Chapter 3: Transmission Media
• A transmission medium can be broadly defined as
anything that can carry information from a source to a
destination.
• In data communications the transmission medium is
usually free space, metallic cable (twisted-pair cable,
coaxial cable), or fiber-optic cable.
• The information is usually a signal that is the result of a
conversion of data from another form.
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Chapter 3: Transmission Media
Figure 3.1 Transmission medium and physical layer
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Chapter 3: Transmission Media
Figure 3.2 Classes of transmission media
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Chapter 3: Transmission Media
3-1 GUIDED MEDIA
a. Twisted Pair
A twisted pair consists of two conductors (normally copper),
each with its own plastic insulation, twisted together
Figure 3.3 Twisted-pair cable
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Chapter 3: Transmission Media
a. Twisted Pair Figure 3.4 UTP and STP cables
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Chapter 3: Transmission Media
Table 3.1 Major Categories of unshielded twisted-pair cables
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Chapter 3: Transmission Media
• UTP can be connected to RJ-45 in two ways:
• Straight-through cable (T568A or T568B on both ends)
• Cross-over cable (T568A or T568B on one end, then cross 1&3
and 2&6 on the other end)
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Chapter 3: Transmission Media
Figure 3.5 UTP connector
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Chapter 3: Transmission Media
3-1 GUIDED MEDIA Figure 3.6 Coaxial cable
b. Coaxial cable
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Chapter 3: Transmission Media
3-1 GUIDED MEDIA
c. Optic-Fiber
• A fiber-optic cable is made of glass or plastic and
transmits signals in the form of light
Figure 3.8 Optical fiber
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Chapter 3: Transmission Media
• Advantages Fiber-optic over metallic cable (twisted-pair or coaxial):
➢ Higher bandwidth than either twisted-pair or coaxial cable.
➢ Less signal attenuation:
• Fiber-optic transmission distance is significantly greater than that
of other guided media. A signal can run for 50km without
requiring regeneration while we need repeaters every 5 km for
coaxial or twisted-pair cable.
➢ Immunity to electromagnetic interference
• Electromagnetic noise cannot affect fiber-optic cables.
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Chapter 3: Transmission Media
3-2 UNGUIDED MEDIA: WIRELESS
• Unguided media transport electromagnetic waves
without using a physical conductor.
• This type of communication is often referred to as
wireless communication.
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Chapter 3: Transmission Media
Figure 3.9 Wireless transmission waves
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Chapter 3: Transmission Media
1. Radio waves are used for multicast
communications, such as radio and television.
They can penetrate through walls.
Use omni directional antennas
• When an antenna transmits radio waves, they are
propagated in all directions.
• A sending antenna sends waves that can be received by
any receiving antenna.
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Chapter 3: Transmission Media
2. Microwaves are used for unicast communication
such as cellular telephones, satellite networks,
and wireless LANs.
Higher frequency ranges cannot penetrate walls.
Use unidirectional antennas - point to point line of sight
communications.
• Microwaves are unidirectional.
• Sending and receiving antennas need to be aligned.
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Chapter 3: Transmission Media
3. Infrared signals can be used for short-range
communication in a closed area using line-of-sight
propagation.
• Infrared waves, with frequencies from 300 GHz to 400 THz
• Having high frequencies, cannot penetrate walls
• When we use our infrared remote control, we do not
interfere with the use of the remote by our neighbors
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