In the modern times, most of the daily basis tasks leverage technology for communication purposes. It is also very common for users to experience interruption and blockades while communicating through technological means. Individuals who lack the basic knowledge about the components of telecommunication channel and their characteristics have to look for professional help to do their tasks in a smooth manner.
Generally, an ordinary user must know about the things like best transmission media, ideal internet speed and capacity of the communication devices to receive and process data.
Here is a guide for the IT users on a different type of transmission media, their examples and impact. The knowledge will help users to know which transmission medium transmits data the fastest.
Types of Transmission Media
These are the two broad categories of media used for transmitting data
- Unbounded or Unguided Transmission Media
- Bounded or Guided Transmission Media
Unbounded or Wired Transmission Media
Unbounded and unguided media send data without the use of a physical conductor. In this type, electromagnetic waves that include infrared waves, radio waves and microwaves are used for data transmission through air. The receiver devices receive the signals broadcasted through the free space. Wi-Fi internet or wireless internet connection are typical examples that utilize unbounded or unguided transmission media.
Bounded or Wired Transmission Media
As the name indicates, bounded or wired transmission media include tangible cables that transmit data. Typical examples of wired transmission media are fiber optics, coaxial cables, and twisted cables. These media are used in telephone lines and internet connections for data transmission.
A standard internet user who requires a speedy connection for a smooth online experience must know the characteristics like the amount of data a particular medium can transmit in a timespan.
Let’s have a look at the capacity of different media to transmit data.
Wireless Transmission Media
Wireless media transmit data through following three propagation mechanisms.
- 1. Ground Wave Propagation (GW) – In this mechanism, electromagnetic waves propagate with the frequency band of up to 2 GHz. One example of ground wave propagation is AM radio.
- 2. SkyWave Propagation (SW) – In this type electromagnetic waves are propagated through the upper layer of the atmosphere. This kind of wireless medium can propagate up to 30 GHz of frequency waves.
- 3. The line of Sight Propagation (LOS) – This type characterizes an antenna to antenna transmission of signals through waves. LOS can propagate waves of more than 30 GHz frequency.
In the wireless mode of transmission, signals are spread in free space. Hence, there are a lot of chances for data delay due to refraction, attenuation, radiation and other such characteristics.
Characteristics of Wired or Bounded Transmission Media
Wired media for transmission has following three types.
- Coaxial cable– Coaxial cable consists of two parallel conductors- one outer and other inner. White plastic coating separates these conductors. The arrangement helps to prevent the Electromagnetic interference (EMI).
- Twisted Pair Cable– It features the solid pair of copper wires twisted with each other. No. of twists in each cable determine its categories from category 1 to category 5. Twisted pair cables are less costly and easy to install. They have a data transmission speed of 100mps.
- Fiber Optics Cable– Fiber optics cable is commonly used for Ethernet internet connections. It utilizes light for transmission of electrical signals. A fiber optic cable comprises two strands that are responsible for their side of communication. The central core of a fiber optics cable has glass through which light signals propagate for transmission of data. Cladding process is used to coat the fiber optics cable with a reflective material so that no light escapes through the glass.
Which is the Fastest Transmission Media
Now a day’s wireless transmission media are popular among end consumers. And, it is a common perception that an unguided and unbounded medium for the transmission of data proves to be the fastest. In reality, this is the fiber optics cable which shows to be the best way of transmitting information and hence it must be a priority for the users who want to have a seamless experience on the internet.
The best thing about a fiber optics cable is that data doesn’t get lost through refraction due to several obstacles that it may face in an unbounded and unguided media. But, apart from choosing the right transmission medium, a user must pay attention to other parameters like bandwidth and capacity, etc.