Transmission Media

Transmission medium and physical layer

Classes of transmission media
Twisted-pair cable
UTP and STP cables
Categories of unshielded twisted-pair cables
UTP connector
 Applications of Twisted pair

• Most common medium

• Telephone network
– Between house and local exchange (subscriber
loop)
• Within buildings
– To private branch exchange (PBX)
• For local area networks (LAN)
– 10Mbps or 100Mbps
Coaxial cable
Categories of coaxial cables
BNC connectors
 Applications of coaxial cable

• Most versatile medium

• Television distribution
– Ariel to TV
– Cable TV
• Long distance telephone transmission
– Can carry 10,000 voice calls simultaneously
– Being replaced by fiber optic
• Short distance computer systems links
• Local area networks
Fiber optics: Bending of light ray
Fiber optics
Propagation Modes
Modes
Fiber types
Fiber-optic cable connectors
UNGUIDED MEDIA: WIRELESS
Unguided media transport electromagnetic
waves without using a physical conductor. This
type of communication is often referred to as
wireless communication
 Antenna
• Electrical conductor (or system of..) used to radiate
electromagnetic energy or collect electromagnetic energy
• Transmission
– Radio frequency energy from transmitter
– Converted to electromagnetic energy
– By antenna
– Radiated into surrounding environment
• Reception
– Electromagnetic energy impinging on antenna
– Converted to radio frequency electrical energy
– Fed to receiver
• Same antenna often used for both
Wireless transmission waves
Propagation methods
Bands
Radio waves are used for multicast
communications, such as radio and television,
and paging systems. They can penetrate
through walls.
Highly regulated. Use Omni directional
antennas
Omnidirectional antenna
• Microwaves are used for unicast communication such
as cellular telephones, satellite networks,
and wireless LANs.
• Higher frequency ranges cannot penetrate walls.
• Use directional antennas - point to point line of sight
communications.
Unidirectional antennas
• Infrared signals can be used for short-range
communication in a closed area using line-of-
sight propagation