Fill in the blanksQuestion 1 · Recall
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By the end you can describe the characteristics of copper cable, fibre-optic cable, radio waves, microwaves and satellites, and explain the implications of choosing a wired or wireless network.
Your data can travel as electricity in copper, as light in glass, or as electromagnetic waves through the air (occasionally via a satellite about 36 000 km up).
Each has a personality. Copper is cheap and cheerful, fibre is a speed demon, and wireless lets you wander around with your laptop.
| Copper cable (twisted pair, coaxial) | Fibre-optic cable | |
|---|---|---|
| Carries data as | electrical signals | pulses of light through thin glass or plastic fibres |
| Bandwidth (data rate) | lower | much higher |
| Distance before the signal needs boosting | short: signals weaken (attenuate) quickly, so repeaters are needed sooner | long: very little attenuation |
| Interference | affected by electromagnetic interference (twisting the pairs, or shielding in coaxial cable, reduces it) | immune to electromagnetic interference |
| Security | easier to tap | very hard to tap without being noticed |
| Cost and handling | cheap, flexible, easy to install and join | expensive, more fragile, harder to install and join |