Transmission Media

 Transmission Media:

                 Transmission media provide the physical path through which data and information flow from one    computer to another computers.Telephone line are well proven and commonly used communication transmission media. The following are the most common transmission media.

a. Unshielded Twisted Pair (UTP):

                UTP is the most common type of telecommunication media the these days. It is most suited for data and voice communication.It consists of two metal conductors(usually copper) that are insulation. It can transmit up to 96000 bps. UTP usually is intended for analog communications, not digital

                                                                                                                                                                                                  

b. Shielded Twisted Pair (STP):

           STP cable has a metal foil or braided-mesh    covering that covers each pair of insulted conductors. The metal foil is used to prevent in filtration of electromagnetic noise.

c. Coaxial Cable:

             Coaxial cabling is commonly used for television transmissions. It provides higher bandwidth and better reliability. Unlike twisted pairs that have to wires, coaxial cables have a single central conductor , which is made up of solid wire. This conductor is surrounded by an outer jacket made of PVC.

d. Optical Fiber:

    

Fiber optics plays completely different set of rules. You won't find any electricity here. Instead, fiber-optic cabling uses pulses of light (photons) for network communications, i.e. it relies on photonics instead of electronics.

e. Radio wave:

   Although radio waves are prevalent and well understood, we are just begining to realize their enormous potential as a networking medium . Radio waves can operates on single or multiple frequency bands. In this case the signals are carried over carrier waves which have frequencies in the range of radio frequency spectrum. 

f. Microwave:

Microwaves, in contrast, have been used in data communications for long time. They have a higher frequency than radio and therefore can handle larger amounts of data. There are, of course, problems with microwave attention and environmental interference. Microwave transmission is line of sight transmission. The transmit station must be in visible contact with the receive station. This sets the limit on the distance between stations depending on the local geography. 

g. Infrared:

Infrared offers a great unbound photonic  solutions. Like fiber-optic cabling, infrared communication use light, so they are not bound by the limitations of electricity.