What type of guided media is a network cable

Twisting is done so that the noise will equally affect the wire from the external environment. Read: Types of Network Topology. Unshielded Twisted-Pair Cable is the widely used twisted-pair cable used in telecommunications as Ethernet cables and telephone wires. UTP cables consist of 2 pairs of twisted cable use RJ connector and cables consist of 4 pairs use an RJ connector. Read: Line Configuration in Computer Networks.

Coaxial cable has a central core conductor of stranded or solid wire usually copper enclosed in an insulating protection cover, which is, in turn, encased in an outer conductor of metal foil or a combination of the two. The outer metallic work as a shield against noise and as a conductor, which complete the circuit. The whole cable is covered by a plastic cover.

Fiber-Optic Cable is made of glass and transmits of data is based on the concept of reflection of light through glass. A glass core is surrounded by less dense glass called cladding. It is implemented in two forms: step-index and graded-index.

UTP cables are used as the last mile network connection in homes and offices. Coaxial cables are copper cables with better shielding than twisted pair cables, so that transmitted signals may travel longer distances at higher speeds. Thin glass or plastic threads used to transmit data using light waves are called optical fibre. Optical fibre cable has a bundle of such threads or fibres bundled together in a protective covering.

Cladding made of high quality silica glass or plastic , with a lower refractive index than the core. Note that both core and cladding are made of similar material. However, as refractive index of the cladding is lower, any stray light wave trying to escape the core is reflected back due to total internal reflection.

Optical fibre is rapidly replacing copper wires in telephone lines, internet communication and even cable TV connections because transmitted data can travel very long distances without weakening. Single node fibre optic cable can have maximum segment length of 2 kms and bandwidth of up to Mbps. Multi-node fibre optic cable can have maximum segment length of kms and bandwidth up to 2 Gbps. Low frequency infrared waves are used for very short distance communication like TV remote, wireless speakers, automatic doors, hand held devices etc.

Infrared signals can propagate within a room but cannot penetrate walls. However, due to such short range, it is considered to be one of the most secure transmission modes.

Category 2: It can support upto 4Mbps. Category 3: It can support upto 16Mbps. Category 4: It can support upto 20Mbps. Therefore, it can be used for long-distance communication. Category 5: It can support upto Mbps. Installation of the unshielded twisted pair is easy. It can be used for high-speed LAN. Disadvantage: This cable can only be used for shorter distances because of attenuation.

Shielded Twisted Pair A shielded twisted pair is a cable that contains the mesh surrounding the wire that allows the higher transmission rate. Characteristics Of Shielded Twisted Pair: The cost of the shielded twisted pair cable is not very high and not very low. An installation of STP is easy. It has higher capacity as compared to unshielded twisted pair cable. It has a higher attenuation. It is shielded that provides the higher data transmission rate. Disadvantages It is more expensive as compared to UTP and coaxial cable.

It has a higher attenuation rate. Coaxial Cable Coaxial cable is very commonly used transmission media, for example, TV wire is usually a coaxial cable. The name of the cable is coaxial as it contains two conductors parallel to each other. It has a higher frequency as compared to Twisted pair cable.

The inner conductor of the coaxial cable is made up of copper, and the outer conductor is made up of copper mesh. The middle core is made up of non-conductive cover that separates the inner conductor from the outer conductor. The middle core is responsible for the data transferring whereas the copper mesh prevents from the EMI Electromagnetic interference. Coaxial cable is of two types: Baseband transmission: It is defined as the process of transmitting a single signal at high speed.

Broadband transmission: It is defined as the process of transmitting multiple signals simultaneously. Advantages Of Coaxial cable: The data can be transmitted at high speed. It has better shielding as compared to twisted pair cable. It provides higher bandwidth. Disadvantages Of Coaxial cable: It is more expensive as compared to twisted pair cable.

If any fault occurs in the cable causes the failure in the entire network. Fibre Optic Fibre optic cable is a cable that uses electrical signals for communication. Fibre optic is a cable that holds the optical fibres coated in plastic that are used to send the data by pulses of light. The plastic coating protects the optical fibres from heat, cold, electromagnetic interference from other types of wiring.