UNGUIDED MEDIA

Guided transmission media wire (twisted pair, cable, fiber) Unguided wireless (radio wave, microwave, satellite)

Characteristics and quality determined by medium and signal For unguided, the bandwidth produced by the antenna is more important
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Unguided Media
Unguided media no medium to control or contain signals; therefore, no boundaries Unguided media = air, atmosphere Types of unguided media systems: Microwave Satellite Radio Infrared
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Transmission Impairments
Analog signal impairments result in random modifications that degrade signal quality, and can cause errors Digital signal impairments result in bit errors Types of unguided media impairments: Free-space loss Absorption Atmospheric absorption Multipath Refraction Noise/Interference
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Design Factors
Bandwidth
Higher bandwidth gives higher data rate

Transmission impairments
Attenuation

Interference Number of receivers

In guided media More receivers (multi-point) introduce more attenuation (need more amplifies or repeaters)

Electromagnetic Spectrum

Terrestrial Microwave
Parabolic dish Focused beam Line of sight Long haul telecommunications Higher frequencies give higher data rates

Satellite Microwave
Satellite is relay station Satellite receives on one frequency, amplifies or repeats signal and transmits on another frequency Requires geo-stationary orbit
Height of 35,784km

Television Long distance telephone Private business networks

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Satellite Characteristics
Key component: transponder Accepts signal from earth Shifts signal to another frequency Amplifies signal and Rebroadcasts signal to earth Distance has impact on system: Requires significant power Amount of delay is measurable and significant factor Uplink always at a higher frequency than downlink

Satellite Point to Point Link

Satellite Broadcast Link

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Classes of Satellites Three main classes of satellites:

MEO

GEO

LEO
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GEO Satellites
Geosynchronous earth orbit 22,300 miles above earth Requires the most power Adds greatest delay: 0.25 sec/leg Position is constant relative to earth same rotational speed as the earth Provides largest footprint of all satellites Three satellites can cover earth Applications: One way broadcasts, international TV

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MEO Satellites
Middle earth orbit Orbit 6,200 9,400 miles above earth Delay reduced to 0.05 per leg Smaller footprint; requires 10-15 to cover earth Applications: regional use due to footprint and speed, such as mobile voice, low-speed data Most rapidly growing application: GPS

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LEO Satellites
Low earth orbit Closest to earth: 400 1,000 miles above earth Least amount of delay: 0.025 seconds/leg Least amount of power required; can be directed into users handheld device Smallest footprint: requires approximately 60 to cover earth Functionality is new due to speed and small footprint switching capability was needed and the system is very complex Jitter is a significant issue Applications: mobile voice, low-speed data, highspeed data
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VSAT
Very Small Aperture Terminal Characterized by very small antenna (0.6 meters or less) Low cost, easy and quick installation Applications: Vehicle tracking systems Broadband Internet access (Hughes DirecPC provides downlinks @ 2 Mbps) Business video

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Satellites Pros and Cons

Access to remote areas Covers large geographies Insensitive to topology Insensitive to distance-related costs High bandwidth Economic value increases with number of locations High initial cost Propagation delay Vulnerable to environmental interference Licensing requirements Vulnerable to space clutter Low security requires encryption
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Radio
Microwave Antennas are less directional, ranging to full omnidirectional Common frequency range 3 KHz 300 GHz Most significant application mobile telephony

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Radio Pros and Cons

Less sensitive to environmental attenuation Cost savings Portability Reconfiguration flexibility Bandwidth Requires line-of-sight Regulatory licensing requirements Potential community environmental restrictions Vulnerable to multipath interference

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Broadcast Radio
Omni directional FM radio UHF and VHF television Line of sight Suffers from multipath interference Reflections

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Infrared
Modulate non coherent infrared light Line of sight (or reflection) Blocked by walls e.g. TV remote control, IRD port

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Wireless Propagation
Signal travels along three routes Ground wave Follows contour of earth Up to 2MHz AM radio Sky wave Amateur radio, BBC world service, Voice of America Signal reflected from ionosphere layer of upper atmosphere (Actually refracted) Line of sight Above 30Mhz May be further than optical line of sight due to refraction More later
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Line of Sight Propagation

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Chapter 4 Review Questions

Compare and contrast the primary guided transmission media. Why are the wires twisted in twisted-pair copper wire? What are some limitations of TPW? What is difference between UTP and STP? What are the major advantages and disadvantages of fiber optic cable? What are some major advantages and disadvantages of microwave transmission? Why must a satellite have distinct uplink and downlink frequencies? Provide examples of broadcast radio and infrared use. What prevents multiple wireless transmissions from colliding? What is the primary cause of signal loss in satellite communications?

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