One of the media used for network connections is Coaxial cable (Tanenbaum & Wetherall 2010). It is made up of single inner wire with two conducting elements surrounded by a hollow outer cylindrical conductor. The element at the center of the cable is a copper conductor. The cable is available in different sizes, which is a consideration, especially when passing the cable in existing conducts. The cable can also cover longer distances as compared to the twisted-pair cable.
Another media is a Twisted-pair cable. The twisted wires form a circuit that transmits data. The cable is widely used for modern networks as well as for telephone communications. The pairs of wires are twisted to prevent crosstalk. There are two types of twisted- pair cables, one is the Unshielded twisted pair cable. It is preferred for its small size hence its ability to fit in properly, and it is less expensive compared to all other cables. The UTP has the disadvantage in that it is prone to interference, and electrical noise compared to other networking media. The Shielded twisted pair cable was the second type of twisted-pair cable. The media relies on the techniques of shielding, wire twisting, and cancellation to increase effectiveness. Each of the pair wires has a metallic foil around it which are then wrapped in an overall metallic foil.
The third media used for network connections is the Fiber-Optic cable. There are two types of fiber-optic cables, the single-mode, which allows only one wavelength of light to propagate through. The cable uses lasers for light generation. The second type is multimode which allows multiple modes of light to propagate through suitable for workgroups and intrabuilding applications. The cable uses light-emitting diodes for light generation. The single-mode is suitable for higher bandwidths and greater distances of more than ten kilometers as compared to the multimode fiber-optic cable that has a maximum length of 2 kilometers. The single-mode is also considerably more expensive as compared to the multimode fiber cable.
Reference
Tanenbaum A. & Wetherall D.(2010). Computer Networks (5th ed). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Publishing Inc.
