Computer Networks

Transmission Media
Asst. Lect. Athraa Qays
 Transmission media are actually located below the physical layer and are directly
controlled by the physical layer.
 We could say that transmission media belong to layer zero.
 The transmission medium is usually free space, metallic cable, or fiber-optic cable.
 The information is usually a signal that is the result of a conversion of data from another
form.
Transmission media can be divided into two broad categories:
Guided and Unguided
Guided Media
provide a conduit from one device to another, include:
• Coaxial cable.
• Twisted-pair 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:

A twisted pair consists of two conductors (normally copper), each with its
own plastic insulation, twisted together, as shown in Figure below.
One of the wires is used to carry signals to the receiver, and the other is
used only as a ground reference.
• Twisted-Pair Cable:

The signal sent by the sender on one of the wires, interference (noise) and
crosstalk may affect both wires and create unwanted signals. Twisting
makes it probable that both wires are equally affected by external influences.
This means that the receiver, receive no unwanted signals.
Unshielded Versus Shielded Twisted-Pair Cable:

The most common twisted-pair cable used in communications is referred to as unshielded

twisted-pair (UTP).
IBM has also produced a shielded twisted-pair (STP).
STP cable has a metal foil or braided mesh covering that encases each pair of insulated
conductors.
Metal casing improves the quality of cable by preventing the noise or crosstalk.
Unshielded Versus Shielded Twisted-Pair Cable:

The most common UTP connector is RJ45 (RJ stands for registered jack), as
shown below. The RJ45 is a keyed connector, meaning the connector can be
inserted in only one way.
• Coaxial Cable :

Coaxial cable (or coax) carries signals of higher frequency ranges than those
in twisted pair cable.
coax has a central core conductor of solid or stranded wire (usually copper)
enclosed in an insulating sheath, which is, in turn, encased in an outer
conductor of metal foil, braid, or a combination of the two. The outer
metallic wrapping serves both as a shield against noise and as the second
conductor. This outer conductor is also enclosed in an insulating sheath, and
the whole cable is protected by a plastic cover.
Figure 3.1: Coaxial cable
• Coaxial Cable

To connect coaxial cable to devices, we need coaxial connectors.

The most common type of connector used today is the Bayone-Neill-
Concelman (BNC), connector.
The three popular types of these connectors:
• Fiber-Optic Cable :

At the physical layer, diverse technologies can perform the same

function of data transfer. Fiber-optic cable is very different from copper,
yet both effectively carry data over networks.
Whereas copper uses electrical voltage to represent data on the wire,
fiber-optic cable uses light pulses conducted through special glass
conductors to carry data. The cable is engineered to be as pure as
possible and to allow reliable light signals to traverse the medium.
• Fiber-Optic Cable :

Light travels in a straight line as long as it is moving

through a single uniform substance. If a ray of light
traveling through one substance suddenly enters another
substance (of a different density), the ray changes direction.
Figure (3.2) shows how a ray of light changes direction
when going from a dense to a less dense substance.
Figure 3.2: Bending of light ray
 Fiber-Optic Cable
A fiber-optic cable is made of glass or plastic and transmits signals in the form
of light.
Optical fibers use reflection to guide light through a channel.
A glass or plastic core is surrounded by a cladding of less dense glass or plastic

Figure 3.3: Optical fiber

 Fiber-Optic Cable
Current technology supports two modes: multimode and single mode
for propagating light along optical channels, each requiring fiber with different physical
characteristics.

Figure 3.4: Fiber construction

• Propagation Modes
 Fiber-Optic Cable

Difference between single mode and multiple mode fiber optic

Multiple Mode Single Mode

1. Large Core. 1. Small Core
2. Greater dispersion and therefore, loss of signal. 2. Less dispersion
3. Large distance but shorter than single mode. 3. Suitable for long distance
4. Use LED as source of light. 4. Use lasers as light source
Figure 3.5: Modes
• Fiber-Optic Cable

There are three types of connectors for fiber-optic cables, as shown in Figure
below.
 Advantages of Fiber-optic cable:

1. Higher bandwidth: higher bandwidths than either twisted-pair or coaxial cable.

2. Less signal attenuation: Fiber-optic transmission distance is significantly greater than
that of other guided media. A signal can run for 50 km without requiring regeneration.
3. Immunity to electromagnetic interference: Electromagnetic noise cannot affect fiber-
optic cables.
4. Resistance to corrosive materials: more resistant to corrosive materials than copper.
5. Light weight: Fiber-optic cables are much lighter than copper cables.
6. Greater immunity to tapping: Fiber-optic cables are more immune to tapping than
copper cables. Copper cables create antenna effects that can easily be tapped.
 Disadvantages of Fiber-optic cable:

1. Installation and maintenance: Fiber-optic cable is a relatively new

technology. Its installation and maintenance require expertise that is not
yet available everywhere.
2. Unidirectional light propagation: Propagation of light is unidirectional. If
we need bidirectional communication, two fibers are needed.
3. Cost: The cable and the interfaces are relatively more expensive than
those of other guided media. If the demand for bandwidth is not high,
often the use of optical fiber cannot be justified.
 Unguided Media (Wireless Communication):
Unguided media transport electromagnetic waves without using a physical conductor.
Signals are normally broadcast through free space and thus are available to anyone
who has a device capable of receiving them.
There are three groups of Wireless Communication:
 Radio Waves:
• Electromagnetic waves ranging in frequencies between 3 kHz and 1 GHz are normally
called radio waves.
• Radio waves, for the most part, are Omni-directional. When an antenna transmits radio
waves, they are propagated in all directions.
• This means that the sending and receiving antennas do not have to be aligned.
• A sending antenna sends waves that can be received by any receiving antenna.
• Disadvantage is the radio waves transmitted by one antenna are susceptible to
interference by another antenna that may send signals using the same frequency or band.
• Radio waves are used for multicast communications, such as radio and television, and
paging systems.
 Microwaves :
• Electromagnetic waves having frequencies between 1 GHz and 300 GHz are called
microwaves.
• Microwaves are unidirectional.
• When an antenna transmits microwave waves, they can be narrowly focused. This
means that the sending and receiving antennas need to be aligned.
• Advantage is a pair of antennas can be aligned without interfering with another pair
of aligned antennas.
• Microwaves are used for unicast communication such as cellular telephones, satellite
networks, and wireless LANs.
 Microwaves :

Figure 3.6: Unidirectional antennas

 Infrared :
Infrared waves, with frequencies from 300 GHz to 400 THz, can be used for short-range
communication.
Infrared waves, having high frequencies, cannot penetrate walls.
The advantage of characteristic to prevents interference between one system and
another; a short-range communication system in one room cannot be affected by another
system in the next room.
However, this same characteristic makes infrared signals useless for long-range
communication.
Infrared signals can be used for short-range communication in a closed area using line-of-
sight propagation.