Transmission Media:

Wires, Cables, Fiber Optics, and

Microwaves
Based on Chapter 4 of William Stallings, Data and
Computer Communication, 6th Ed.

Kevin Bolding
Electrical Engineering
Seattle Pacific University

Seattle Pacific University Transmission Media No. 1

Transmission Media
• A signal must be transmitted through some medium
• Guided Media determine the path of the signal
• Wires (cables, twisted pair, coax)
• Fiber Optics
• Other things…
• Unguided Media is a misnomer
• The medium is usually free space (air), but the
signal type gets the name
• Refers to transmitting signals through passive
media that does not change the signals direction
• Microwaves, broadcast radio waves
• Lasers, Infrared
Seattle Pacific University Transmission Media No. 2
Media Issues
• Bandwidth
• Some media support greater bandwidth than others
• Key issue
• Impairments
• Different media deform signals differently
• Some are more susceptible to noise and distortion
• Cost
• We’re in the real world…
• Number of receivers
• Broadcast vs. point-to-point

Seattle Pacific University Transmission Media No. 3

 Frequency of various signals
Frequency (Hz)
102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 1010 1011 1012 1013 1014 1015

Power/ Visible
Radio Microwave Infrared
Telephone Light

Twisted Pair
Coax
AM Radio FM Radio/TV Optical
Fiber
Microwave
Trans.

106 105 104 103 102 101 100 10-1 10-2 10-3 10-4 10-5 10-6
Wavelength (Meters)
Source: Stallings, Fig. 4.1

Seattle Pacific University Transmission Media No. 4

Guided Media
• Guided media control the path of the signal wave
• Electrical – Signal needs conductor and ground
• Differences are in how ground/conductor interact
• Twisted pair
• Coax
• Striplines on PCBs
• Optical – Signal is sent using internal reflection
• Differences are in light sources and fiber diameter

Seattle Pacific University Transmission Media No. 5

Electrical Cables signal
• The issue is electromagnetic
Interference prop. to area
transmission/reception
• Loops make great
return
antennas
• Antenna strength signal
proportional to the area
inside of the loop
return Better…
• Worse for shorter
wavelengths

• Common ground systems Trace on PCB

(such as PCBs with ground
planes)
Ground return
• Return path directly below
signal
• Minimizes loop area

Seattle Pacific University Transmission Media No. 6

Twisted Pair Cables Adjacent Loops
Out of phase
• Twist the signal and ground

Si
gn
together

al
• Loop size proportional to

Re
twist size

tu
rn
• Adjacent twists are 180
degrees out of phase
• Tend to cancel out
• Varying the twist size helps
to minimize crosstalk

• Data rates
• Over long distances, about 1-3 Mbps
• Short distances: 100Mbps, sometimes 1Gbps

Seattle Pacific University Transmission Media No. 7

Shielding
• Twisted pair usually comes bundled with several pairs in a
cable
• Unshielded – Just a plastic (teflon) jacket
• Cat-3 UTP: <16Mbps, Cat-5 UTP: <100Mbps
• Shielded – Includes a grounded shield

(source: Microsoft Networking Essentials)

Seattle Pacific University Transmission Media No. 8

Coaxial Cables
• Concentric mesh wire for
ground
• Acts as an excellent shield
• Very little interference or
radiation
• Carries much higher
frequencies and data rates
• 1-500MHz spectrum
• Data rates in 100s of Mbps

• The downside
• Expensive to manufacture
• More difficult to install

Seattle Pacific University Transmission Media No. 9

Optical Fiber
• Relies on total internal
reflection
• Light waves bounce of
edge of fiber
• Channels waves to
destination (Source: Stallings, Fig. 4.4)

• Varieties
• Multi-mode (wide fiber)
• Light waves bounce off at different angles
• Some have shallow angles (straight path), while others
have steeper angles (crooked path)
• Results in pulse spreading
• Single-mode (narrow fiber)
• Only a straight shot down the middle is allowed
• Requires a laser source

Seattle Pacific University Transmission Media No. 10

Fiber has its advantages
• Advantages
• No electromagnetic interference
• Very little attenuation
• Extremely high bandwidth (THz)
• Small, lightweight
• Disadvantages
• More expensive tranceivers
• More difficult to install

Seattle Pacific University Transmission Media No. 11

Wireless (Unguided) Media
• Omnidirectional
• Signal radiates in all directions
• Good for broadcast
• Inexpensive antenna
• 30MHz – 1GHz
• Directional
• Signal radiates in a single direction
• Usually requires parabolic (dish) antenna
• 2-40 GHz (microwave)
• Also works with lasers

Seattle Pacific University Transmission Media No. 12

Terrestrial Radio
• Limited to line-of-sight (more or
less)
• Max distance (m):
d  7140 Kh
h = height (in meters)
K = fudge factor (around 4/3)
• Attenuation prop. to square of
distance
• Higher frequencies have more
attenuation
• Microwaves don’t go as
far as broadcast radio

Seattle Pacific University Transmission Media No. 13

Satellite Radio
• Requires satellite in
geosynchronous orbit
• 35,784 km
• Delay of ¼ second (round-trip)
• Satellites spaced 4 degrees
apart

• Above 10GHz, signal is attenuated

by atmosphere
• Higher frequencies use
smaller dishes, though

• New Tech:
• “Constellations” of low-orbit
satellites

Seattle Pacific University Transmission Media No. 14

Transformations
• Fiber is coming! Fiber is coming!
• Fiber has replaced coax in long-haul lines and is
replacing terrestrial microwave
• Fiber is becoming practical for LANs
• The new wireless
• Broadcast models are diminishing
• Market for custom content (point-to-point)
• New uses of unguided media are for mobile
communications
• Cell phones
• Wireless LANs
• New implementations are almost all digital
Seattle Pacific University Transmission Media No. 15