Understanding Wired and Wireless Networks

Lesson 3

Objectives
Skills Concepts Recognizing Wired Networks and Media Types Objective Domain Description Understand Media Types Objective Domain Number 2.3

Comprehending Wireless Networks

Understand Wireless Networking

1.4

Twisted-Pair Cable
the most commonly used cable type in local area networks relatively easy to work with, flexible, efficient, and fast
contains eight wires grouped into four twisted pairs, typically blue,

orange, green, and brown The twisted wires reduce crosstalk and interference

Twisted-Pair Cable with the Wires Exposed

Twisted Pair Categories

Twisted-pair cables are categorized according to the frequency at

which they transmit signals and their data transfer rate

Cable Type Category 3 (Cat-3) Category 5 (Cat-5) Category 5e (Cat-5e) Category 6 (Cat-6) Speed 10 Mbps 100 Mbps 100 Mbps and 1000 Mbps+ 1000 Mbps+

Tools For Twisted Pair Cables

Types of Patch Cables

Straight through cable
Most common type of patch cable Used to connect a computer to a central connecting device like a switch

Crossover cable
Used to direct connect similar devices without the use of a hub

MDI and MDI-X Ports

Medium dependent interface (MDI) is a type of Ethernet port connection

using twisted pair cabling For computers to communicate with other devices, the wires have to cross somewhere Instead of using crossover cables to connect computers to central connecting devices such as switches, these central connecting devices are equipped with MDI-X ports (medium dependent interface crossover), which take care of the cross

Patch Panel and RJ45 Wall Jack

Tools
The tools necessary to make the connections between patch panels

and RJ45 jacks include a cutting tool, a wire stripper, a punch down tool, and a testing device known as a continuity tester, which tests all of the pins of a connection one by one.

Attenuation:
The quantity of information reaching the receiver as compared to the transmitted quantity of information
Measured in decibels (dB) According to the IEEE 802.3 standard, twisted-pair cables can be run

100 meters. Beyond this the signal degrades to such a point that it cannot be interpreted by the destination host. A signal repeater, a hub, or switch can be used If a cable needs to be run farther

Interference:
anything that disrupts or modifies a signal that is traveling along a wire
Electrical Sources

Lights Electrical Outlets Motors Appliances

Copper-based cables and network devices should be kept away from

these electrical devices and cables if at all possible

Electromagnetic Interference (EMI)

Electromagnetic Interference (EMI) disturbance can affect electrical

circuits, devices, and cables due to electromagnetic conduction and possibly radiation Any type of electrical device causes EMI: TVs, air conditioning units, motors, unshielded electrical cables (Romex) Copper-based cables and network devices should be kept away from these electrical devices and cables to prevent network communication issues

Radio Frequency Interference (RFI)

This is interference that can come from AM/FM transmissions and cell

phone towers It is often considered part of the EMI family and is sometimes even referred to as EMI Filters can be installed on the network to eliminate the signal frequency being broadcast by a radio tower, although this will usually not affect standard wired Ethernet networks

Crosstalk
When the signal that is transmitted on one copper wire or pair of wires creates an undesired effect on another wire or pair of wires
When it comes to twisted-pair cabling, crosstalk is broken down into

two categories:

Near end crosstalk (NEXT) occurs when there is measured interference between two pairs in a single cable,

measured on the cable end nearest the transmitter. Far end crosstalk (FEXT) occurs when there is similar interference, measured at the cable end farthest from the transmitter.

Shielded Twisted-Pair (STP) Cables

STP cables have an aluminum shield inside the plastic jacket that

surrounds the pairs of wires

Plenum-Rated
Cables installed inside walls or above drop ceilings where they cannot

be accessed by sprinkler systems in the case of a fire should be plenumrated or low-smoke rated Plenum-rated cables have a Teflon coating that makes them more impervious to fire They are used in these situations because standard twisted-pair cables have a PVC jacket, which can emit deadly gas into the air

Fiber Optic Cable

transmits light (photons) instead of electricity over glass or plastic fibers
Very good for high-speed, high-capacity data transmission due to lack

of attenuation Single-mode
Multi-mode

meant to carry a single ray of lightone ray of light, one mode This type of cable is normally used for higher-bandwidth, longer-distance runs, generally 10-80 km More expensive equipment

Cable with a larger fiber core, capable of carrying multiple rays of light. This type of cable is used for shorter distance runs, up to 600 meters. Though much shorter than single mode fiber runs, this is still six times the distance of twisted-pair cable runs. Less expensive equipment

Fiber Optic Cables

Wireless Networks
Enables connection to the network without using a wired connection Provide a degree of portability Extend connectivity to a pre-existing wireless network and could be

used to connect entire local area networks to the Internet Some wireless devices can be connected directly to each other in a point-to-point fashion

Wireless Network Adapters

Wireless network adapters enable connectivity between a desktop

computer or laptop and the wireless access point These network adapters come in a variety of shapes and sizes, including USB, PC Card, and as an internal PCI or PCI Express adapter card

Wireless Access Point

A wireless access point (WAP) enables wireless devices to connect to a

wired network A wireless router can also acts as a router, firewall, and IP proxy

Wireless Modes
There several different methods to connect to a wireless network
Infrastructure the mode used when wireless clients connect to and are authenticated by a wireless

access point Ad-hoc used when all of the clients communicate directly with each other

Wireless LAN (WLAN)

Wireless LAN or WLAN is a network composed of at least one WAP

and a computer or handheld device that connect to the WAP Usually these networks are Ethernet based, but they can be built on other networking architectures In order to ensure compatibility, the WAP and other wireless devices must all use the same IEEE 802.11 WLAN standard Wireless Fidelity (WiFi ) is a trademark to brand products that belong to the category of WLAN devices

Other wireless devices

Wireless Repeater
used to extend the coverage of a wireless network

Wireless Bridge
A wireless bridge is similar to a wireless repeater, but the bridge can connect different 802.11 standards together;

this is known as bridge mode.

WLAN Standards
IEEE 802.11 Standard 802.11a 802.11b 802.11g 802.11n 802.11ac Data Transfer Rate (Max.) 54 Mbps 11 Mbps 54 Mbps 600 Mbps 866.7 Mbps Frequency 5Ghz 2.4Ghz 2.4Ghz 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz 5Ghz

Wireless Encryption Options

Wireless Encryption Protocol WEP WPA & WPA2 Description Wired Equivalent Privacy Wi-Fi Protected Access Encryption Level (Key Size) 64-bit 256-bit

TKIP
AES

Temporal Key Integrity Protocol

Advanced Encryption Standard

128-bit
128-, 192- and 256-bit

Service Set Identifier (SSI)

When utilizing infrastructure mode, the base unit (normally a WAP) will

be configured with a service set identifier (SSID) The SSID is the name of the wireless network, and it is broadcast over the airwaves When clients want to connect to the WAP , they can identify it by the SSID For security, the SSID can be hidden from public discovery

Wireless Settings

Summary
To recognize wired networks and media types. This includes identifying

twisted-pair cable, cabling tools, and testers. You also learned what can interfere with twisted-pair cabling and how to avoid it, and about a slew of wiring standards you should know for the real world. You also learned some of the basics about fiber optic cabling and some of the standards attached to these extremely quick cables. To comprehend wireless networks. This included wireless devices, wireless settings and configurations, wireless standards, and encryption protocols.

Additional Resources & Next Steps

Instructor-Led Courses
40033A: Windows Operating System and Windows

Books

Server Fundamentals: Training 2-Pack for MTA Exams 98-349 and 98-365 (5 Days) 40349A: Windows Operating System Fundamentals: MTA Exam 98-349 (3 Days) 40032A: Networking and Security Fundamentals: Training 2-Pack for MTA Exams 98-366 and 98-367 (5 Days) 40366A: Networking Fundamentals: MTA Exam 98366

Exam 98-366: MTA Networking Fundamentals (Microsoft Official Academic Course)

Exams & Certifications

Exam 98-366:

Networking Fundamentals