Types of Transmission Media

In data communication terminology, a transmission medium is a physical path between the transmitter and
the receiver i.e. it is the channel through which data is sent from one place to another. Transmission Media
is broadly classified into the following types:

1. Guided Media:
It is also referred to as Wired or Bounded transmission media. Signals being transmitted are directed and
confined in a narrow pathway by using physical links.

Features:

 High Speed
 Secure
 Used for comparatively shorter distances

There are 3 major types of Guided Media:

(i) Twisted Pair Cable –

It consists of 2 separately insulated conductor wires wound about each other. Generally, several such pairs
are bundled together in a protective sheath. They are the most widely used Transmission Media. Twisted
Pair is of two types:

1. Unshielded Twisted Pair (UTP):

This type of cable has the ability to block interference and does not depend on a physical shield for this
purpose. It is used for telephonic applications.

Advantages:

 Least expensive
 Easy to install
 High speed capacity

Disadvantages:

 Susceptible to external interference

 Lower capacity and performance in comparison to STP
 Short distance transmission due to attenuation

2. Shielded Twisted Pair (STP):

This type of cable consists of a special jacket to block external interference. It is used in fast-data-rate
Ethernet and in voice and data channels of telephone lines.

Advantages:

 Better performance at a higher data rate in comparison to UTP

 Eliminates crosstalk
 Comparitively faster

Disadvantages:

 Comparitively difficult to install and manufacture

 More expensive
 Bulky

(ii) Coaxial Cable –

It has an outer plastic covering containing 2 parallel conductors each having a separate insulated protection
cover. Coaxial cable transmits information in two modes: Baseband mode(dedicated cable bandwidth) and
Broadband mode(cable bandwidth is split into separate ranges). Cable TVs and analog television networks
widely use Coaxial cables.

Advantages:

 High Bandwidth
 Better noise Immunity
 Easy to install and expand
 Inexpensive

Disadvantages:

 Single cable failure can disrupt the entire network

(iii) Optical Fibre Cable –

It uses the concept of reflection of light through a core made up of glass or plastic. The core is surrounded
by a less dense glass or plastic covering called the cladding. It is used for transmission of large volumes of
data.

Advantages:

 Increased capacity and bandwidth

 Light weight
 Less signal attenuation

Disadvantages:

 Difficult to install and maintain

 High cost
 Fragile

2. Unguided Media:
It is also referred to as Wireless or Unbounded transmission media.No physical medium is required for the
transmission of electromagnetic signals.

Features:

 Signal is broadcasted through air

 Less Secure
 Used for larger distances

There are 3 major types of Unguided Media:

(i) Radiowaves –
These are easy to generate and can penetrate through buildings.The sending and receiving antennas need
not be aligned. Frequency Range:3KHz – 1GHz. AM and FM radios and cordless phones use Radiowaves
for transmission.

Further Categorized as: (i) Terrestrial and (ii) Satellite.

 (ii) Microwaves –
It is a line of sight transmission i.e. the sending and receiving antennas need to be properly aligned with
each other. The distance covered by the signal is directly proportional to the height of the antenna.
Frequency Range:1GHz – 300GHz. These are majorly used for mobile phone communication and
television distribution.

(iii) Infrared –
Infrared waves are used for very short distance communication. They cannot penetrate through obstacles.
This prevents interference between systems. Frequency Range:300GHz – 400THz. It is used in TV
remotes, wireless mouse, keyboard, printer, etc.

Twisted Pair, Coaxial and Fiber Optic Cables

Most of us know the general distinction between ADSL, COAX and Fiber internet, but the cabling behind
these connections may be more of a mystery. The three most common types of communication cables
are Twisted Pair, Coaxial, and Fiber Optic.

Understanding the differences between the three will shed light on how data travels through each cable,
which ultimately affects your connection and things like speed, latency, security, cost, etc. Here is a general
breakdown of the three different types of cable systems and what they are capable of:

1) Twisted Pair Cables:

Twisted pair cables are quite literally a pair of insulated wires that are twisted together to help reduce noise
from outside sources. While this does help some, these cables are still very susceptible to outside noise.
Twisted pair cables are the most cost-effective option of the three but that also brings about lower
bandwidth and high attenuation. There are two types of twisted pair cables:

I. Unshielded twisted pair (UTP)

 ‘Unshielded’ meaning it does not rely on physical shielding to block interference

 Most commonly used cable of the two, often utilized for both residential and business use
 There are several UTP categories, which increase in bandwidth as you move up the scale, for example:
o CAT1 = up to 1Mbps | CAT2 = up to 4 Mbps | CAT5e = up to 1Gbps

II. Shielded twisted pair (STP)

 ‘Shielded’ with a foil jacket to cancel any external interference

 Commonly used for large-scale enterprises for high-end applications as well as exterior cabling that may be
exposed to environmental elements.

2) Coaxial Cables:
 Coaxial cables are high-frequency transmission cables made up of a
single solid-copper core. Data is transferred electrically over the inner conductor and has 80X more
transmission capacity than twisted pair cables.

This type of cable is commonly used to deliver TV signals (its higher bandwidth makes it more suitable for
video applications) and to connect computers in a network. Along with stable transmission of data, coaxial
cables also have anti-jamming capabilities and can effectively protect signals from being interfered. The
cost is slightly higher than twisted pair but still considered more economical than fiber. There are also two
types of coaxial cables:

75 Ohm

 Most commonly used to transmit video signals

 Often connects video signals between different components like DVDs, VCRs, or receivers commonly
known as A/V cables

50 Ohm

 Primarily utilized to transmit a data signal in a 2-way communication system

 Most commonly used for computer ethernet backbones, AM/FM radio receivers, GPS antenna, police
scanners, and cell phone systems

3) Fiber Optic Cables:

Fiber is the newest form of transmission cable technology. Instead of transferring data over copper wires,
these cables contain optical fibers that transmit data via light, rather than pulses of electricity. Each optical
fiber is individually coated with plastic layers and contained in a protective tube, making it extremely
resistant to external interference. The result is a very reliable and super-fast connection that has 26,000X
more transmission capacity than twisted-pair cables, but that also comes with a much higher cost. Again,
there are two types of fiber cables:

TYPES OF UNGUIDED MEDIA

Unguided Media
In unguided media transmission, messages or electromagnetic signals travel through air or space.
Cables, connectors and other solid conductors are not required in unguided media systems. Wireless
 communication is particularly useful in those regions where cables are difficult to implement or install. The
main types of unguided media are Radio waves, Microwaves and Infrared waves.

The Five main types of wireless media are:

1. Electromagnetic spectrum

The Electromagnetic Spectrum

The electromagnetic spectrum is a continuum of all electromagnetic waves arranged according to frequency
and wavelength. The sun, earth, and other bodies radiate electromagnetic energy of varying wavelengths.
Electromagnetic energy passes through space at the speed of light in the form of sinusoidal waves. The
wavelength is the distance from wavecrest to wavecrest (see figure below).

Light is a particular type of electromagnetic radiation that can be seen and sensed by the human eye, but
this energy exists at a wide range of wavelengths. The micron is the basic unit for measuring the
wavelength of electromagnetic waves. The spectrum of waves is divided into sections based on
wavelength. The shortest waves are gamma rays, which have wavelengths of 10e-6 microns or less. The
longest waves are radio waves, which have wavelengths of many kilometers. The range of visible consists
of the narrow portion of the spectrum, from 0.4 microns (blue) to 0.7 microns (red).

2. Radio transmission

Radio communication was one of the first wireless technologies developed and it is still in use. The
portable multi-channel radios allow the user to communicate over short distances whereas citizen band and
maritime radios provide communication services over long distances for truckers and sailors.
 Radio frequency is a form of electromagnetic transmission used in wireless communication. RF signals are
easily generated, ranging 3kHz to 300GHz. These are used in wireless communication because of their
property to penetrate through objects and travel long distances.

Radio communication depends on the wavelength, transmitter power, receiver quality, type, size and height
of the antenna.

Drawbacks

 These are frequency dependent

 These have the relatively low bandwidth for data transmission.

3. Microwave Transmission

Microwaves are the form of electromagnetic transmission used in wireless communication systems. The
wavelength of microwave ranges from one meter to one millimetre. The frequency varies from 300MHz to
300GHz. These are widely used for long distance communications and are relatively less expensive.

Microwave Transmission Node

Drawbacks

 The microwave does not pass through buildings.

 Bad weather affects the signal transmission.
 These are frequency dependent.

4. Infrared Transmission

Infrared radiations are electromagnetic radiations with longer wavelengths than visible light. These are
usually used for short-range communications. These signals do not pass through solid objects.
Examples like Television remote control, mobile data sharing.

Infrared Transmission

5. Satellite Communication

The use of Satellite is to extend the coverage area. Signal is transmitted up and down between ground
stations. The satellite is therefore used as a repeater for re-generating the signal.
A satellite is a body that moves around another body in a particular path. A communication satellite is
nothing but a microwave repeater station in space. It is helpful in telecommunications, radio and television
along with internet applications.
A repeater is a circuit, which increases the strength of the received signal and then transmits it. But, this
repeater works as a transponder. That means, it changes the frequency band of the transmitted signal from
the received one.
The frequency with which, the signal is sent into the space is called as Uplink frequency. Similarly, the
frequency with which, the signal is sent by the transponder is called as Downlink frequency. The following
figure illustrates this concept clearly.
The transmission of signal from first earth station to satellite through a channel is called as uplink.
Similarly, the transmission of signal from satellite to second earth station through a channel is called as
downlink