Network Media

Coaxial Cable:

It is used in 10BASE2 and 10BASE5 ethernet networks. It has 50 ohms of impedance.

Twisted Pair:

Local areas are usually maintained with twisted pairs. The twists in the wire protect inner conductor from EMI(electromagnetic interference). Different pair of wires have different number of twists per inch. If twists are not tight enough it can become antenna.

There are two types of twisted pair:

1. Shielded twisted pair
2. Unshielded twisted pair

Shielded twisted pair and Unshielded twisted pair:

It has metallic coating, it is costly that is why unshielded twisted pair are most widely used.

Fiber Optics:

It uses pulses of light to represent binary data, it is not subjected to EMI(electromagnetic interference). Commonly used in high speed networks where the distance is too great for unshielded twisted pair

There are two types of it:

1. Multi-mode fiber (MMF)
2. Single mode fiber (SMF)

Multi-mode fiber (MMF):

The core has a diameter large enough to allow light to enter at different angles.

Single mode fiber (SMF):

The core has a diameter so small that light can only enter at one angle, it will eliminate multi-mode delay distortion. Through this we can achieve more distance as compared to multi-mode fiber. Multi-mode fiber is less expensive than single mode fiber.