Topic 5

Transmission Media
- Guided Media -
Guided Media
A signal travelling along any of these media is
directed and contained by the physical limits of
the medium.

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.
Guided Media – Two wire
Two wire open lines
Composed of two wires in which a voltage
between the two wires represents signal.
Operates at low speeds
Operates over short distances (less than 50m)
Wires are normally enshrouded in a plastic
covering.
Guided Media – Coaxial Cable
Coaxial Cable (Thicknet/Thinnet)
Coaxial cable is a type of communication
transmission cable in which a solid centre
conductor is surrounded by an insulating spacer
which in turn is surrounded by a tubular outer
conductor (usually a braid, foil or both). The
entire assembly is then covered with an
insulating and protective outer layer.
Coaxial cables have a wide bandwidth and are
capable of carrying many data, voice, and video
conversations simultaneously.
Twisted Pair
Twisted pair is composed of wood-pulp or
plastic insulated wires twisted together into
pairs. In some cables, many twisted pairs are
stranded into a rope-like form called a binder
group.
Several binder groups are, in turn, twisted
together around a common axis to form the
cable core and a protective sheath is wrapped
around the core. Twisted pair is manufactured in
a number of standard sizes and may contain
from six to 3,600 wire pairs.
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. The
difference in density of the two materials must
be such that a beam of light moving through the
core is reflected off the cladding instead of being
refracted into it.