Module 2.

2:
Transmission Medium
Data Communication
(3-0-0)
Dr. Arka Prokash Mazumdar
Department of CSE
MNIT Jaipur
Transmission medium and physical layer
Classes of transmission media
Propagation Media

Guided

• Twisted pair
• Coax cable
• Optical fiber

Unguided

• Radio (semi-guided follow curvature of earth)

• Radio bounced off ionosphere
• Fibreless optical (wireless optical)
• Communication satellites

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GUIDED MEDIA
• Guided media
• provide a conduit from one device to another

• include
• twisted-pair cable
• coaxial cable
• fiber-optic cable.
Twisted-pair cable
UTP and STP cables (Unshielded/Shielded)
Twisted-pair cable Parts
New Specs
LAN Cable Categories
UTP connector
Ethernet Cable Wiring Diagram
UTP performance
Coaxial cable
Categories of coaxial cables
 Categories of coaxial cables

Category Impedance Use

RG-6 75 ohms Cable TV, satellite TV, broadband internet
RG-59 75 ohms CCTV, short-distance video applications
RG-58 50 ohms Radio communications, two-way radios, testing
RG-11 75 ohms Long-distance, high-frequency video and broadband
RG-8 50 ohms Ham radio, telecommunications, broadcasting
RG-213 50 ohms CB radio, high-power transmission, internet uplinks
LMR Series 50 or 75 ohms Wireless communications, flexible applications
Twinaxial 100 ohms High-speed data transmission over short distances
Triaxial 75-100 ohms High-capacity video transmission, TV production
Types of coaxial cables
BNC (Bayonet Neill–Concelman) connectors
Fiber optics: Bending of light ray
Optical fiber
Modes
 Modes

Optical
Fiber Mode Description Core Size Data Rate & Distance Typical Use
High data rates (up to Tbps), Long-haul
Single- Allows only one light Small (~8- long distance (tens of km to telecom, high-
Mode (SMF) mode to propagate 10 µm) hundreds) speed data
LANs, data
Larger Lower data rates (up to 10 centers, short-
Multi-Mode Supports multiple light (~50-62.5 Gbps to 100 Gbps), shorter range optical
(MMF) modes simultaneously µm) distance (up to few km) links
Core uniform refractive
Step-Index index, causes modal Lower bandwidth, shorter Cost-effective,
MMF dispersion Larger core distance due to dispersion legacy systems
Core refractive index Higher bandwidth than step- Enterprise,
Graded- gradually changes to index (up to 10 Gbps over campus
Index MMF reduce dispersion Larger core hundreds of meters) networks
Fiber construction
Fiber-optic cable connectors
Fiber-optic
cable
connectors
UNGUIDED MEDIA: WIRELESS
• Unguided media
• transports electromagnetic waves
• without using a physical conductor
• This type of communication is often referred to as
• wireless communication
Electromagnetic spectrum for wireless communication
Communication in the EM Spectrum
Propagation methods
 Basics - Propagation
• At VLF, LF, and MF bands
• radio waves follow the ground.

• AM radio broadcasts use MF band

reflection
Ionosphere
• The ground waves at HF bands
• tend to be absorbed by the earth.

• The waves that reach the ionosphere

• (100-500km above the surface)
• refracted and sent back to earth. absorption
Basics - Propagation
VHF Transmission LOS path

Reflected Wave

• Directional antennas are used

• Waves follow more direct paths
• LOS: Line-of-Sight Communication
• Reflected waves interfere with the original signal
Basics - Propagation
• Waves behave more like light waves at higher
frequencies
• Difficulty in passing obstacles
• More direct paths

• They behave more like radio at lower frequencies

• Can pass obstacles
Bands
Antennas
• Isotropic radiator
• Equal radiation in all directions (3D) - theoretical
antenna
• Real antennas always have directive effects
(vertically and/or horizontally)
• Different antennas have different radiation pattern.
Omnidirectional antenna
Antennas
• Dipoles with lengths /4 or Hertzian dipole with length /2
(length proportional to wavelength)

/4
/2

• Example: Radiation pattern of a simple Hertzian dipole

y y z

simple
x z x
dipole
side view (xy-plane) side view (yz-plane) top view (xz-plane)

• Gain: maximum power in the direction of the main lobe

compared to the power of an isotropic radiator (with the same
average power)
 Effect of a transmission

Transmission range
• communication possible
• low error rate sender

Detection range
transmission
• detection of the signal possible
distance
• no communication possible detection

Interference range interference

• signal may not be detected No effect

• signal adds to the background noise

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Unidirectional antennas
Antennas
• Often used for base stations in a cellular system (e.g., covering a valley)

y y z
directed
x z x antenna

side view (xy-plane) side view (yz-plane) top view (xz-plane)

z
z

x
sectorized
x antenna

top view, 3 sector top view, 6 sector

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Module 2 to be
Continued.