What is guided media?

Admin

1 Dec, 2023

There are two types of transmission media in computer networks, first is Guided Media and second is Unguided Media.

In this article, we are going to talk about Guided Media.

What is guided media?

It is a physical media in which two or more computers are connected using cables and then data is sent in the form of signals using these cables. Guided media is used in comparatively short-distance data transmission.

Note - It is also known as bounded media because it has a limit.

Types of Guided Media

Guided media are of the following types -

1) Twisted pair Cable

A twisted pair cable is a physical media made up of a pair of cables twisted together.
A twisted pair of cables are cheaper than other transmission media.
Twisted pair cable is also easy to install, and it is a lightweight cable with a frequency range of 0 to 3.5KHz.
Twisted pair cable consists of two insulated copper wires arranged in a spiral pattern.

Applications of Twisted-Pair Cable

Twisted pair cable is used in telephone lines.
It is also used in telephone networks.
Twisted pair cable is used in LAN networks.

Advantages of Twisted-pair cable

Twisted-pair cables are the oldest and most popular cables in the world with the following advantages:

Twisted-pair cables can be used for analog and digital data transmission.
Twisted-pair cable is the least expensive for data transmission over short distances.
If any part of the network goes down, the entire network does not go down.

Disadvantages of Twisted pair cable

Along with its many advantages, twisted pair cable also has some disadvantages which are as follows -:

Without a repeater, the signal cannot travel long distances.
It is very thin and hence breaks easily.
Not suitable for broadband connections.
Types of Twisted Pair Cable

Twisted pair cables are generally of two types -

1) Unshielded Twisted Pair (UTP)

Unshielded Twisted Pair cable is made of two insulated copper wires twisted around each other. This cable prevents interference. It is used for telephonic applications. UTP cables are connected by RJ45 connectors.

Advantages of Unshielded Twisted Pair Cable

It is easy to set up and install.
These are very flexible and low cost cables.
Due to attenuation the transmission distance is reduced.
Its range is 100 meters.
Is sensitive to external interference.
It is used for high-speed LAN.

Disadvantages of Unshielded Twisted Pair Cable

It has limited bandwidth compared to coaxial cable.
Is susceptible to noise and cross-talk.
Due to attenuation, they are used only for short-distance data transmission.

2) Shielded Twisted Pair (STP)

This cable has a specific jacket (copper braid coating or foil shield) to prevent external interference. It is used in high-data-rate Ethernet and telephone voice and data channels.

Characteristics Of Shielded Twisted Pair Cable

The cost of shielded twisted pair cable is neither very high nor very low.
Shielded twisted pair cable is easy to install.
Its capacity is higher than unshielded twisted pair cable.
Its attenuation is high.
It provides a high data transmission rate.
It can be used for both analog and digital transmission.
It increases the speed of signaling.

Disadvantages of Shielded Twisted Pair Cable

It is more expensive than unshielded twisted pair cable and coaxial cables.
Its attenuation rate is high.
It is comparatively difficult to make and install it.

2) Coaxial Cable

The coaxial cable consists of two copper wires. The core wire is located in the center and is made of a solid conductor. The core is enclosed in an insulating sheath. The second wire is wrapped around the sheath and is also surrounded by the insulator sheath. All this is covered with plastic cover.
Due to its structure, coaxial cable is capable of carrying higher frequency signals than twisted pair cable. The wrapped structure provides it a good shield against noise and cross talk. Coaxial cables provide high bandwidth rates up to 450 Mbps.
There are three categories of coaxial cable, RG-59 (Cable TV), RG-58 (Thin Ethernet), and RG-11 (Thick Ethernet).
Cables, BNC connectors and BNC-T. are connected using.
It consists of an outer plastic cover with an insulation layer made of PVC or Teflon and 2 parallel conductors each with a separate insulated protective cover.
Cable TV and analog television networks widely use coaxial cables.
The name of the cable is coaxial because the two conductors in it are parallel to each other. Its frequency is higher than twisted pair cable.
The inner conductor of coaxial cables is made of copper, and the outer conductor is made of copper mesh. The middle core is made of a non-conductive sheath that separates the inner conductor from the outer conductor.
The middle core is responsible for data transfer while the copper mesh protects against EMI (electromagnetic interference).

There are two types of coaxial cable:

Baseband Transmission: It transmits a single signal at high speed.
Broadband transmission: It transmits multiple signals simultaneously.

Advantages of coaxial cable

Coaxial cable was widely used for analog and digital data transmission.
Its bandwidth is higher.
Fiber is cheaper than optical cable.
It is used for long distance.
Used in LAN and television distribution.
Are easy to install and maintain.
With its help, data can be transmitted at high speed.
It has better shielding than twisted pair cable.

Disadvantages of Coaxial cable

The Following are some disadvantages of coaxial cable -

More expensive than twisted pair cables.
Not compatible with twisted pair cables.
If there is any fault in the cable then the entire network fails.

3) Fiber Optic or Optical Fiber Cable

Optical fiber cables are glass-based cables that transmit light signals. The core is surrounded by a less dense glass or plastic covering called cladding. It is used for the transmission of large amounts of data. A cable may be unidirectional or bidirectional.

Fiber optic cables use electrical signals for communication.

Fiber optics cables provide faster data transmission than copper wires. Special types of connectors are used to connect and access fiber optic cables. These can be Subscriber Channel (SC), Straight Tip (ST) or MT-RJ.

Advantages of Fiber Optic Cable

Fiber optic cable provides high-speed transmission.
Fiber optic cables are not affected by any electromagnetic interference.
They are light in weight and cannot be easily tapped.
Signals carrying data can travel long distances without weakening.

Disadvantages of Fiber Optic Cable

Fiber optic cables are expensive.
These are difficult to install and maintain.
They are unidirectional and provide one-way communication. They are weaker than standard cables.

Applications of Fiber Optic Cable

Telecommunications companies use optical fiber to transmit telephone signals, Internet communications, and television signals.
Apart from serving telecommunication purposes, it is used as an imaging tool, laser, for seismic waves, and as a sensor for measuring pressure and temperature.
It is used in many types of medical devices.
Used in transmission of data in aerospace.
It is largely used in the manufacturing of internet cables.
Used for lighting purposes and safety measures in the interior and exterior design of automobiles.

4) Stripline

It is a transverse electromagnetic transmission line designed by Robert M. Barrett of the Air Force Cambridge Research Center in the 1950s. A stripline is the first type of planar transmission line. It is also known as a waveguide because the strip lines transmit high-frequency waves using a conducting material.

5) Microstrip line

A microstrip is a transmission line consisting of a conductor built on a dielectric substrate with a grounded plane. It is easily downsized and incorporated with microwave equipment, making it a popular transmission line choice.

Advantages of Guided Media

The following are the benefits of Guided Media -

Guided Media costs very little and are easily available.
It is very flexible and light.
They are very easy to set up and install.
Provides high transmission speed.

Disadvantages of Guided Media

The following are the disadvantages of Guided Media -

Guided Media has very low bandwidth.
Is sensitive to noise.
Maintenance and installation are expensive.

What is guided media?

What is guided media?