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Unit 2-Transmission Media

Transmission media can be either guided or unguided. Guided media, also called wired media, uses physical pathways like cables to direct signals between devices and provides high-speed, secure transmission over shorter distances. Common guided media include twisted pair, coaxial, and optical fiber cables. Unguided or wireless media transmits signals without physical connections through the air using electromagnetic waves, allowing transmission over larger distances but with less security. Common types of unguided media are radio waves, microwaves, and infrared signals.

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65 views6 pages

Unit 2-Transmission Media

Transmission media can be either guided or unguided. Guided media, also called wired media, uses physical pathways like cables to direct signals between devices and provides high-speed, secure transmission over shorter distances. Common guided media include twisted pair, coaxial, and optical fiber cables. Unguided or wireless media transmits signals without physical connections through the air using electromagnetic waves, allowing transmission over larger distances but with less security. Common types of unguided media are radio waves, microwaves, and infrared signals.

Uploaded by

Nabin Joshi
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Unit 2:………………………

2.7 Transmission Medium: Guided and Unguided

Transmission Media:
Transmission media is a physical path that transmits the data from a transmitter to
the receiver. In other words, it is a communication channel that carries the
information from the sender to the receiver. Data is transmitted through the
electromagnetic signals. The properties of different transmission media are delay,
bandwidth, maintenance, cost, easy installation and distances. The examples of
transmission media are coaxial cable, twisted-pair cable, fiber optic cable etc.

Types of Transmission Media


Transmission media is classified into two types namely wired media & wireless
media.

Fig: Classification of Transmission Media

1. Guided Media:

It provides the physical connection from one network device to another device. It is
also referred to as Wired or Bounded transmission media. Signals being transmitted
are directed and confined in a narrow pathway by using physical links.
Features:
 High Speed
 Secure
 Used for comparatively shorter distances
There are 3 major types of Guided Media:
(i) Twisted Pair Cable
It consists of 2 separately insulated conductor wires wound about each other.
Generally, several such pairs are bundled together in a protective cover. They are
the most widely used Transmission Media. There are two types of Twisted Pair.
They are

Unshielded Twisted Pair (UTP):


This type of cable has the ability to block interference and does not depend on a
physical shield for this purpose. It is used for telephonic applications.

Features:
 Least expensive
 Easy to install
 High-speed capacity
 Lower capacity and performance in
comparison to STP
 Short distance transmission due to attenuation
Shielded Twisted Pair (STP):
This type of cable consists of a special jacket to block external interference. It is
used in fast-data-rate Ethernet and in voice and data channels of telephone lines.

Features:
 Better performance at a higher data rate in
comparison to UTP
 Eliminates crosstalk
 Comparatively faster
 Comparatively difficult to install and
manufacture
 More expensive
 Bulky
#Difference between UTP and STP
S.No. On The Unshielded Twisted Pair Shielded Twisted Pair
Basis (UTP) (STP)

Grounding Grounding cable in not Grounding cable is


1
required. required.

Data Data Transmission Rate Data Transmission Rate


2 Transmission is slower than STP. is very high.
Rate

Cost UTP cables are cheaper. STP cables are


3
expensive.

Maintenance Low maintenance cost in High maintenance cost in


4
case of UTP. case of STP.

Noise Noise is high in UTP. Noise is quite less in


5
STP.

Crosstalk Possibility of crosstalk is Possibility of crosstalk is


6
very high in UTP. quiet low in STP.

(ii)Coaxial Cable

It has an outer plastic covering containing 2 parallel conductors each having a


separate insulated protection cover. The coaxial cable transmits information in two
modes: Baseband mode (dedicated cable bandwidth) and Broadband mode
(cable bandwidth is split into separate ranges). Cable TVs and Analog Television
networks widely use Coaxial cables.
Advantages:
 High Bandwidth
 Better noise Immunity
 Easy to install and expand
 Inexpensive
Disadvantages:
 Single cable failure can disrupt the entire network
(iii) Optical Fiber Cable

It uses the concept of reflection of light through a core made up of glass or plastic.
The core is surrounded by a less dense glass or plastic
covering called the cladding. It is used for the
transmission of large volumes of data. The cable can
be unidirectional or bidirectional. The WDM
(Wavelength Division Multiplexer) supports two
modes, namely unidirectional and bidirectional mode.
Advantages:
 Increased capacity and bandwidth
 Lightweight
 Less signal attenuation
 Immunity to electromagnetic interference
Disadvantages:
 Difficult to install and maintain
 High cost
 Fragile(breakable)

2. Unguided Media:
It transmits wave signals without using physical connection. It is also referred to as
Wireless or Unbounded Transmission Media. No physical medium is required for
the transmission of electromagnetic signals. Signals are normally broadcast through
air and thus are available to anyone who has a device capable of receiving them.
Features:
 The signal is broadcasted through air
 Less Secure
 Used for larger distances
There are 3 types of Signals transmitted through unguided media:
(i) Radio waves
A low range electromagnetic waves is known as radio waves. These are easy to
generate and can penetrate through buildings. The sending and receiving antennas
need not be aligned. Frequency Range: 3 KHz – 1GHz. AM and FM radios and
cordless phones use Radio waves for transmission.

Further Categorized as (i) Terrestrial and (ii) Satellite.


(ii)Microwaves
A high range electromagnetic waves is known as microwaves. It is a line of sight
(LoS) transmission i.e. the sending and receiving antennas need to be properly
aligned with each other. The distance covered by the signal is directly proportional
to the height of the antenna. Frequency Range: 1GHz – 300GHz. Microwaves do
not pass through buildings or hills. So, indoor receivers cannot be used effectively.
These are mainly used for mobile phone communication, Satellites and television
networks.
(iii)Infrared
Infrared (IR) signals can be used for very short distance communication. As
infrared signals have a high Frequency, They cannot penetrate through wall or any
obstacles. So, it prevents interference from one system to another systems. It is
used in TV remotes, wireless mouse, keyboard, printer, etc. it cannot be used
outside the building because sun rays contain infrared waves that can interfere with
communication.
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