Transmission Media and Antenna Systems Introduction Design Factors Prepared by Kryzia Faith M.

Calaguas BSECE 5-1 Media Basic function of media carry flow of information in form of bits through a LAN In a copper based network, bits will be electrical signals In a fiber based network, bits will be light pulses Media considered to be Layer 1 component of a LAN

Physical path between transmitter and receiver Wired and Wireless Communication is in the form of electromagnetic waves Characteristics and quality of data transmission are determined by characteristics of medium and signal In wired media, medium characteristics is more important, whereas in wireless media, signal characteristics is more important

Transmission Media Physical path between transmitter and receiver Wired and Wireless Communication is in the form of electromagnetic waves Characteristics and quality of data transmission are determined by characteristics of medium and signal In wired media, medium characteristics is more important, whereas in wireless media, signal characteristics is more important

Classes of Transmission Media Conducted or guided media use a conductor such as a wire or a fiber optic cable to move the signal from sender to receiver

Wireless or unguided media use radio waves of different frequencies and do not need a wire or cable conductor to transmit signals

Basic limitations Attenuation Delay Distortion Noise Thermal/White Noise Intermodulation Noise Crosstalk Echo Impulse Noise

Design Factors for Transmission Media 1. 2. 3. 4. Bandwidth: Transmission impairments Interference Number of receivers

Bandwidth All other factors remaining constant, the greater the bandwidth of a signal, the higher the data rate that can be achieved. Transmission Impairments Impairments, such as attenuation, limit the distance. For guided media, twisted pair generally suffers more impairment than coaxial cable, which in turn suffers more than optical fiber.

Transmission Impairments of Unguided Media/Wireless Media Free-space loss Absorption Atmospheric absorption Multipath Refraction

Noise

Free-Space Loss Characteristics

The higher the frequency, the greater the free-space loss Compensate with: Higher gain antennas Higher transmitter power Shorter spans Directional antennas

Absorption
Waves can be absorbed by objects buildings, trees, hills Organic materials absorb more than inorganic Pine needles especially effective in absorbing radio frequency emissions (800 MHz range) At 2.4 GHz, loss 0.35 dB/meter of loss Compensate with: Higher gain antennas Higher transmitter power levels Shorter spacing between transmitter and receiver; i.e., shorter spans Spans with fewer objects in the transmission paths

Atmospheric Absorption
Atmospheric conditions absorb waves Water vapor, oxygen greatest contributors Peak attenuation @ 22 GHz due to water vapor; less below 15 GHz Peak attenuation @ 60 GHz due to oxygen; less below 30 GHz Rain, fog major impediments Heavy rain 0.5 dB/mile of loss (@ 5.8 GHz)

Fog 0.07 dB/mile of loss (@ 5.8 GHz) Compensate with: Lower frequencies Shorter spans

Multipath Fading
Waves reflect off of objects buildings, vehicles, water, etc. Some reflected waves travel to intended destination One direct signal, multiple indirect signals, and Waves arrive with different delays; result = phase differences Waves can either contribute to, or detract from, direct signal Also known as Rayleigh fading

Refraction
Waves are bent as they pass through atmosphere Signal speed increases with altitude Somewhat predictable, but weather conditions can cause aberrations in tendencies

Noise
Noise unwanted electromagnetic energy inserted in the signals somewhere between transmission and reception Types of Noise: Thermal Noise Thermal Noise As with guided media, thermal noise is unavoidable Arise from the thermal activity of devices and media Impact increases as signal strength decreases

Interference
Interference from competing signals in overlapping frequency bands can distort or wipe out a signal. Interference is of particular concern for unguided media but is also a problem with guided media. Cochannel Interference

Occurs when more than 1 transmitter in wireless system is on same frequency Caused by frequency assignments with too little geographic dispersion By-product of basic tenet of cellular systems frequency reuse Managed or reduced by: Reducing power levels Maintaining geographic dispersion Types of antennas Management of cochannel interference is the number 1 limiting factor in maximizing capacity of a wireless system Cochannel Interference Intermodulation Interference o Occurs whenever signals of different frequencies share the same medium o When two frequencies share the same medium, supplemental frequencies are produced (harmonics) o + , o Could interfere with deliberate signals at these resultant frequencies o Degree of noise is a function of power output o Occurs when there is some nonlinearity in system o Can be managed through compensating circuits

Number of Receivers
o o Unicast (one sender, one receiver) Multicast (multiple receivers can introduce more errors)

A guided medium can be used to construct a point-topoint link or a shared link with multiple attachments. In the latter case, each attachment introduces some attenuation and distortion on the line, limiting distance and/or data rate.