are two types of twisted pair cables:-
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Unshielded Twisted-Pair (UTP) Cable
UTP is the most popular type of twisted-pair cable.
It is the most popular LAN cabling.
The maximum cable length segment is 100 meters.
UTP specifications govern how many twists are
permitted per foot of cable.
The number of twists allowed depends on the purpose
to which the cable will be put.
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There are 7 standard categories of UTP:-
• Category 1 - refers to traditional UTP telephone cable that carry voice but not
data transmissions.
• Category 5 - certifies UTP cable for data transmissions up to 100 Mbps. It consists
of four twisted pairs of copper wire.
• Category 6 Similar to CAT5 wire, but contains a physical separator between the 4
pairs to further reduce electromagnetic interference.
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UTP Cable
UTP is particularly susceptible to crosstalk.
Greater number of twists per foot of cable, the more effective
the protection against crosstalk.
It is familiar technology.
UTP disadvantages
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Shielded Twisted-Pair (STP) Cable
STP cable uses a wounded copper-braid jacket that is more protective and of a higher
quality.
STP advantage
• Provides better performance than UTP in environments with:-
- high noise levels
- high levels of unwanted electrical signals.
STP disadvantage
• It is more labor-intensive than UTP to install.
• Not all LAN systems work readily over STP.
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Twisted-Pair Cable Components
• Connection hardware -Twisted-pair cable uses RJ-
45 (Registered Jack 45) telephone connectors to connect
to a computer or Network Interface Card (NIC).
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NIC (Network Interface Card)
NIC (network interface card)—The device (pronounced
nick) inside a computer that connects a computer to the
network media.
NIC-Network Adapters
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Coaxial Cable
It consists of a core of copper wire surrounded by
insulation, a braided metal shielding, and an outer cover.
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Coaxial Cable
The core of a coaxial cable carries the electronic signals that
make up the data.
Surrounding the core is a dielectric insulating layer that
separates it from the braided shielding .
The braided shielding acts as a ground and protects the core
from electrical noise and crosstalk.
A non-conducting outer shield—usually made of rubber or
plastic—surrounds the entire cable.
Coaxial cable is more resistant to interference and
attenuation than twisted-pair cabling.
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Types of Coaxial Cable
There are two types of coaxial cable:
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Coaxial-Cable Connection Hardware
The BNC cable connector: is used to connect the end of
the cable to a device, such as a TV set. .
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Coaxial Cable
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The BNC barrel connector: This connector is used to
join two lengths of thinnet cable to make one longer length.
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Coaxial Cable Advantages
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Fiber-Optic Cable
It contains glass (or in some cases, plastic) fibers rather than
copper wire.
Signals are transmitted across these fibers in the form of light
pulses rather than electrical pulses.
Optical fiber strands are thin filaments of glass consisting of an
inner core and an outer cladding.
The diameter of the core varies with the type of optical fiber.
Single-mode optical fiber has a core diameter of approximately
8.5 µm.
Multimode optical fiber has a core diameter of 62.5 µm.
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Fibber optic (outdoor)
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Optical Fiber Advantages
The bandwidth of optical fiber is greater than that of twisted-pair or
coaxial cable.
Optical signals through glass encounter less loss than electrical
signals through copper.
It has lower attenuation and higher bandwidth than copper.
Resist to electromagnetic interference since signal is sent as light and
not as electricity.
Optical fiber disadvantage
Conversions of light to electricity, more expensive electronics are
required .
Requires specialized installation procedures.
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