2.

0 Network Access
Part I
Module Objectives
Module Title: Physical Layer

Module Objective: Explain how physical layer protocols, services, and network media support
communications across data networks.

Topic Title Topic Objective

Purpose of the Physical Layer Describe the purpose and functions of the physical
layer in the network.
Physical Layer Characteristics Describe characteristics of the physical layer.

Copper Cabling Identify the basic characteristics of copper cabling.

UTP Cabling Explain how UTP cable is used in Ethernet networks.

Fiber-Optic Cabling Describe fiber optic cabling and its main advantages
over other media.
Wireless Media Connect devices using wired and wireless media.

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2.1 Describe the protocols,
services, and network media
that facilitate communications
across data networks at the
physical layer.
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Purpose of the Physical Layer
The Physical Connection
• Before any network communications can occur, a physical connection to a local
network must be established.
• This physical connection could be wired (cable) or wireless (radio waves),
depending on the setup of the network.

This type of setup is a wired network.

Data is transmitted through a physical
cable.

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Purpose of the Physical Layer
The Physical Connection cont..
• With wireless devices, data is transmitted using radio waves.
• Devices on a wireless network must be connected to a wireless access point
(AP) or wireless router.

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Purpose of the Physical Layer
The Physical Connection cont..
• A Network Interface Card (NIC)
connects a device to the network.
• Used for wired connection

Wireless Local Area Network(WLAN)

NICs are used for wireless connection

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Purpose of the Physical Layer
The Physical Layer
• The OSI physical layer provides
the means to transport the bits
that make up a data link layer
frame across the network media.
• This layer accepts a complete
frame from the data link layer and
encodes it as a series of signals
that are transmitted to the local
media.
• The encoded bits that comprise a
frame are received by either an
end device or an intermediate
device.

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Purpose of the Physical Layer
The Physical Layer
• Example of the encapsulation process.
• The last part of this process shows the bits being sent over the physical medium.
• The physical layer encodes the frames and creates the electrical, optical, or radio wave
signals that represent the bits in each frame.
• These signals are then sent over the media,
one at a time.
• The destination node physical layer retrieves
these individual signals from the media,
restores them to their bit representations, and
passes the bits up to the data link layer as a
complete frame.

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Purpose of the Physical Layer
Physical Layer Media

Three basic
forms of
network media

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Purpose of the Physical Layer
Class Activity

• 4.1.3 Check Your Understanding - Purpose of the

Physical Layer

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2.1.2 Describe physical layer
components, encoding and
signaling
4.2 Physical Layer Characteristics

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Physical Layer Characteristics
Physical Layer Standards
• International Organization for
Standardization (ISO)

• Telecommunications Industry
Association/Electronic
Industries Association (TIA/EIA)

• International
Telecommunication Union (ITU)

• American National Standards

Institute (ANSI)

• Institute of Electrical and

Electronics Engineers (IEEE)
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Physical Layer Characteristics
Physical Layer Standards

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Physical Layer Characteristics
Physical Components
Physical Layer Standards address three functional areas:
• Physical Components
• Encoding
• Signaling

The Physical Components are the hardware devices, media, and

other connectors that transmit the signals that represent the bits.
• Hardware components like NICs, interfaces and connectors, cable materials, and cable
designs are all specified in standards associated with the physical layer.
• The various ports and interfaces on a router are also examples of physical components with
specific connectors and pinouts resulting from standards.

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Physical Layer Characteristics
Encoding
• Encoding or line encoding is a
method of converting a stream
of data bits into a predefined
"code”.
• Codes are groupings of bits
used to provide a predictable
pattern that can be recognized
by both the sender and the
receiver.

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Physical Layer Characteristics
Signaling
• The physical layer must generate the electrical, optical, or wireless
signals that represent the "1" and "0" on the media.
• The way that bits are represented is called the signaling method.
• The physical layer standards must define what type of signal
represents a "1" and what type of signal represents a "0".

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Physical Layer Characteristics
Signaling cont..

Light Pulses Over Fiber-Optic Cable

Electrical Signals Over Copper Cable Microwave Signals Over Wireless

Example of signaling for copper cable, fiber-optic cable, and wireless media.

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2.1.3 Describe bandwidth,
latency, throughput and
goodput.
4.2 Physical Layer Characteristics

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Physical Layer Characteristics
Bandwidth
• Bandwidth is the capacity at which a medium can carry data.
• Digital bandwidth measures the amount of data that can flow from one
place to another in a given amount of time; how many bits can be
transmitted in a second.
• Bandwidth is sometimes thought of as the speed that bits travel, however
this is not accurate.

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Physical Layer Characteristics
Bandwidth Terminology
Terms used to measure the quality of bandwidth include:
• Latency
• Throughput
• Goodput

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Physical Layer Characteristics
Bandwidth Terminology cont..
Latency
• Latency refers to the amount of time, including delays, for data to
travel from one given point to another.

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Physical Layer Characteristics
Bandwidth Terminology cont..
Throughput
• Throughput is the measure of the transfer of
bits across the media over a given period of
time.
• Due to a number of factors, throughput usually
does not match the specified bandwidth in
physical layer implementations due
to many factors:
• The amount of traffic
• The type of traffic
• The latency created by the number of Online speed tests that shows the throughput
network devices encountered between of an internet connection.

source and destination

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Physical Layer Characteristics
Bandwidth Terminology cont..
Goodput
• Goodput is the measure of usable data transferred over a given
period of time.
• Goodput is throughput minus traffic overhead for establishing
sessions, acknowledgments, encapsulation, and retransmitted bits.
Goodput = Throughput - traffic overhead

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Physical Layer Characteristics
Class Activity
4.2.7 – Check Your Understanding - Physical
Layer Characteristics

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