NETWORK MEDIA

Choosing Network Media

 The appropriate media type is determined by your physical topology,
logical topology, and bandwidth requirements (and physical
connectors).
 Your choice of media type will affect the type of network interface
cards (NICs) installed, the speed of the network, and the capability of
the network.
 Types of Network Media
The three types of network media:
 Copper cable: The signals are patterns of
electrical pulses.
 Fiber-optic cable: The signals are patterns of
light.
 Wireless: The signals are patterns of
microwave transmissions.
 Bandwidth

 Bandwidth is the capacity of a medium to carry data. Digital bandwidth

measures the amount of data that can flow from one place to another in a given
time.
The combination of factors determine the practical bandwidth of a network:
• The properties of the physical media
• The technologies chosen for signaling and detecting network signals
 Throughput
• Throughput is the actual, measured bandwidth, at a specific time of day,
using specific internet routes, while downloading a specific file.
• Throughput is often far less than the maximum bandwidth and is affected
by the following factors:
– The amount of traffic
– The type of traffic
– Internetworking devices
– Type of data being transferred
– Network topology
– Number of users on the network
– User computer
– Server computer
The latency created by the number of network devices encountered
between source and destination
 Routing Your Cable Plant

 Most regions have building codes that include specifications for network cable
installation.
 These codes include items such as how or where cable can be routed, the use of
conduit, and even the type of outer insulation the cable can have
 Where you route your cable can be significant and can directly impact reliability
and safety. Cable insulation is another safety consideration (insulation is key).
Things to avoid when routing a cable: Avoid high traffic areas, loose cables,
hazardous areas.
 Do not run network cables through the same conduit as electrical lines. The
copper wire cables can pick up a voltage through induction
( Induction: process through which a moving electrical current causes a voltage on
a nearby wire)
(Conduit : Metal or plastic pipe used to contain network cable)
 Routing Your Cable Plant

 Route your copper wire cables to avoid sources of

electromagnetic interference (EMI) or radio
frequency interference (RFI).
• EMI or RFI sources: refrigerators, copy machines, or
microwave ovens
 Fiber-optic cable is immune to problems with induction, EMI, or RFI. It is
not, however, immune to physical damage.
 Network Wired and Wireless Media

The function of the media is to carry a flow of information through a LAN.

A. Wired Media:- A widely adopted family that uses copper and fiber media in
local area network (LAN) technology are collectively known as Ethernet

1. Copper Cable
a. Coaxial Cables
b. Shielded Twisted Pair(STP)
c. Unshielded Twisted Pair
2. Fiber Optic Cable

B. Wireless Media:- use the atmosphere, or space, as the medium.

 1. Copper Cable

 The most common, easiest,

quickest, and cheapest form
of network media to install.
 The disadvantage of sending
data over copper wire is that
the further the signal travels,
the weaker it becomes.
 a. Coaxial Cable

 It can run longer distances than Twisted pair Cables.

 Speed: 10-100Mbps
 Cost: Inexpensive
 Media and connector size: Medium
 Maximum cable length: 500m
 Components: Coaxial Cable

 It is constructed from one central copper wire that is covered

with a plastic insulator, called a dielectric, and shielded
from interference by a foil wrapping or braid.
 The outer jacket that protects the cable is either PVC or
plenum.
 The foil or braided shielding in the coaxial cable must be
grounded at one end to protect against EMI and help protect
from RFI.
 b. Shielded Twisted Pair(STP)

• Speed: 10-100Mbps
• Cost: Moderate
• Media and connector size: Medium to large
• Maximum cable length: 100m
 Components: STP
 Shielded twisted pair (STP) consists of pairs of copper wires that
are twisted together
 The pairs are covered in a foil or braided shielding, as well as an outer PVC
jacket.
 The shielding must be grounded to prevent the foil or braided shielding
from becoming a magnet for electricity.
 STP is subject to near-end cross talk and EMI (hance the twisting of pairs).
• Cross talk is the electromagnetic interference that occurs when the
electrical signal on one wire changes the electrical properties of a signal on
an adjacent wire.
• Type of connector being used : IBM data connectors at both ends of the
cable or an IBM data connector on one end and an RJ-45 modular jack at
the other.
 c. Unshielded Twisted Pair
 UTP is a four-pair wire medium • Speed: 10-100-1000 Mbps*
used in a variety of networks. • Cost: Least Expensive
 Each of the eight copper wires • Media and connector size:
in the UTP cable is covered by Small
insulating material • Maximum cable length: 100m *
 The wire pairs within each (Depending on the
cable have varied number of quality/category of cable)
twists to provide cancellation
to help prevent interference.
UTP Connectors
UTP/STP Cabling Categories
 UTP/STP Cabling Categories
• Category 1—Used for telephone communications. Not suitable for
transmitting data.
• Category 2—Capable of transmitting data at speeds up to 4 megabits per
second (Mbps).
• Category 3—Used in 10BASE-T networks. Can transmit data at speeds
up to 10 Mbps.
• Category 4—Used in Token Ring networks. Can transmit data at speeds
up to 16 Mbps.
• Category 5—Can transmit data at speeds up to 100 Mbps.
• Category 5e —Used in networks running at speeds up to 1000 Mbps (1
gigabit per second [Gbps]).
• Category 6—Typically, Category 6 cable consists of four pairs of 24
American Wire Gauge (AWG) copper wires. Category 6 cable is currently
the fastest standard for UTP (1Gbps-10Gbps).
• Category 7- 700 MHz or up to 1.2 GHz in special applications, Full-motion
video and special government and manufacturing applications. Not
currently used for LAN applications. Speed of up to 10Gbps
 UTP Implementation

 EIA/TIA specifies an RJ-45 connector for UTP cable.

 The letters RJ stand for registered jack.

Advantage
• It’s inexpensive and easy to
install.
• It’s easy to terminate.
• It’s widely used and tested. Disadvantage
• It’s easy to maintain and • It’s susceptible to interference.
troubleshoot. • It’s prone to damage during installation
• Patch cables come precut in most if mishandled.
popular lengths. • It’s prone to physical damage if routed
• It supports many network types. through traffic areas and not protected.
Types of UTP Cable
 Testing UTP Cables

After installation, a UTP cable tester should be used to test

for the following parameters:
• Wire map
• Cable length
• Signal loss due to attenuation
• Crosstalk
 2.Fiber Optic Cable
 Glass fiber carrying light pulses, each pulse is a bit.
 It is designed to pass specific types of light waves over long
distances with very little attenuation(signal loss )
 Uses either a laser light or a light-emitting diode (LED)
Flexible, but thin strands of glass.
 Mostly used as a backbone however some companies
are using it in LANs
 Transmits data over longer distances
 High-speed point-to-point transmission 10-100’s Gbps
 low error rate because:
• repeaters spaced far apart (when regenerating signal )
• Immune to EMI and RFI and typically not affected by lightning
• Not affected by electrical surges as compared copper media
Fiber Optic Cable
 Recognizing Cables and
Connectors
• Fiber-optic cables can come in various sizes that are identified
by the size of the canter core.
• Single-mode Fiber-optic cable that carries a single
transmission signal can be implemented over three kilometers
without needing a repeater.
• Multimode- a type of optical fiber used in
networking for transmitting data over short to
medium distances.
• Plastic Optical Fiber (POF)-offers a cost-
effective and flexible solution for short-distance
optical communication applications where high
bandwidth and long-range transmission are not
required
 Fiber Connectors

• SubMiniature version A (SMA) connector -a screw-on fiber-

optic connector.
• Has a 905 type with a straight connector and a 906 type has a
connector that is smaller at the end so that two connectors can
be joined with the use of a coupler.
• This type of connector is not widely used because of the
difficulties that comes with having to pair two connectors
 Fiber Connectors

• The straight tip (ST) connector uses a connection like

that of the Bayonet Neill-Concelman (BNC) connector.
After you insert the connector, you twist and lock it into place.
• The ST is quick and simple to install, but is difficult to pair in
dual fiber installations
 Fiber Connectors

• Subscriber connector (SC), is currently the most

popular and is easy to recognize with its square tip.
• The SC connector is easy to install and is often coupled
into duplex cables that form sets.
• A paired set may include keying, which prevents it from being
installed incorrectly.
• Keyed set SC connector has been adopted under EIA/TIA 568-
A as the recommended fiber connector, referenced as 568-SC.
Fiber Connectors
Justifying Fiber Optic (Uses of Fiber)

Fiber-optic cabling is now being used in four types of

industry
• Enterprise Networks: Used for backbone cabling
applications and interconnecting infrastructure devices.
• Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH): Used to provide always-on
broadband services to homes and small businesses.
• Long-Haul Networks: Used by service providers to
connect countries and cities.
• Submarine Cable Networks: Used to provide reliable
high-speed, high-capacity solutions capable of surviving in
harsh undersea environments up to transoceanic
distances.
 Justifying Fiber Optic- Advantages
and Disadvantages
Advantages of using fiber-optic cable Disadvantages of using fiber-optic
 It can be installed over long distances. cable
 It provides large amounts of bandwidth.  It’s the most expensive media to
 It’s not susceptible to EMI or RFI. purchase and install.
 It requires appropriate conduit for
 It cannot be tapped easily, so security is
outside use.
better.
 You must match the cable type to the
application (to the need).
 Strict installation guidelines must be
met for the cabling to be certified.
UTP Vs. FIBER OPTIC
 Standards
Standard
Networking Standards
Organization
• ISO 8877: Officially adopted the RJ connectors (e.g., RJ-11, RJ-45)
ISO ISO 11801: Network cabling standard similar to EIA/TIA 568.
•

• TIA-568-C: Telecommunications cabling standards, used by nearly all voice, video

and data networks.
EIA/TIA • TIA-569-B: Commercial Building Standards for Telecommunications Pathways and
Association/Electronic Spaces
• TIA-598-C: Fiber optic color coding
• TIA-942: Telecommunications Infrastructure Standard for Data Centers

ANSI
American National • 568-C: RJ-45 pinouts. Co-developed with EIA/TIA
Standards Institute

ITU
International • G.992: ADSL
Telecommunication Union

• 802.3: Ethernet
IEEE • 802.11: Wireless LAN (WLAN) & Mesh (Wi-Fi certification)
Institute of Electrical and 802.15: Bluetooth
Electronics Engineers
•
• 802.16:WMAX
 Fundamental Principles- Summary

Physical
Media Frame Encoding Technique Signalling Method
Components
• UTP • Manchester Encoding • Changes in the
• Coaxial • Non-Return to Zero (NRZ) electromagnetic field
• Connectors techniques • Intensity of the
• NICs • 4B/5B codes are used with Multi- electromagnetic field
Copper Cable • Ports Level Transition Level 3 (MLT-3) • Phase of the
• Interfaces signaling electromagnetic wave
• 8B/10B
• PAM5

• Single-mode Fiber • Pulses of light • A pulse equals 1.

• Multimode Fiber • Wavelength multiplexing using • No pulse is 0.
• Connectors different colors
Fiber Optic • NICs
Cable • Interfaces
• Lasers and LEDs
• Photoreceptors

• Access Points • DSSS (direct-sequence spread- • Radio waves

Wireless • NICs spectrum)
Media • Radio • OFDM (orthogonal frequency
• Antennae division multiplexing)