TRANSMISSION

MEDIA
 TRANSMISSION MEDIA

• Transmission medium is the physical path between transmitter

and receiver.

• Classified into two:

• Guided media
• Unguided media
Guided Media : Electromagnetic waves are
guided along a solid medium.

Unguided Media : Wireless transmission

occurs through the atmosphere, outer
space, or water.
 Comparison Chart
Guided media Unguided media
1)The signal requires a physical path 1)The signal is broadcasted through air
for transmission. or sometimes water.

2) It is called wired communication or 2) It is called wireless communication

bounded transmission media. or unbounded transmission media.

3) It provides direction to signal for 3) It does not provide any direction.

travelling.

4) Twisted pair cable, coaxial cable and 4) Radio wave, microwave and
fibre optic cable. infrared.
 GUIDED MEDIA
• Uses physical path for signal transmission.
• Three types:
• Twisted pair cable
• Coaxial cable
• Fiber optic cable
• Twisted-pair and coaxial cable use metallic (copper)
conductors that accept and transport signals in the form of
electric current.
• Optical fiber is a cable that accepts and transports signals in
the form of light.
 TWISTED PAIR CABLE
• Least expensive & most widely used.
• Consists of two conductors (normally copper), each with its own
plastic insulation, twisted together.
 APPLICATIONS
• Telephone network to connect telephones in homes to telephone
exchange.
• Local area networks supporting personal computers.
• Data rates of 100 Mbps.
• Much less expensive & is easier to work with.
 Unshielded & Shielded Twisted Pair
• UNSHIELDED TWISTED PAIR(UTP): No shielding or covering.
• Most commonly used for communication.
• Least expensive
• Easy to install
• Subject to noise & interference
• SHIELDED TWISTED PAIR(STP): shield the twisted pair with a
metallic braid or sheathing that reduces interference.
• Better performance at higher data rates
• Expensive
Connectors
• Connectors are used to connect cables to other devices.
• Most common UTP connector is RJ45 (Registered Jack 45).
• Commonly used to connect computers onto Ethernet-based local
area networks (LAN).
 COAXIAL CABLE
• Also called coax.
• Carries signals of higher
frequency ranges than
those in twisted pair cable.
 PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION
• Two conductors: a hollow outer cylindrical conductor that
surrounds a single inner wire conductor.
• The inner conductor is held in place by either insulating rings or a
solid dielectric material.
• The outer conductor is covered with a shield.
• Coaxial cable can be used over longer distances and support more
stations on a shared line than twisted pair.
Coax Connectors
• Figure shows three popular types of connectors: the BNC
connector, the BNC T connector, and the BNC terminator.
• Bayonet Neill Concelman
 APPLICATIONS
• Television distribution
• Long-distance telephone transmission
• Computer system links
• Local area networks
 Fiber Optic cable
• Made of glass or plastic and transmits signals in the form of light.
• Optical fibers use total internal reflection to guide light through a
channel.
• An optical fiber has two layers, the inner layer and the outer layer.
• The inner layer is called core. The data pass through a core. This
core is made of dense glass or plastic.
• The outer layer is called cladding. It is also made of glass or
plastic. Its glass or plastic is less dense.
• The function of cladding is to occur full internal reflection.
 APPLICATIONS
• Telephone networks
• Cable TV companies use a combination of optical fiber and
coaxial cable.
• Local-area networks also use fiber-optic cable.
 WIRELESS TRANSMISSION
• No physical path between transmitter and receiver.
• 3 types: short range, medium range, wide range.
• Short range- Bluetooth, IR
• Medium range- WiFi
• Long range- Satellite communication
• For unguided media, transmission and reception are achieved by means of an
antenna.
• Three frequency ranges are considered here.
• 1GHz-40GHz= Microwave frequencies
• 30MHz-1GHz=Radio frequencies
• 3 * 10^11 to 2* 10^14 Hz= Infrared region
 ANTENNAS
• An electrical conductor used to convert electrical energy into EM waves & vice
versa.
• Transmitting antenna:
• converts electrical energy into radio waves
• Receiving antenna:
• converts radio signals into electrical energy
• Radiation pattern:
• graphical representation of the radiation of the antenna.
• Isotropic antenna:
• Radiates power equally in all directions- ideal antenna!
• Examples of antennas: parabolic antenna, helical antenna, dipole antenna etc.
 TERRESTRIAL MICROWAVE
• PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION
• Most common type of microwave antenna is parabolic dish
antenna.
• Highly directional antennas to get narrow beam.
• LOS transmission
• Antennas located at substantial heights above ground level to
increase range.
• Microwave relay towers or point-to-point links to achieve long-
distance transmission.
• APPLICATIONS
• Telecommunications as alternative to coax or
ofc.
• Navigation, Positioning & Measurement-GPS
• Radar Communication
• Medical applications
 SATELLITE MICROWAVE
• PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION
• A communication satellite links
microwave Tx and Rx & called
ground stations.
• Satellite communication can be
configured as:
1)Point-to-point link
2)Broadcast link
Configurations for satellite communication
 APPLICATIONS
• Television distribution
• Long-distance telephone transmission
• Global positioning
 BROADCAST RADIO
• PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION

• The principal difference between broadcast radio

and microwave is that the former is
omnidirectional and the latter is directional.

• Thus broadcast radio does not require dish-shaped

antennas.
• APPLICATIONS

• FM radio and television.

• Mobile communications.
• Computer networks.
 INFRARED
• Frequency range : 430 THz – 300 GHz
• Longer wavelength than visible light-undetectable to human eyes.
• IR radiation is simply light that we cannot see, which makes it great for
communication.
• One important difference between infrared and microwave transmission is
that the former does not penetrate walls. Thus the security and interference
problems encountered in microwave systems are not present.
• No frequency allocation issue with infrared, because no licensing is required.
• APPLICATIONS

• Wireless Local Area Networks

• Intrusion detectors, fire sensors
• Thermal imaging
• Night vision systems
• Medical diagnostic equipments
• Tracking