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Chapter 2: Traditional Transmission Media

This document discusses traditional transmission media used for computer communication. It describes copper wires including twisted pair, coaxial cable, and fiber optic cables. It also discusses wireless transmission using radio frequency and different types of communication satellites in geosynchronous and low earth orbits that transmit data via microwave or infrared signals. The document compares advantages and disadvantages of different transmission media.

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0% found this document useful (0 votes)
81 views26 pages

Chapter 2: Traditional Transmission Media

This document discusses traditional transmission media used for computer communication. It describes copper wires including twisted pair, coaxial cable, and fiber optic cables. It also discusses wireless transmission using radio frequency and different types of communication satellites in geosynchronous and low earth orbits that transmit data via microwave or infrared signals. The document compares advantages and disadvantages of different transmission media.

Uploaded by

api-26417140
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 26

Chapter 2: Traditional Transmission

Media
• Introduction
• Copper Wires
• Glass Fibers
• Radio Frequency and Satellites
• Geosynchronous Satellites
• Low Earth Orbit Satellites and Arrays of them
• Microwave
• Infrared
• Light From A Laser

1
Introduction

• Existing types of transmission media including cables


and wireless means are described here

• At the lowest level, all computer communication involves


– encoding data in a form of energy
– and sending the energy across a transmission medium
– Hardware devices attached to a computer perform the encoding
and decoding of data

2
About Cables

• Cables are the backbone of a network; all data/info runs through


cables either in the form of Radio Frequency (RF) via coaxial or
twisted pair or in the form of light via fiber optic.

• Q: How to choose the right cable?


A: Based on your network needs consider the following factors:
- Type of data to be transferred and security issues
- Cost (cabling could take 25% - 40% of total network cost)
- Installation and Maintenance (how easy?)
- Reliability and speed
- Distance affect in:
1- Signal strength and quality (Repeaters may be used!)
2- Possibility of packet collision (Token ring Vs Logical Bus)
3- Possibility of RF noise is likely (long antenna)

3
Cost of Cabling
• Q: How to determine your cable cost?
A: - Determine number of nodes
- Do unit measurement first, and then total all units.

Q: What kind of preparations you need to do?


A: - Building facilities (built-in, over ceiling, or across the
floor)
- Testing, Repair and Maintenance Contract.
- Fire requirement
- Documentation (physical topology, ip-addresses, etc.)
- Avoid interference (preventing RF noise)
1- Local Radio stations
2- Other network cables
3- Large motors

4
Copper Wires
• Conventional computer network use wires as the primary medium
– Copper used almost exclusively because its low resistance

• Network wire is chosen to minimize interference

• Interference arises because wire emit a small amount of


electromagnetic energy, which can travel through the air

• Whenever it encounters another wire, an electromagnetic wave


generates a small electric current in the wire. When two wires are
placed close together and in parallel, a strong signal sent on one
wire will generate a similar signal on the other

5
Copper Wires (cont.)
• Problem of interference is severe
– because wires that comprise a network often are placed in
parallel with many other wires
• To minimize interference, networks use one of three
basic wiring types:
– Twisted Pair
• Unshielded Twisted Pair (UTP)
• Shielded Twisted Pair (STP)
– Coaxial Cable
– Fiber Optic (immunized from interference)

6
Twisted Pair
• The figure below illustrates a twisted-pair cable
• Oldest and still most common used, because of:
– Adequate performance
– Low cost
– Easy to install
• Twists change the electrical properties of the wire:
– They limit the electromagnetic energy the wire emits:
• So they help prevent radiating energy that interferes with other wires
– They make the pair of wires less liable to electromagnetic energy:
• They help prevent signals on other wires from interfering with the pair

7
8
Coaxial cable
• Coaxial cables provides even more protection from
interference than twisted pair
• a coaxial cable consists of a single wire surrounded by a
metal shield (Figure 4.2 below) that forms a flexible
cylinder around the inner wire to provide a barrier for
electromagnetic radiation
– The barrier isolates the inner wire in two ways:
• it protects the wire from incoming/radiating electromagnetic energy
• The cable can be placed parallel to other cables or bent
and twisted around corners

9
10
Shielded Twisted Pair (STP)

The STP cable consists of a pair of wires surrounded by a


metal shield
• The additional shielding provided by STP or coaxial
cabling is often used when wires from a network pass
near equipment that generates strong electric or
magnetic fields

11
Glass Fibers
• Network also use flexible glass fibers to transmit data
– known as an optical fiber
• Medium uses light to transport data
• The miniature glass fiber is encased in a plastic jacket
– which allows the fiber to bend without breaking
• A transmitter at one end of a fiber uses
– a light emitting diode (LED) or a laser to send pulses of light
• A receiver at the other end uses
– a light sensitive transistor to detect the pulses

12
Glass Fibers (cont.)
Advantages:
• Light neither cause electrical interference in other cables nor liable to
electrical interference
• Glass fibers can be manufactured to reflect most of the light inward
can carry a pulse of light much farther than a copper wire signal
• Light can encode more information than electrical signals
 can carry more information than a wire & MORE SECURE
• unlike electricity, which always requires a pair of wires connected into a
complete circuit,
Light can travel from one computer to another over a single fiber

13
Glass Fibers (cont.)

Disadvantages
• Installing a fiber requires special equipment
– that polishes the ends to allow light to pass through
• If a fiber breaks inside the plastic jacket:
– finding the location of the problem is difficult
• Repairing a broken fiber is difficult
– special equipment is needed to join two fibers

14
Radio Frequency (RF)
• In RF transmissions
– each participating computer attaches to an antenna
– Antenna can both transmit and receive RF
• Physically, the antennas used with RF networks may be
large or small, depending on the range desired:
– An antenna designed to propagate signals several miles
• A metal pole approximately 2 meters long that is mounted vertically
on top of a building
– An antenna designed to permit communication within a building
• May be small enough to fit inside a portable computer (e.g., less
than 20 centimeters)

15
Satellites
• RF technology can be combined with satellites
– to provide communication across longer distances
• Figure 4.3 illustrates a satellite in orbit
• The satellite contains a transponder
– that consists of a radio receiver and transmitter
• The transponder
– accepts an incoming radio transmission
– amplifies it
– and transmits the signal back toward the ground at a slightly
different angle than it arrived
• A single satellite usually contains multiple transponders
– Each transponder uses a different radio frequency (i.e., channel)

16
17
Geosynchronous Satellites
• Communication satellites can be grouped into categories according
to the height at which they orbit:
– The easiest is geosynchronous or geostationary satellites
– The name arises because a geosynchronous satellite is placed in an
orbit that is exactly synchronized with the rotation of the earth.
– Such an orbit is classified as a Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO)
– When viewed from the ground,
• satellite appears to remain at exactly the same point in the sky at all times
• Laws of physics determine the exact distance from the earth that a
satellite must orbit to remain synchronized with the earth's rotation
– The distance is 35,785 kilometers or 22,236 miles

18
Geosynchronous Satellites (cont.)
• GEO is about one tenth of the distance to the moon
– Engineers refer the distance as “high earth orbit”
• There is a limited amount of ``space'' available in the
GEO above the equator
– because satellites using a given frequency must be separated
from one another to avoid interference
• The minimum separation depends on the power of the transmitters

19
Low Earth Orbit Satellites
• Second category of satellites operate in what is called
Low Earth Orbit (LEO)
– which means that they orbit a few hundred miles above the earth
(typically 200 to 400 miles)
• The chief disadvantage of a LEO lies in the rate at which
a satellite must travel
– Their period of rotation is faster than the rotation of the earth
• LEOs do not stay above a single point on the earth's surface
• An observer, who stands on the earth looking upward through a
telescope, sees LEOs move across the sky
• A single satellite can complete an entire orbit in
approximately 1.5 hours

20
Low Earth Orbit Satellites (cont.)

From a communication provider's point of view:


• having a satellite that does not appear to remain
stationary causes problems:
– First, the satellite can only be used during the time
• that its orbit passes between two ground stations
– Second, maximal utilization requires complex control systems
• that continuously move the ground stations so they point directly at
the satellite

21
Low Earth Orbit Satellite Arrays
• Instead of focusing on one satellite,
– the scheme requires a communication company to launch a set of
satellites into low earth orbits
• Although a given satellite orbits quickly,
– the set of orbits is chosen so that each point on the ground has at least
one satellite overhead at any time
– sixty-six (66) satellites are required to provide service over the entire
surface of the earth
• From the point of view of an observer on earth,
– it appears that a satellite emerges from a point on the horizon
– flies overhead
– and then disappears into a point on the opposite horizon
• The key to the scheme lies in the set of orbits
– guarantees at least one satellite is available at any time

22
Low Earth Orbit Satellite Arrays (cont.)
• In addition to transponders used to communicate with
ground stations
– an array of satellites in low earth orbit contains radio equipment
used to communicate with other satellites in the array
• As they move through their orbits
– the satellites communicate with one another and agree to
forward data

23
Microwave
• Many long-distance telephone companies use microwave (MW) to
carry telephone conversations
– A few large companies have also installed MW systems as part of the
company's network
• MW are merely a higher frequency version of radio waves, but they
behave differently
– Instead of broadcasting in all directions,
• a MW transmission can be aimed in a single direction, preventing others
from intercepting
– In addition, MW transmission can carry more information than lower
frequency RF transmissions
• MW cannot penetrate metal structures:
– transmission works best in a clear path exists between two parties
– most MW installations consist of two towers
• that are taller than the surrounding buildings and vegetation
– each MW transmitter aimed directly at a MW receiver on the other

24
Infrared
• Infrared is limited to a small area (e.g., a single room)
• Usually requires that the transmitter be pointed toward
the receiver
• Infrared HW
– is inexpensive compared to other mechanisms,
– and does not require an antenna
• It is possible to equip a large room with a single infrared
connection
– that provides network access to all computers
– computers can remain in contact with the network while they are
moved within the room
• Infrared network are especially convenient for small,
portable computers
25
Light From A Laser
• A beam of light can also be used to carry data through the air
• A communication link that uses light consists of two sites that each
have a transmitter and receiver
– equipment is mounted in a fixed position, often on a tower
– aligned so the transmitter at one location sends its beam of light directly
to the receiver at the other
• The transmitter uses a laser to generate the beam of light
– because a coherent laser beam will stay focused over a long distance
• Light from a laser must travel in a straight line and must not be
blocked
• A laser beam cannot penetrate vegetation or weather conditions
such as snow and fog:
– Thus, laser transmission has limited use

26

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