Network+ Guide to Networks,

Fourth Edition

Chapter 3
Transmission Basics
and Networking Media
 Data Modulation

Figure 3-5: A carrier wave modified through frequency

modulation
Network+ Guide to Networks, 4e 2
 Transmission Direction:
Simplex, Half-Duplex, and Duplex
• Simplex transmission: signals may travel in only
one direction
• Half-duplex transmission: signals may travel in both
directions over a medium
– Only one direction at a time
• Full-duplex or duplex: signals free to travel in both
directions over a medium simultaneously
– Used on data networks
– Channel: distinct communication path between
nodes
• May be separated logically or physically

Network+ Guide to Networks, 4e 3

Network+ Guide to Networks, 4e 4
 Relationships Between Nodes

Figure 3-10: Point-to-point versus broadcast transmission

Network+ Guide to Networks, 4e 5
 Throughput and Bandwidth
• Throughput: measure of amount of data transmitted
during given time period
• Bandwidth: difference between highest and lowest
frequencies that a medium can transmit

Network+ Guide to Networks, 4e 6

 Baseband and Broadband
• Baseband: digital signals sent through direct
current (DC) pulses applied to a wire
– Requires exclusive use of wire’s capacity
– Baseband systems can transmit one signal at a time
– Ethernet
• Broadband: signals modulated as radiofrequency
(RF) analog waves that use different frequency
ranges
– Does not encode information as digital pulses

Network+ Guide to Networks, 4e 7

 Transmission Flaws: Noise
• electromagnetic interference (EMI): waves
emanating from electrical devices or cables
• radiofrequency interference (RFI): electromagnetic
interference caused by radiowaves
• Crosstalk: signal traveling on a wire or cable
infringes on signal traveling over adjacent wire or
cable
• Certain amount of signal noise is unavoidable
• All forms of noise measured in decibels (dB)

Network+ Guide to Networks, 4e 8

 Attenuation

Figure 3-12: An analog signal distorted by noise and then

amplified

Figure 3-13: A digital signal distorted by noise and then

repeated
Network+ Guide to Networks, 4e 9
 Latency
• Delay between transmission and receipt of a signal
– Many possible causes:
• Cable length
• Intervening connectivity device (e.g., modems and
routers)
• Round trip time (RTT): Time for packets to go from
sender to receiver and back
• Cabling rated for maximum number of connected
network segments
• Transmission methods assigned maximum
segment lengths

Network+ Guide to Networks, 4e 10

 Connectors and Media Converters
• Connectors: pieces of hardware connecting wire to
network device
– Every networking medium requires specific kind of
connector
• Media converter: hardware enabling networks or
segments running on different media to
interconnect and exchange signals
– Type of transceiver
• Device that transmits and receives signals

Network+ Guide to Networks, 4e 11

Network+ Guide to Networks, 4e 12
 Coaxial Cable
• High resistance to noise; expensive
• Impedance: resistance that contributes to
controlling signal (expressed in ohms)
• Thickwire Ethernet (Thicknet): original Ethernet
medium
– 10BASE-5 Ethernet
• Thin Ethernet (Thinnet): more flexible and easier to
handle and install than Thicknet
– 10BASE-2 Ethernet

Network+ Guide to Networks, 4e 13

 Twisted-Pair Cable
• Color-coded pairs of insulated copper wires twisted
together
• Twist ratio: twists per meter or foot
– Higher twist ratio reduces crosstalk and increases
attenuation
• TIA/EIA 568 standard divides twisted-pair wiring
into several categories
– Level 1 or CAT 3, 4, 5, 5e, 6, 6e, 7
• Most common form of cabling found on LANs today

Network+ Guide to Networks, 4e 14

Network+ Guide to Networks, 4e 15
Network+ Guide to Networks, 4e 16
Network+ Guide to Networks, 4e 17
 STP (Shielded Twisted-Pair)

Figure 3-18: STP cable

Network+ Guide to Networks, 4e 18
 UTP (Unshielded Twisted-Pair)
• Less expensive, less resistant to noise than STP
• Categories:
– CAT 3 (Category 3): up to 10 Mbps of data
– CAT 4 (Category 4): 16 Mbps throughput
– CAT 5 (Category 5): up to 1000 Mbps throughput
– CAT 5e (Enhanced Category 5): higher twist ratio
– CAT 6 (Category 6): six times the throughput of
CAT 5
– CAT 6e (Enhanced Category 6): reduced attenuation
and crosstalk
– CAT 7 (Category 7): signal rates up to 1 GHz

Network+ Guide to Networks, 4e 19

 Comparing STP and UTP
• Throughput: STP and UTP can both transmit data
at 10, 100, and 1000 Mbps
– Depending on grade of cabling and transmission
method used
• Cost: STP usually more expensive than UTP
• Connector: Both use RJ-45 and RJ-11
• Noise Immunity: STP more noise-resistant
• Size and scalability: Max segment length for both is
100 m on 10BASE-T and 100BASE-T networks
– Maximum of 1024 nodes

Network+ Guide to Networks, 4e 20

 10BASE-T
• Fault tolerance: capacity for component or system
to continue functioning despite damage or partial
malfunction
• 5-4-3 rule of networking: between two
communicating nodes, network cannot contain
more than five network segments connected by
four repeating devices, and no more than three of
the segments may be populated

Network+ Guide to Networks, 4e 21

 100BASE-T (Fast Ethernet)

Figure 3-23: A 100BASE-T network

Network+ Guide to Networks, 4e 22
 Fiber-Optic Cable
• Contains glass or plastic fibers at core surrounded
by layer of glass or plastic cladding
– Reflects light back to core

Figure 3-24: A fiber-optic cable

Network+ Guide to Networks, 4e 23
Network+ Guide to Networks, 4e 24
Network+ Guide to Networks, 4e 25
Network+ Guide to Networks, 4e 26
Network+ Guide to Networks, 4e 27
 SMF (Single-mode Fiber)
• Narrow core through which laser-generated light
travels over one path, reflecting very little
– Accommodates high bandwidths and long distances
– Expensive

Network+ Guide to Networks, 4e 28

 MMF (Multimode Fiber)
• Benefits over copper cabling:
– Nearly unlimited throughput
– Very high resistance to noise
– Excellent security
– Ability to carry signals for much longer distances
before requiring repeaters than copper cable
– Industry standard for high-speed networking

Network+ Guide to Networks, 4e 29

 MMF (continued)
• Throughput: transmission rates exceed 10 Gigabits
per second
• Cost: most expensive transmission medium
• Connector: 10 different types of connectors
– Typically use ST or SC connectors
• Noise immunity: unaffected by EMI
• Size and scalability: segment lengths vary from
150 to 40,000 meters
– Optical loss: degradation of light signal after it travels
a certain distance away from its source
Network+ Guide to Networks, 4e 30
Summary of Physical Layer Standards

Table 3-2: Physical layer networking standards

Network+ Guide to Networks, 4e 31
Summary of Physical Layer Standards
(continued)

Table 3-2 (continued): Physical layer networking standards

Network+ Guide to Networks, 4e 32
Network+ Guide to Networks, 4e 33
Network+ Guide to Networks, 4e 34