Transmission media-Guided

and Unguided

By

Norrima Mokhtar
Objectives
 Present the functions and features
of leading transmission media,
both guided and open
media(unguided)
 Guided media
 Twisted pair, coaxial cable, optical
fiber and mixed cabling
 Open media (space)
 RF, Ultraviolet, Microwave and
satellite
Introduction
 Transmission media
– physical path between transmitter and
receiver
 • Examples
 the path between the satellite and the
ground station in satellite communication
systems
 the path between two computers
Transmission media
Introduction: their effects
 The quality of transmission is determined by
both the:
 characteristics of the medium
 characteristics of the signal

 For guided media, the medium itself is more

important in determining the limitations of
transmission
 For unguided media, the bandwidth of the
signal is more important than the medium
because the medium is shared by many
applications
Operating frequencies
Electromagnetic spectrum
Guided Transmission Media
 Twisted Pair
 Coaxial Cable
 Optical Fiber
 Mixed Cabling
MODULE

Twisted Pair Wire

Twisted pair cable
Special terms
 Shielding (Conductive material)
 Insulation (Non-conductive material)
 Casing (Plastic material)
Types and Purpose of Twisting

 Types
 Unshielded twisted pair (UTP)
 Shielded twisted pair (STP)
 Twisting
 Minimizes the effect of electromagnetic
interference
 The electromagnetic field from one wire
counterbalances the field from the other
wire
Effect of Noise on Parallel Lines
Shielding and Insulation
 The cables are shielded from electro
magnetic interference
 In both directions, from outside as well
as inside
 The plastic casing is not to be
considered as shielding
 It is not an insulation
Unshielded Twisted Pair Cable
UTP cable standard
Shielded Twisted-Pair Cable
Characteristics
 Cheap
 Easy to install
 Generally speaking, different
frequencies may not be assigned to
carry different channels on the same
twisted pair wire
 Compared to coaxial cables, twisted
pair wires have a lower bandwidth
 But, recent improvements have
contributed to an increase in bandwidth
 Speed is proportional to bandwidth
Quality and Categorization
of the Wires
 Twisted pair wires are categorized
according to their quality
 Category 3 wires are of the lower
quality
 Category 5 wires are of higher quality
 Partly achieved by having a larger number
of twists in the cable
 Higher category wires such as Cat 6
etc. are now available
Areas of Application

 Phone lines
 Used extensively in
telecommunications
 LANs
Typical Twisted Pair Connection

Hub

Twisted Pair Wire

Reasons for Its Increasing
Popularity
 Better quality UTP is being produced
 Ease of installation superseding its
other limitations
 A LAN to be configured with twisted
pair wires requires a hub
 A hub based implementation is preferred
because it is easy to install and manage
Important Areas of Application
for Twisted Pair Wires
 LAN
 RJ 45
 10baseT LANs operating at 10 Mbps
 100baseTX LANs operating at 100
Mbps
 8 wires
 Telephone wiring connections
 RJ 11 (4 wires)
 RJ 14 (6 wires)
MODULE

Coaxial Cable
Types of Coaxial Cables

 Thin coaxial
 Lighter version
 Thin Ethernet cable
 RG-58 : Thin Ethernet

 Thick coaxial
 Original version
 Standard Ethernet cable
 RG-8, RG-9, RG-11 : Thick Ethernet
 RG-59 : TV
Thin Coaxial Cable
 Higher bandwidth than twisted pair
wires
 Lower bandwidth compared with the
thick coaxial able
 More flexible compared to thick
coaxial cable
 Cheaper
Type of Thin Coaxial Cable
Used in LAN
 Standardized
 10Base2 cable
 10M bps
 Ethernet
 Bus topology
Thick Coaxial Cable
 Compared to thin coaxial cable
 Higher bandwidth
 Less maneuverable
 More expensive
Thick Coaxial Cables
Used in Networks
 Standardized
 10Base5
 10M bps
 Ethernet
 Bus topology
Overall Characteristics of the
Coaxial Cables
 Relatively cheap compared to fiber-optic
cables
 Wider bandwidth compared to twisted pair
wires
 Good transmission characteristics
 Used in high-speed synchronous
transmission
 Supports broadband communication
 Can be tapped for multi-drop connection
A Typical Coaxial Connection

Bus LAN

Coaxial Cable

A multi-drop connection
Components Used in Connecting a
Computer to a Coaxial Cable
Thin coaxial T connector
cable Network
Interface
Card

Terminator
An Example of the Use of Thick
Coaxial Cables
Switch
Coaxial Cable

Router

Backbone

Thick coaxial cable

Areas of Application for
Coaxial Cables
 Ethernet bus LANs
 Telephone trunks
 Mainframe networks
 Cable TVs
Future of Coaxial Cables
 Overall use is on the decline
 LANs (Lower End)
 Replaced by newer and better twisted
pair wires
 Telephone trunks (Higher End)
 Fiber cables are replacing coaxial
cables
 Mainframes of today
 Connected to peripheral devices over
larger networks built on fiber-optic
cables and twisted pair wires
MODULE

Fiber Cables
Refraction
Critical Angle
Optical fiber
1.core(62.5um,50um,8.3um)
2.cladding(125um)
3.Coating(250um)
Fiber types
Light source
 Sending device called “light source”
 Receiving device called “photosensitive
cell”
 (photodiode)
 Light source
 Light-emitting diode (LED)
 Cheap but unfocused
 Short distance
 Injection Laser diode (ILD)
 Expensive but focused
 Preserve the signal (long distance)
Characteristics

 Very broad bandwidth

 Higher transmission speeds are
possible
 Signals travel a longer distance
 No Electro-magnetic field
 No interference
 Signals are difficult to tap
 Smaller size
Fiber Optics Transmission
 Light travels along the path of the
fiber by bouncing around its edges
 Propagation methods
 Multi-mode step index
 Multi-mode graded index
 Single mode
Increasing
Speed
1.single-mode
(8.3/125um,9.3/125um,10/125um)laser
2.Multi-mode (62.5/125um,50/125um)led
3.plastic fiber optic laser(500um-2mm)
A Simple Fiber LAN

Source: Black Box

Types and Cost
 Types
 Regular glass fibers
 Plastic fibers
 Purer the fibers the better the
transmission characteristics
 Cost
 Fiber cables are costlier than twisted
pair wires and coaxial cables
 The cost has declined over a period of
time
 Plastic fiber cables are cheaper than
glass fiber cables
MODULE

Mixed Cabling
Mixed Cabling
 LANs may be constructed with
different segments having different
cable types
 Devices are available for interfacing
the different media
 Optical fiber is often used for high
speed links within a LAN of mixed
speed ratings
Media Interface
A Mixed Media LAN

Source: Black Box

Identify the components and relate to the previous

slide.
Listing of Media and Communication
Network Services

Web Research: Find the meaning of the above terms

Unguided media
Unguided media
 Omnidirectional
 Signal radiates in all directions
 Good for broadcast
 Inexpensive antenna

 Directional
 Signal radiates in a single direction
 Usually requires parabolic (dish) antenna
 2-40 GHz (microwave)
 Also works with lasers
Bands
MODULE

Microwave
Frequency Range and
Propagation
 Microwave frequency range
 10e8 to 10e11
 Bandwidth is nearly 10e11 Hz
 Propagation
 Over space
 At higher frequencies the waves tend to
behave like light waves
Line-of-Sight Requirement

Line of sight is required.

What is line of sight
 Two antennae are shown each having
the same height.
 Line-of-sight transmission means the
transmitting and receiving antennae
can "see" each other as shown.
 The maximum distance at which they
can see each other, dLOS, occurs
when the sighting line just grazes the
earth's surface.
Characteristics

 Advantage
 Cable laying is not required
 Disadvantage
 Can easily be tapped
 Encryption is one way of securing the
data from eavesdropping
 Applications Areas
 Telecommunications
 Used extensively
 LAN
 Used for wireless connections
 WANs benefit from microwave
 Usage on the increase
 LANs and WANs area
 Fueled by FCC's(federal communications
comission-US) reassignment of part of the
microwave bandwidth from military to civilian use
MODULE

Satellite Communication
Types

 Geosynchronous Earth Orbit (GEO)

 Medium Earth Orbit (MEO)
 Low Earth Orbit (LEO)
Geosynchronous Earth Orbit
(GEO)
 First satellites to be launched
 Remain stationary with respect to the
position of the earth at a high altitude
 Balance between the gravity of the moon
and the earth
 Appear to be stationary with respect
to a position on earth
Medium Earth Orbit
 Fall to earth after a certain number of
years of service
Low Earth Orbit
 Today’s focus
 Touted to play an important role in global
communications
 Several being launched under the
Iridium project
 Usher a new era in global communications
 Support computer systems and personal
communicant devices in communicating
with one another
Propagation

 Requires line-of-sight

 GEO
 At least 3 satellites are required to
provide total global coverage
Total Global Coverage Using
GEO Satellites
I
Upload
16GHZ
12 GHZ
Down load

III II

3 satellites are required to cover the earth

Salient Features of Satellite
Communications
 Uploading and downloading
 Uploading at 12 GHz
 Downloading at 16 Ghz
 Basic function
 Receive the signals from an earth
station, amplify them and then
transmit them back to another earth
station
Applications

 Telecommunications
 Especially for inter-continental
communication
 TV broadcast
 Usage is increasing
 Navigation and other similar local
applications
 GPS
Transmission Impairment for
both type guided and unguided
 Attenuation
 Distortion
 Noise
Attenuation
Why dB?
Distortion
Noises
Assignment by group- Must be
submitted on Monday:2pm
 Describe transmission media for
guided and unguided.
 Gives and describe transmission
media considerations.

 Tutorial must be done in two

sessions-mon:4-6pm and wed:4-6pm