The document provides detailed information on coaxial and fiber optic network media, discussing their specifications, characteristics, and uses in networking. Coaxial cables consist of a central conductor surrounded by insulating and shielding layers and are categorized by RG codes, while fiber optic cables utilize light transmission and are classified into multi-mode and single-mode types. Fiber optic media offers high bandwidth and long-distance capabilities, making them suitable for WAN environments, while coaxial cables are more common in earlier Ethernet standards.

1. Coaxial and fiber
optic network
media.

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– Coaxial network media.
– Fiber optic network media.
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Coaxial and fiber optic network media.

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– Coaxial cabling (coax).
» It is one of the oldest Ethernet cabling standards (1973).
» It has been used for baseband (carries single digital signal).
» It has been used for broadband (carries multiple digital
signals).
» It is composed of a central conductor (which can be solid
copper, stranded copper, or steel plated with copper) that is
covered by an insulating layer, which is covered by an outer
metal mesh or foil layer, and is finished with an outer
insulating layer.
» The inner metal mesh or foil layer helps to protect against
electromagnetic interference (EMI).
» Requires that the ends of the cable be terminated by some
kind of resistor in order to keep the signal from bouncing
back down the cable.
• The resistance value is measured in ohms (Ω) and is
called the impedance value.
• There are two standards with coax: 50 Ω and 75 Ω.
• In most cases, the equipment attached to the end of the
coax has the resistor built into it.
Coaxial and fiber optic network media.

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– Coaxial cable specifications.
» Coax is broken out into different categories based on its
physical characteristics, such as the size of the
conductor, the size and composition of the inner
insulating layer, the impedance value, etc.
• The specifications are detailed in the radio guide (RG)
tables (a guide of specifications developed by the U.S.
military).
– Common coax standards.
» RG-58: is used for 10 Mbps networking (10base2);
distance up to 185 m at 50 Ω.
» RG-8: is used for 10 Mbps networking (10base5);
distance up to 500 m at 50 Ω.
» RG-11: is used for 10 Mbps networking (10base5);
distance up to 500 m at 50 Ω.
» RG-6: is used for cable TV or broadband; distance
varies; has an impedance value of 75 Ω.
Coaxial and fiber optic network media.

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Coaxial and fiber optic network media.

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– Fiber optic network media.
» Fiber optic cabling is composed of small, very clear glass or
plastic tubing that is coated with an outer covering (cladding).
» Network traffic is carried by a light beam that is transmitted
down the fiber (the source of the light is either an LED or
laser).
» Fiber is a high bandwidth media carrier (it can carry a lot of
data) that is capable of carrying data over larger distances than
other types of terrestrial media without using repeaters.
» Fiber optic network media is not affected by EMI and is harder
to intercept mid transmission than other media.
» It is relatively expensive and harder to work with than other
types of network media, with the result being that it is not used
very often in the LAN (local area network), but can often be
found in the WAN (wide area network) environment.
» In most networking applications, at least two fiber cable
connections are required—one cable to transmit data and one
to receive it.
» Fiber optic cabling is usually categorized by its transmission
style, its core size, and the size of its cladding.
Coaxial and fiber optic network media.

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– Common fiber optic classifications.
» Fiber optic cables are classified by their type of transmission:
• Multi-mode fiber (MMF): uses an LED as the method of
transmitting light down the cable.
• Single mode fiber (SMF): uses a laser as the method of
transmitting light down the cable.
» They are subclassified even further based on the size of the
core and the thickness of the cladding—both of which are
measured in micrometers (µm).
– Common subclassifications.
» MMF: 50/125 µm, 62.5/125 µm, 85/125 µm, and 100/140 µm.
» SMF: typically varies with core sizes between 8-10.5 µm with a
125 µm cladding.
Coaxial and fiber optic network media.

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– MMF.
» It uses an infrared LED system to transmit the light signal.
» It uses multiple rays of light (more signals down the path).
» It is used for shorter fiber runs (under 2 km).
» It is less expensive to implement than SMF.
» The most common application in networking utilizes MMF
62.5/125µm cables, with a maximum distance of 275 m.
– SMF.
» It uses a laser-diode arrangement to transmit the light signal.
» It uses a single ray of light in the transmission process.
» It can be used for longer fiber runs (it can traverse up to 40 km
without a repeater).
Coaxial and fiber optic network media.

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– Common fiber standards.
» 1000BaseSX: 1 Gbps networking on MMF up to 500 m.
» 1000BaseLX: 1 Gbps networking on SMF up to 5 km.
» 10GBaseSR: 10 Gbps networking on MMF up to 300 m (LAN).
» 10GBaseSW: 10 Gbps networking on MMF up to 300 m (WAN).
» 10GBaseLR: 10 Gbps networking on SMF up to 10 km (LAN).
» 10GBaseLW: 10 Gbps networking on SMF up to 10 km (WAN).
» 10GBaseER: 10 Gbps networking on SMF up to 40 km (LAN).
» 10GBaseEW: 10 Gbps networking on SMF up to 40 km (WAN).
Coaxial and fiber optic network media.

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Coaxial and fiber optic network media.
It utilizes some of the older network media standards. Coax is composed of
a central conductor covered by an insulating layer, covered by a shield
layer, and finally covered by an insulating layer. Coax is broken out by its
physical characteristics and given an RG code. RG-58, RG-8, and RG-11
are in the baseband category of coax, while RG-6 can be used for
broadband.
Topic
Coaxial network media.
Summary
It uses either an LED or laser to transmit data (as a ray of light) down the
cable. MMF uses an infrared LED to transmit multiple rays of light. SMF
uses a laser-diode arrangement to transmit a single ray of light. Fiber is not
commonly found in the LAN. MMF is better suited to shorter network runs
than SMF. SMF can go up to 40 km without using a repeater.
Fiber optic network media.

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