Unit 03 Transmission Media
Unit 03 Transmission Media
1. Guided Media:
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 sheath.
They are the most widely used Transmission Media.
Disadvantages:
Susceptible to external interference
Lower capacity and performance in comparison to STP
Short distance transmission due to attenuation
Disadvantages:
Comparatively difficult to install and manufacture
More expensive
Bulky
(ii) Coaxial Cable –
It has an outer plastic covering containing 2 parallel conductors each having a separate
insulated protection cover. 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
Disadvantages:
Difficult to install and maintain
High cost
Fragile
unidirectional, ie, will need another fiber, if we need bidirectional communication
2. Unguided Media:
It is also referred to as Wireless or Unbounded transmission media. No physical
medium is required for the transmission of electromagnetic signals.
Features:
Signal is broadcasted through air
Less Secure
Used for larger distances
These are easy to generate and can penetrate through buildings. The sending and
receiving antennas need not be aligned. Frequency Range:3KHz – 1GHz. AM and FM
radios and cordless phones use Radio waves for transmission.
Further Categorized as (i) Terrestrial and (ii) Satellite.
(ii) Microwaves –
It is a line of sight 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. These are
majorly used for mobile phone communication and television distribution.
(iii) Infrared –
Infrared waves are used for very short distance communication. They cannot penetrate
through obstacles. This prevents interference between systems. Frequency
Range:300GHz – 400THz. It is used in TV remotes, wireless mouse, keyboard, printer,
etc.
Crimp UTP cable
This requires:
RJ45 connector
A crimping tool
1. Bring the wires in the correct order and cut the wires straight