Types of Transmission Media
Hello everyone!! I’m Bhathiya Amarasinghe, an undergraduate at University of Moratuwa, Faculty of Information Technology. From this article, I want to share some facts about transmission media and the types of transmission media.
The transmission media is a communicational channel that exchange information between the sender and receiver. As an example we can connect the computer and the Wi-Fi router using the ethernet (twisted) cable in Local Area Network.
Transmission media can mainly be divided into two categories;
1.Guided Media : data transferring through a physical medium
2.Unguided Media : data transferring through electromagnetic waves (wireless transmission)
In this article we discuss about three guided transmission media.
- Coaxial : This is a very commonly used transmission channel. Coaxial contains two conductors parallel to each other. The coaxial cable has a relatively high frequency when compared to Twisted pair cable. The inner conductor is made up of copper, while the outer conductor is from copper mesh. The middle core separates the inner conductor from the outer. There’re two types of cables; baseband and broadband transmission. The baseband transmits a single signal at a high speed. The broadband transmits multiple signals simultaneously.
Advantages
- Has a higher bandwidth
- Data can be transmitted at a higher speed
Disadvantages
- Relatively expensive than twisted pair cable
- A small fault can cause a failure in the entire network
2. Fiber optics : This cable uses electrical signal for the data communication. Fiber optics provide a highr speed than other guided data transmission methods. This type of media can hold the optical fibers coated in plastic and can be used to send the data by pulses of light. The fiber optic is highly protected from heat and cold compared to other copper wires.
Advantages
- Has a great bandwidth
- Transmission speed is higher than the other methods
Disadvantages
- Limited to low power
- The distance should be short or it is required to use repeaters to boost the signal
3. Twisted pair : This cable is organized by a pair of two cables which are twisted together. The cable is relatively cheaper than coaxial cables and fiber optics. It is easy to install and also this is a light weighted cable. Twisted pair cable has a 0 - 3.5 KHz frequency range. This cable has two types of categories;
Unshielded Twisted Pair : This type of cable is mostly used in telecommunication. There’re some categories which support different values of Mbps .
Advantages
- Cheaper than other methods
- Installation is very easy
Disadvantage
- Limited for the use in shorter distances only
Shielded Twisted Pair : This cable contains the mesh surrounding. It allows a higher transmission rate than unshielded twisted pair cable.
Advantages
- Has a higher capacity
- Has a higher data transmission rate
Disadvantages
- Provides an attenuation rate
- More expensive than other methods
Now we’ll be discussing about three unguided transmission media.
- Radio waves : The type of electromagnetic waves which are transmitted in every direction of free space. This wave has a 1 - 3 KHz frequency range. The sending and receiving antenna are not aligned. This type of transmission media is omnidirectional, which means signals are expanded in all the directions. Radio waves are used for FM radio, wireless phones and television.
Advantages
- Can be used for Wide Area Network
- Provides a higher transmission rate
Disadvantage
- Has a comparatively low frequency
2. Micro waves : There are two types of micro waves;
Terrestrial microwaves : These waves can transmit the focused beam of a radio signal from one ground-based microwave antenna to another. Terrestrial waves have a 1 - 1000 GHz frequency range. And these waves are not aligned. Terrestrial microwaves works on the line of sight transmission.
Advantages
- Cheaper than other cables
- Can be used to communicate over the ocean
Disadvantages
- Has a limited bandwidth
- Susceptible to weather conditions
Satellite microwaves : This is using a physical object to expand the data in the whole space. Satellites are commonly used in the present and are more flexible than other cable transmission media. The satellite microwaves can communicate via any device globally.
Advantages
- Easy to install
- Can coverage a larger area of network
Disadvantages
- Takes more time
- Takes a higher cost
3. Infrared waves : This is used for communication over short ranges. Infrared has a 300 - 400 GHz frequency range. Infrared is used to transfer data between two cell phones, TV remote operations etc.
Advantages
- Provides a high bandwidth
- Provides a better security
Disadvantages
- High force can be harmful to eyes
- Holds lower information rate of transmission
Hope you guys learnt something new from this article. Wait for another good article.
#StaySafe
Thank you.
