For any networking to be effective, raw stream of data is to be

transported from one device to other over some medium. Various

transmission media can be used for transfer of data. These transmission
media may be of two types −
 Guided − in guided media, transmitted data travels through
cabling system that has a fixed path. For example, copper wires,
fiber optic wires, etc.
 Unguided − In unguided media, transmitted data travels through
free space in form of electromagnetic signal. For example, radio
waves, infrared, etc.

BASIS FOR GUIDED MEDIA UNGUIDED MEDIA

COMPARISON
Basic The signal requires a The signal is broadcasted
physical path for through air or sometimes
transmission. water.
Alternative name It is called wired It is called wireless
communication or communication or
bounded transmission unbounded transmission
media. media.
Direction It provides direction to It does not provide any
signal for travelling. direction.
Types Twisted pair cable, coaxial Radio wave microwave and
cable and fibre optic cable. infrared.

Each transmission media has its own advantages and disadvantages in

terms of bandwidth, speed, delay, cost per bit, ease of installation and
maintenance, etc. Let’s discuss some of the most commonly used media
in detail.

Twisted Pair Cable

Copper wires are the most common wires used for transmitting signals
because of good performance at low costs. They are most commonly
used in telephone lines. However, if two or more wires are lying
together, they can interfere with each other’s signals. To reduce this
electromagnetic interference, pair of copper wires are twisted together
in helical shape like a DNA molecule. Such twisted copper wires are
called twisted pair. To reduce interference between nearby twisted
pairs, the twist rates are different for each pair.

Up to 25 twisted pair are put together in a protective covering to form

twisted pair cables that are the backbone of telephone systems and
Ethernet networks.
Advantages of twisted pair cable

Twisted pair cable are the oldest and most popular cables all over the
world. This is due to the many advantages that they offer −

 Trained personnel easily available due to shallow learning curve

 Can be used for both analog and digital transmissions
 Least expensive for short distances
 Entire network does not go down if a part of network is damaged

Disadvantages of twisted pair cable

With its many advantages, twisted pair cables offer some disadvantages
too −

 Signal cannot travel long distances without repeaters

 High error rate for distances greater than 100m
 Very thin and hence breaks easily
 Not suitable for broadband connections

Shielding twisted pair cable

To counter the tendency of twisted pair cables to pick up noise signals,

wires are shielded in the following three ways −

 Each twisted pair is shielded.

 Set of multiple twisted pairs in the cable is shielded.
 Each twisted pair and then all the pairs are shielded.
Such twisted pairs are called shielded twisted pair (STP) cables. The
wires that are not shielded but simply bundled together in a protective
sheath are called unshielded twisted pair (UTP) cables. These cables
can have maximum length of 100 metres.
Shielding makes the cable bulky, so UTP are more popular than STP.
UTP cables are used as the last mile network connection in homes and
offices.

Category 1 Two twisted wire pairs (four wires). It’s the oldest type
and is only voice grade—it isn’t rated for data communication.
People refer to it as plain old telephone service (POTS). Before
1983, this was the standard cable used throughout the North
American telephone system. POTS cable still exists in parts of the
Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) and supports signals
limited to the 1 MHz frequency range.

Category 2 Four twisted wire pairs (eight wires). It handles up to 4

Mbps, with a frequency limitation of 10 MHz, and is now obsolete.
UTP cable types vary in their data carrying capacity. Common categories of
UTP cabling include the following:

■ Category 3: Category 3 (Cat 3) cable is commonly used in Ethernet

10BASE-T networks, which carry data at a rate of 10 Mbps (where Mbps
stands for megabits per second , meaning millions of bits per second).
However, Cat 3 cable can carry data at a maximum rate of 16 Mbps,

■ Category 5: Category 5 (Cat 5) cable is commonly used in Ethernet

100BASETX networks, which carry data at a rate of 100 Mbps. However,
Cat 5 cable can carry ATM traffic at a rate of 155 Mbps. Most Cat 5 cables
consist of four pairs of 24 gauge wires. Each pair is twisted, with a different
number of twists per meter. However, on average, one pair of wires has a
twist every 5 cm.

■ Category 5e: Category 5e (Cat 5e) cable is an updated version of Cat 5 and
is commonly used for 1000BASE-T networks, which carry data at a rate of
1 Gbps. Cat 5e cable offers reduced crosstalk, as compared to Cat 5 cable.

■ Category 6: Like Cat 5e cable, Category 6 (Cat 6) cable is commonly used

for 1000BASE-T Ethernet networks. Some Cat 6 cable is made of thicker
conductors (for example, 22 gauge or 23 gauge wire), although some Cat 6
cable is made from the same 24 gauge wire used by Cat 5 and Cat 5e. Cat 6
cable has thicker insulation and offers reduced crosstalk, as compared with
Cat 5e.
■ Category 6a: Category 6a (Cat 6a), or augmented Cat 6 , supports twice as
many frequencies as Cat 6 and can be used for 10GBASE-T networks, which
can transmit data at a rate of 10 billion bits per second (10 Gbps).

Common connectors used on twisted-pair cables are as follows:

■ RJ-45: A type 45 registered jack (RJ-45) is an eight-pin connector
found in most Ethernet networks. However, most Ethernet
implementations only use four of the eight pins.

■ RJ-11: A type 11 registered jack (RJ-11) has the capacity to be a six-

pin connector. However, most RJ-11 connectors have only two or four
conductors. An RJ-11 connector is found in most home telephone
networks. However, most home phones only use two of the six pins.

■ DB-9 (RS-232): A 9-pin D-subminiature (DB-9) connector is

commonly used as a connector for asynchronous serial communications.
One of the more popular uses of a DB-9 connector is to connect the
serial port on a computer with an external modem.

Coaxial Cable
Coaxial cable, referred to as coax, contains a center conductor made of
copper that’s surrounded by a plastic jacket with a braided shield over it.
Coaxial cables are copper cables with better shielding than twisted pair
cables, so that transmitted signals may travel longer distances at higher
speeds. A coaxial cable consists of these layers, starting from the
innermost −
 Stiff copper wire as core
 Insulating material surrounding the core
 Closely woven braided mesh of conducting material surrounding
the insulator
 Protective plastic sheath encasing the wire
Coaxial cables are widely used for cable TV connections and LANs.
Advantages of Coaxial Cables

These are the advantages of coaxial cables −

 Excellent noise immunity
 Signals can travel longer distances at higher speeds,
 Can be used for both analog and digital signals
 Inexpensive as compared to fiber optic cables
 Easy to install and maintain
Disadvantages of Coaxial Cables

These are some of the disadvantages of coaxial cables −

 Expensive as compared to twisted pair cables

 Not compatible with twisted pair cables

10Base2 (Thin net) thin net coaxial is the more

flexible of the two implementations because of its
use of stranded copper wire, but it will not go as far
without attenuation. It also costs less than thick net.
Thin net can go about 185 meters. The connectors
that are used with 1 0Base2 are called BNC
connectors and usually connect to each station with
a T -connector

10Base5 (Thick net) Thick net coaxial is the less flexible

of the two Implementations because of its use of a solid
copper wire, but it will go Farther without attenuation. It
also costs more than thin net. It can go about 500 meters.

Both 1 0Base2 and 1 0Base5 operate in a bus topology.

This means that each end of the network must use a
connector that is terminated. It is not very likely that you
will encounter any new network implementations using
coaxial, but you may find some existing ones.
Three of the most common types of coaxial cables include the
following:
■ RG-59: Typically used for short-distance applications, such as
carrying composite video between two nearby devices. This cable
type has loss characteristics such that it is not appropriate for long-
distance applications. RG-59 cable has a characteristic impedance of
75 Ohms.
■ RG-6: Commonly used by local cable companies to connect
individual homes to the cable company’s distribution network. Like
RG-59 cable, RG-6 cable has a characteristic impedance of 75
Ohms.
■ RG-58: Has loss characteristics and distance limitations similar to
those of RG-59. However, the characteristic impedance of RG-58 is
50 Ohms, and this type of coax was popular with early 10BASE2
Ethernet networks. Although RG-58 coaxial cable was common
place in early computer networks (in 10BASE2 networks), coaxial
cable’s role in modern computer networks is as the media used by
cable modems. Cable modems are commonly installed in residences
to provide high-speed Internet access over the same connection used
to receive multiple television stations.

F-type
The F connector, or F-type connector, is a form of coaxial connector that
is used for cable TV. It has an end that screws to tighten the connector to
the interface

NOTE The RG prefix used in coaxial cable types stands for radio guide .
Fiber-Optic Cable
Because fiber-optic cable transmits digital signals using light impulses
rather than electricity, it’s immune to EMI and RFI. Anyone who’s seen
a network’s UTP cable run down an elevator shaft would definitely
appreciate this fiber feature. Fiber cable allows light impulses
to be carried on either a glass or a plastic core. Glass can carry the signal
a greater distance, but plastic costs less. Whichever the type of core, it’s
surrounded by a glass or plastic cladding with a different refraction
index that reflects the light back into the core. Around this is a layer of
flexible plastic buffer that can be wrapped in an armor coating that’s
usually Kevlar, which is then sheathed in PVC or plenum.

The cable itself comes in either single-mode fiber (SMF) or multimode

fiber (MMF); the difference between them is in the number of light rays
(the number of signals) they can carry. Multimode fiber is most often
used for shorter-distance applications and single-mode fiber for
spanning longer distances.

Although fiber-optic cable may sound like the solution to many

problems, it has its pros and cons just like the other cable types.
Here are the pros:
■ It’s completely immune to EMI and RFI.
■ It can transmit up to 40 kilometers (about 25 miles).
And here are the cons:
■ It’s difficult to install.
■ It’s more expensive than twisted-pair.
■ Troubleshooting equipment is more expensive than twisted-pair
test equipment.
■ It’s harder to troubleshoot.

Single-Mode Fiber
Single-mode fiber-optic cable (SMF) is a very high-speed, long-distance
media that consists of a single strand—sometimes two strands—of glass
fiber that carries the signals. Light emitting diodes (LEDs) and laser are
the light sources used with SMF. The light source is transmitted from
end to end and pulsed to create communication. This is the type of fiber
cable employed to span really long distances because it can transmit data
50 times farther than multimode fiber at a faster rate.

Clearly, because the transmission media is glass, the installation of SMF

can be a bit tricky. Yes, there are outer layers protecting the glass core,
but the cable still shouldn’t be crimped or pinched around any tight
corners.

Multimode Fiber
Multimode fiber-optic cable (MMF) also uses light to communicate a
signal, but with it, the light is dispersed on numerous paths as it travels
through the core and is reflected back. A special material called
cladding is used to line the core and focus the light back onto it. MMF
provides high bandwidth at high speeds over medium distances (up to
about 3,000 feet), but beyond that it can be really inconsistent. This is
why MMF
is most often used within a smaller area of one building; SMF can be
used between buildings.

MMF is available in glass or in a plastic version that makes installation a

lot easier and increases the installation’s flexibility.

Optical Fiber

Thin glass or plastic threads used to transmit data using light waves are
called optical fibre. Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) or Laser Diodes
(LDs) emit light waves at the source, which is read by a detector at the
other end. Optical fibre cable has a bundle of such threads or fibres
bundled together in a protective covering. Each fibre is made up of
these three layers, starting with the innermost layer −
  Core made of high quality silica glass or plastic
 Cladding made of high quality silica glass or plastic, with a lower
refractive index than the core
 Protective outer covering called buffer
Note that both core and cladding are made of similar material.
However, as refractive index of the cladding is lower, any stray light
wave trying to escape the core is reflected back due to total internal
reflection.

Optical fiber is rapidly replacing copper wires in telephone lines,

internet communication and even cable TV connections because
transmitted data can travel very long distances without
weakening. Single node fibre optic cable can have maximum segment
length of 2 kms and bandwidth of up to 100 Mbps. Multi-node fibre
optic cable can have maximum segment length of 100 kms and
bandwidth up to 2 Gbps.

Advantages of Optical Fibre

Optical fibre is fast replacing copper wires because of these advantages

that it offers −

 High bandwidth
 Immune to electromagnetic interference
 Suitable for industrial and noisy areas
 Signals carrying data can travel long distances without weakening

Disadvantages of Optical Fibre

Despite long segment lengths and high bandwidth, using optical fibre
may not be a viable option for every one due to these disadvantages −

 Optical fiber cables are expensive

 Sophisticated technology required for manufacturing, installing
and maintaining optical fiber cables
 Light waves are unidirectional, so two frequencies are required for
full duplex transmission
Infrared

Low frequency infrared waves are used for very short distance
communication like TV remote, wireless speakers, automatic doors,
hand held devices etc. Infrared signals can propagate within a room but
cannot penetrate walls. However, due to such short range, it is
considered to be one of the most secure transmission modes.

Radio Wave

Transmission of data using radio frequencies is called radio-wave

transmission. We all are familiar with radio channels that broadcast
entertainment programs. Radio stations transmit radio waves
using transmitters, which are received by the receiver installed in our
devices.
Both transmitters and receivers use antennas to radiate or capture radio
signals. These radio frequencies can also be used for direct voice
communication within the allocated range. This range is usually 10
miles.
Advantages of Radio Wave

These are some of the advantages of radio wave transmissions −

 Inexpensive mode of information exchange

 No land needs to be acquired for laying cables
 Installation and maintenance of devices is cheap

Disadvantages of Radio Wave

These are some of the disadvantages of radio wave transmissions −

 Insecure communication medium

 Prone to weather changes like rain, thunderstorms, etc.