1. Media
Lesson 3

2. Objectives Exam Objective Matrix Technology Skill Covered
Exam Objective Number
Copper Cabling and Its Properties
Categorize standard media types and associated properties.
• Copper
• UTP
• STP
• CAT3
• CAT5
• CAT5e
• CAT6
• CAT6a
• Coaxial
• Crossover
• T1 Crossover
• Straight-through
• Plenum vs. non-plenum
• Distance limitations and speed limitations
• Broadband over powerline
3.1

3. Objectives Exam Objective Matrix Technology Skill Covered
Exam Objective Number
Categorize standard connector types based on network media.
• Copper
• RJ-45
• RJ-11
• BNC
• F-connector
• DB-9 (RS-232)
3.2
Given a scenario, troubleshoot common physical connectivity problems.
Cable problems:
• EMI/Interference
3.6
Fiber-Optic Cabling
Categorize standard media types and associated properties.
• Fiber
• Multimode
• Singlemode
3.1

4. Objectives Exam Objective Matrix Technology Skill Covered
Exam Objective Number
Categorize standard connector types based on network media.
• Fiber
• ST
• SC
• LC
• MTRJ
3.2
Installing Wiring Distributions
• Copper
• Patch panel
• 110 block (T568A, T568B)
Identify components of wiring distribution.
• IDF
• MDF
• Demarc
• Demarc extension
• Smart jack
3.8

5. Objectives Exam Objective Matrix Technology Skill Covered
Exam Objective Number
Wireless Media
Given a scenario, install and configure a wireless network.
• Wireless standards
Compare and contrast different wireless standards.
• a/b/g/n standards
• Distance
• Speed
• Latency
• Frequency
• Channels
• MIMO
• Channel bonding
2.2
3.3
Tying it All Together

6. How Cable Is Denoted Ethernet cable types N<Signaling>–X
N refers to the signaling rate in megabits per second
<Signaling> stands for the signaling type—either baseband or broadband
X is a unique identifier for a specific Ethernet cabling scheme
Example: 100Base-X

7. Twisted Pair Cables
Twisted-pair cables consist of multiple individually insulated wires twisted together in pairs
Twisting minimizes signal interference, or crosstalk
Shielded twisted pair (STP) has metallic foil-like shield placed around wires
Unshielded twisted pair (UTP) is twisted-pair cable without outer shielding

8. Unshielded Twisted Pair
Why unshielded twisted-pair wire is preferred in modern Ethernet network configurations:
It is cheaper than other types of cabling.
It is easy to work with.
It allows transmission rates that were impossible 10 years ago.

9. UTP uses registered jack (RJ) connectors
RJ-11 connects a phone to a phone jack
Used with UTP cable similar to Category 1 cable and uses two pairs (four wires)
RJ-22 used for handsets of older style telephones
RJ-45 is used in Ethernet data networks
Uses four pairs of wires (eight wires)
Usually associated with Category 3 or higher UTP wire

10. RJ Connectors (Continued)

11. Twisted-pair wire is rated using “categories”
Category Cabling
Number of twists and the direction the twists turn in a given meter of wire varies according to how much and what types of interference the twisted-pair wires are trying to minimize
Twisted-pair wire is rated using “categories”
CAT followed by a number
Common grades of twisted-pair wires used in LANs are CAT 5, CAT 5e, and CAT 6

12. Standard Category Cabling Jack
Category cabling has standardized jacks that are used to connect it to wall jacks

13. Common Categories of Twisted-pair Cables
Category
Number of Wire Pairs
Notes
CAT 1 2
Not rated for data communication
CAT 2 4
Obsolete
CAT 3
Obsolete for data networks
CAT 4
Rated for 20 MHz, now obsolete
CAT 5
Rated for 100 MHz; was popular but replaced by CAT 5e
CAT 5e
Rated for 100 MHz; transmits on all four pairs of wires at the same time
CAT 6
Rated for 250 MHz; preferred standard for Gigabit Ethernet

14. Unshielded Twisted-pair CAT 6 Cable

15. Ensure that all cables use the same color wires
TIA/EIA 568 Standards
TIA/EIA 568A and 568B
Ensure that all cables use the same color wires
Pins 1, 2, 3, and 6
Green-white, green, orange-white, and orange wires
TIA/EIA 568A standard
Orange-white, orange, white-green, and green wires
TIA/EIA 568B standard
If TIA/EIA 568A is used on one end of a cable and TIA/EIA 568B is used on the other end, then a crossover cable is created

16. Types of Commonly Used Cables
Straight-through cable (568A)
Crossover cable (568B)
Rolled cable (rollover)
Hardware loopback

17. Straight-through Cable (568A)
Connects devices with dissimilar functions
A host to a switch or hub
A router to a switch or hub
4 pairs, or 8 wires, in cable
2 pairs, or 4 wires, carry data
Wires 1, 2, 3, and 6
Each pin connects directly to the pin of the same number on the other side of the connection
Orange-white wire goes to pin 1, the orange wire goes to pin 2, the green-white wire goes to pin 3, and the green wire goes to pin 6

18. Connects devices with similar functions
Crossover Cable (568B)
Connects devices with similar functions
Same four wires used in a straight-through cable are used in a crossover cable but arranged differently
Crossover cables can connect:
Switch to switch
Hub to hub
Host to host
Hub to switch
Router direct to host

19. Crossover Cable (568B) (Continued)
Used only in Ethernet UTP installations
Possible to connect two workstation NICs or a workstation and a server NIC directly with a crossover cable
T1 crossover cable
A specialized crossover cable used in T1 applications, commonly used in WAN networks

20. Rolled Cable (Rollover)
Used to connect a host to a router’s console port
Router’s console port used by a WAN Engineer to program or configure a router
Switches have a similar port
Not used to connect Ethernet devices

21. A way to redirect data flow
Hardware Loopback
A way to redirect data flow
May need a “live” network connection to test a computer or install software
Can use loopback to trick PC into seeing its own output as input
Use Loopback plug device
Loopback plug works similarly to a crossover cable except transmit pins are connected directly to the receive pins

22. Shielded Twisted Pair
Looks like UTP cable but adds extra shielding around the wires in the cable
No longer in popular use

23. Center conductor made of copper, surrounded by plastic jacket
Coaxial
Center conductor made of copper, surrounded by plastic jacket
Jacket has a braided metal shield
Shield covered by PVC or Teflon
Teflon-type covering frequently referred to as a plenum-rated coating
Does not release toxic gases if it catches on fire

24. Coaxial Cable Specifications

25. Thin Ethernet or Thinnet
A thin coaxial cable
10Base-2
10 mbps data rates for up to 200 meters

26. BNC Connectors
Used with Thinnet cables

27. F-Connector
Coaxial cable connector
Commonly used in broadband and home video applications, such as cable television

28. Coaxial cable is used for low-power video and audio transmission
RG-59
Coaxial cable is used for low-power video and audio transmission
Connects DVD to TV, for example
Can be used for data runs longer than 100 meters
UTP limited to 100-meter data runs

29. RG-6
Used for cable TV inside house as well as from the external drop point into the house
Also used in fast broadband Internet connections

30. Broadband over Power Line (BPL)
IEEE 1901 standard
Standard power grid and power cables carry electricity and data
Uses same cabling as the power in a house
Not available in the United States
Useful for rural areas and third-world areas

31. Serial
Serial means one bit after another is sent out onto the wire or fiber and interpreted by a network card or other type of interface on the other end
Each 1 or 0 is read separately and then combined with others to form data
Examples
Recommended Standard 232 (RS-232)
Universal Serial Bus (USB)
RS-232 is a cable standard used for serial data cables connecting data-terminal and data-communications equipment.
Example: A computer’s serial port to connect to an external modem
Serial connectors on many computers have been replaced with USB or FireWire.

32. Universal Serial Bus (USB)
Default built-in serial bus for most motherboards
USB can support up to 127 external devices
Connect a USB peripheral
To a USB port on the PC
To a USB hub that is then connected to a USB port on the PC

33. USB Versions 1.0 2.0 3.0 Updated version 1.1 widely adopted
Known as high-speed USB
Maximum data rate of 480 mbps
Maximum cable length of 5 meters
3.0
Up to 4.8 gbps (gigabits per second) data transfers rate

34. Plenum versus Non-Plenum
Plenum is space between ceiling of one story and floor of the next story
Cables run through plenum
Must be plenum-rated
Composed of materials that do not release deadly gasses when burned
Insulating material in the cable cannot burn so quickly that it acts as a wick

35. Problems and Limitations Related to Copper
Electromagnetic interference
Speed
Distance limitations
Duplexing

36. Electromagnetic Interference
Two wires next to each other create a magnetic field, result is noise
Copper media interference called Electromagnetic Interference (EMI)
Can result in:
Attenuation
Crosstalk
Security and electromagnetism

37. Speed Bandwidth Latency Throughput
Amount or number of signals that a wire can carry
Latency
Time delay
Throughput
Amount of actual data carried at any given time during a connection

38. Some cables are prone to attenuation
Distance Limitations
Some cables are prone to attenuation
Caused by:
Distance signals have to travel
The medium itself
Noise on cable contributes to attenuation
Cables have maximum segment lengths to reduce attenuation
Unshielded twisted-pair cable is 328 feet (100 meters)

39. Duplexing Simplex Half-duplex Full-duplex
Device can broadcast or receive, not both
Simplex
Device can send or receive, but not both at the same time
Half-duplex
Devices can send and receive communication at the same time
Full-duplex

40. Fiber-Optic Cabling
Transmits digital signals using light impulses rather than electricity
Immune to electromagnetic Interference (EMI) and Radio Frequency Interference (RFI)
Works by allowing light impulses to be carried through either a glass or plastic core
Is single-mode fiber (SMF) or multimode fiber (MMF)

41. Fiber-Optic Cabling Pros and Cons
Immune to EMI and RFI
Can transmit up to 40 kilometers, about 25 miles, in a single hop
Cons
Difficult to install
More expensive than twisted-pair
Troubleshooting equipment is expensive
More difficult to troubleshoot

42. A type of fiber-optic cable that uses light to communicate a signal
Multimode Fiber
A type of fiber-optic cable that uses light to communicate a signal
Light is dispersed on numerous paths as it travels through the core and is reflected back
Cladding used to line the core and focus the light back onto it
Provides high bandwidth at high speeds over medium distances (up to about 3,000 feet)

43. Single-mode fiber (SMF)
A very high-speed, long-distance fiber-optic cable
Consists of one or two strands of fiberglass that carries the signals
Lasers are primary light sources
Spans very long distances because it can transmit data 50 times farther than multimode fiber at a faster rate

44. Fiber-Optic Subscriber Connector (SC)
Are latched
Work with single-mode and multimode optical fibers
Last for around 1,000 matings

45. Fiber-Optic Straight Tip (ST) Connector
One of the most widely used fiber-optic connectors
Uses a BNC style attachment

46. Fiber-Optic Small Form Factor Connector
Allows more fiber-optic terminations in the same amount of space than its standard-sized counterparts
Two most common versions:
Mechanical transfer registered jack (MT-RJ or MTRJ)
Local connector (LC)

47. Fiber-Optic Local Connector (LC)
Newer style of SFF fiber-optic connector
Fibre-Channel (FC) adapters
Used for fast storage area networks and Gigabit Ethernet adapters

48. Installing Wiring Distributions
Many components involved in wiring a computer network
Cables and connectors
Cross-connects
Patch panels
Jacks
Devices connectors go into
More

49. Vertical and Horizontal Cross-Connects
Cross-connect is a location within a cabling system where all wires come together
Cables that run from communications closets to wall outlets are horizontal connect cables
Patch cable is any cable that has a connector on both ends and is used to connect a network device to a network device, a wall jack to a network device, or a network device to a patch panel

50. Vertical and Horizontal Cross-Connects (Cont.)
Vertical connect cables are backbone cables that connect equipment rooms, telecommunications rooms, and other physical termination points

51. Rack or wall-mounted structures that house cable connections
Patch Panels
Rack or wall-mounted structures that house cable connections
Types of patch panels
66 block
110 block
Demarc/demarc extension
Smart jack

52. Front and Back View of Small Patch Panel

53. 66 Block
Unsuited for network communications speeds faster than 10 mbps
Considered legacy
25-pair capacity

54. Main distribution frame (MDF)
MDF and IDF
Main distribution frame (MDF)
A wiring point generally used as a reference point for network and telephone lines
Installed in building as part of prewiring process
Intermediate distribution frame (IDF)
Located in an equipment or telecommunications room
Connected to MDF by a backbone cable
IDF Provides greater flexibility for the distribution of all the communications lines within the building.

55. 110 Block
Use for computer networking
One side has RJ-11 jacks (for phone connections) or RJ-45 jacks (for network connections)

56. Demarc/Demarc Extension
Demarc (demarcation point) is last point of responsibility of the service provider
Is often at the MDF in a large building
Demarc extension is length of copper or fiber that begins after the demarc but does not reach all the way up to your office
Most often used when the external service enters your building somewhere other than the MDF
Demarc is usually an RJ-45 jack that your channel service unit/data service unit (CSU/DSU) connects into from your router to wide area network (WAN) connections

57. Smart Jack
Also called a Network Interface Device (NID)
Owned by the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN)
A special network interface often used between the service provider’s network and the internal network
Service provider may install a NID that has power and can be looped for testing purposes

58. Verifying Correct Wiring Installation
What can go wrong?
Copper cables placed too close to a magnetic source
Cable jackets ripped off when pulling cable
Cables cut wrong and extended beyond the maximum length for their type
Fiber-optic cables handled roughly or poorly installed
Test, test, and test again

59. Install more cables than necessary
Wiring Best Practices
Install more cables than necessary
If a cable goes bad in the future, an extra cable can take the place of the bad cable
Keep detailed records

60. Verifying Proper Wiring Termination
Inspect the installation
Verify that all wires are terminated properly in the right order
Fiber-optic termination requires specialized and expensive equipment and training
Terminate new connections using the appropriate tools

61. Defined by the 802.11 standards
Wireless Media
Defined by the standards
802.11a
802.11b
802.11g
802.11n

62. Most prominent standard for wireless LANs Addresses:
IEEE
Most prominent standard for wireless LANs
Addresses:
Distance
Speed
Latency
Frequency
Channels
Channel Bonding
MIMO

63. 802.11a
Theoretical maximum throughput is 54 mbps; realistically more like 22 mbps
Maximum indoor distance is ~50 feet or 15 meters
Maximum outdoor distance is ~100 feet or 30 meters
Uses the 5 GHz radio frequency range
8 non-overlapping channels

64. 802.11b
Theoretical throughput of up to 11 mbps; realistically more like 2.5 mbps
Maximum indoor range or distance is ~150 feet or 45 meters
Maximum outdoor range is ~300 feet or 90 meters
Uses the 2.4 GHz radio frequency range
3 non-overlapping channels: 1, 6, and 11.

65. 802.11g
Uses the same frequency range and same channels as b
Has same distance capabilities as b
Theoretical throughput is 54 mbps; realistic throughput is ~22 mbps
Fully backwards compatible with b

66. 802.11n
Uses 5 GHz and 2.4 GHz frequency ranges
Theoretical throughput is 300 to 600 mbps; realistically between 100 and 200 mbps
Maximum indoor distance is ~229 feet or 70 meters
Maximum outdoor distance is 820 feet or 250 meters
Uses channel bonding, where two or more adjacent channels are linked together

67. Tying It All Together
Important to know what types of media connect to specific devices and in which order
Connecting the wrong type of media to a device, or connecting media in the wrong place, prevents network communication

68. Summary Ethernet cable types are denoted by N<Signaling>–X.
Common cabling is shielded twisted-pair (STP) or unshielded twisted-pair (UTP).
Common grades of twisted-pair wires used in LANs are CAT 5, CAT 5e, and CAT 6
Some cabling is susceptible to EMI and interference.
Fiber-optic cabling transmits digital signals using light impulses and is immune to EMI and RFI.

69. Summary (Continued)
Fiber-optic cabling is single-mode fiber (SMF) or multimode fiber (MMF).
Patch panels are rack- or wall-mounted structures that house cable connections.
Types of patch panels include 66 block, 110 block, demarc/demarc extension, and smart jack.
Wireless standards are a, b, g, and n.