Chapter 6

Transmission Media

7.1 Copyright © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Permission required for reproduction or display.
 CONTENTS

 Guided media
 Twisted-pair cable
 Coaxial cable
 Fiber optic cable

 Unguided media

2.2
 Electromagnetic spectrum
 Figure 7.1 Transmission medium and physical layer

Transmission medium can be defined as

anything that can carry information form
source to destination

7.3
 Figure 7.2 Classes of transmission media

7.4
 6-1 GUIDED MEDIA

Guided media, which are those that provide a conduit

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

7.5
 Figure 7.3 Twisted-pair cable

Consist of 2 conductors (normally copper), each with

its own plastic insulation, twisted together.
One wire is used to carry signals to receiver, the other
one is used only as ground reference.
Twisting makes it probable that both wires are
equally affected by external influences (noise)

7.6
 Figure 7.4 UTP and STP cables

Most commonly used in Produced by IBM

communication Bulky & expensive

7.7
 Table 7.1 Categories of unshielded twisted-pair cables

7.8
 Figure 7.5 UTP connector

7.9
 Performance

• can pass wide range of frequency

• the attenuation sharply increases with
frequencies above 100kHz

Applications

• used in telephone lines to provide voice &

data channel
• DSL line used by the telephone companies
• 10-Base 1 & 100-Base T (LAN networks)
7.10
 Figure 7.7 Coaxial cable

• Coax carries signals of higher frequency

ranges

7.11
 Composition

• Has central core conductor of solid wire (copper)

• Outer metallic conductor serves both as a shield
against noise and as the second conductor in
which completes the circuit.
•Plastic cover is to protect the whole cable.

7.12
 Table 7.2 Categories of coaxial cables

7.13
 Figure 7.8 Bayone-Neill-Concelman (BNC) connectors

use to connect the end of the

cable to device such as TV set Used at the end of the cable to
prevent the replection of the
signal

Used in Ethernet to branch out to

a computer or other devices

7.14
 Performance

• Attenuation is much higher than in twisted pair

•Signal weakens rapidly & requires more repeaters

Applications

• Widely used in analog (10,000 voice channels) &

digital telephone networks (600 Mbps)
• But largely replaced today with fiber optic cables
•Cable TV networks also use coaxial cables

7.15
 Figure 7.11 Optical fiber

• Fiber optic use reflection to guide light through a

channel.

7.16
 Figure 7.14 Fiber construction

7.17
 Composition

• Outer jacket is made of either PVC or Teflon

• Kevlar strands to strengthen the cable.
• Plastic coating to cushion the fiber.
• Cladding is used to guide light through a channel
so that a beam of light moving through the core is
reflected off the cladding instead of being
refracted into it.

7.18
 Figure 7.15 Fiber-optic cable connectors

7.19
 Performance

• Attenuation is flatter than in the case of twisted

pair & coaxial cable

Applications
• Found in backbone networks
• SONET network
• TV companies use a combination of fiber & coaxial
•100Base-FX & 1000Base-X (LAN networks)

7.20
 Advantages

• higher bandwidth, less attenuation, immunity to

electromagnetic inteference, light weight, greater
immunity to tapping

Disadvantages
• installation & maintenance, cost, Unidirectional
light propagation.

7.21
 6-2 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

7.22
 Figure 7.17 Electromagnetic spectrum for wireless communication

7.23
 Figure 7.18 Propagation methods

7.24
 Table 7.4 Bands

7.25
 Figure 7.19 Wireless transmission waves

7.26
 Note

Radio waves are used for multicast

communications, such as AM and FM radio,
television, maritime radio, cordless phone and
paging systems.
Frequencies between 3kHz and 1GHz
Omnidirectional; propagated in all directions
(in the sky mode).
Advantage: can travel long distance

7.27
 Figure 7.20 Omnidirectional antenna

7.28
 Note

Microwaves are used for unicast

communication such as cellular telephones,
satellite networks, and wireless LANs.
Frequencies between 1 and 300GHz.
Unidirectional: narrowly focused which means
that the sending and receiving antennas need
to be aligned.
Line-of-sight propagation
Very high frequency cannot penetrate walls.

7.29
 Figure 7.21 Unidirectional antennas

7.30
 Note

Infrared signals can be used for short-range

communication in a closed area using line-of-
sight propagation.
Used for keyboard, mouse, PCs and printers.
Frequencies from 300GHz and 400THz.
Have high frequency, cannot penetrate walls.
Standard date rate of 75 kbps for a distance
up to 8 m.

7.31
 SUMMARY

 Guided media: its category, connectors,

composition and application

 Twisted-pair cable
 Coaxial cable
 Fibre optic cable

 Unguided media
2.32
 The
Any Question
End
1.33 Copyright © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Permission required for reproduction or display.