This document discusses different types of communication media, including guided and unguided media. Guided media includes twisted pair wire cables, coaxial cables, and fiber optic cables. Twisted pair cables can be shielded or unshielded and are commonly used for telephone and network connections. Coaxial cables provide better bandwidth than twisted pair but are more expensive. Fiber optic cables have the greatest bandwidth capacity but are also more expensive to install. Unguided media includes radio waves, microwaves, and infrared signals, which are transmitted through the air rather than cables. Radio waves can transmit over long distances but have low bandwidth, while microwaves and infrared work best over shorter ranges.

1. NAMAZ KA TAREEQA

2. Communication Media
Communication media refers to the means of delivering and receiving data or
information.
 It is classified into 2 categories –
 Guided Media –
 Unguided Media
Guided Media
 In the form of cables, wires…
 Medium is more important
 Classified into 3
 Twisted pair wire cable
 Coaxial cable
 Optical Fiber

3.  TWISTED PAIR-WIRE CABLES
o Pairs of insulated copper wires twisted
together
o One wire carries the signal while the
other wire is grounded and absorbs
signal interference.
o The least expensive type of LAN
cable.
 Advantages
• Inexpensive • Easy to work with
 Disadvantages
• Limited Bandwidth • Vulnerable to interference and noise
Twisted pair wire cable divided into 2
I. Shielded Twisted Pair
II. Unshielded Twisted Pair
 Shielded Twisted Pair (STP)
• Metal sheathing that reduces interference
• More Expensive
• Difficult to handle (heavy, thick)
 Unshielded Twisted Pair (UTP)
• It is cheapest
• Easy to install
• Suffers from external Electro Magnetic (EM) interference
• E.g. Ordinary Telephone wire
 Coaxial Cables
• Consists of an inner conductor wire surrounded by
insulation called the di-electric
• The di-electric is surrounded by a conductive
shield, which is surrounded by a non-conductive
jacket.

4. • The shield minimizes electrical and radio frequency interference
• It is the primary type of cabling used by the cable TV industry and is also widely used for
computer networks.
 Advantages
• Better data transmission rate than twisted pair.
• Easy to install
• High bandwidth
• Excellent noise-immunity
 Disadvantages
• Higher cost compared to twisted pair
• Difficult to work with
• Cable may easily get damaged
 Fiber Optic Cable
• Consist of bundle of glass threads which is
capable of transmitting messages modulated
onto light waves.
• Many extremely thin strands of glass or
plastic bound together in a sheathing which
transmit signals with light beams.
• Can be used for voice, data and video
systems.
 Advantages
• Greater capacity
• Smaller size and weight
• Thinner and lighter than metal wires
• Lower noise
• Data can be transmitted digitally rather than analogically
• Popular technology for LAN

5.  Disadvantages
• Cables are expensive to install
• More fragile than wire
Unguided Media
• In the form of radio signals, micro waves, infrared rays…
• Classified into 3
i. Radio wave
ii. Microwave
iii. Infrared
Radio wave
 Signals are digitized and transformed into
radio-frequency electromagnetic fields.
 Advantages
• Cheap form of communication
• Far good for long distance
 Disadvantages
• It has low frequency
• It can't transmit a lot of data at one time.
Microwave
• Information is converted to a microwave signal, sent
through the air to a receiver, and recorded.
 Advantages
• Multiple channels available
• Wide bandwidth

6.  Disadvantages.
• Line-of-sight will be disrupted if any obstacle, are in the way,
• Signal absorption by the atmosphere
• Towers are expensive to build.
Infrared
• This type of transmission uses infrared light to send data
• It transmits data through air and can propagate throughout a room, but will not
penetrate walls.
• It is common in PDAs(Personal Digital Assistants)
• E.g. TV remotes, wireless speakers etc.,.
 Advantages
• Inexpensive compared to other technologies
• Works well over a short distance
 Disadvantages
• Low Bandwidth.