1. Choosing the Appropriate Medium
Network Medium
Choosing the Appropriate Medium

2. Considerations Speed (Bandwidth) Distance Environment (Attenuation)
Security
Cost

3. Communication Standards
Professional organization that helps set transmission system standards.
International Standards Organization (ISO)
Responsible for Catx (Twisted Pair)
The Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE).
Responsible for x (WiFi)
Infrared Data Association (IrDa)
Bluetooth Special Interest Group (Ericsson, IBM, Intel, Nokia and Toshiba)

4. Speed (Bandwidth)
Speed or bandwidth is especially important when transmitting large files.
Industrial standards specify the performance of the medium.
Fiber Optic up to 2.5 Gbs
Cat 6 up to 1000 Mbs
UTP Coaxial cable 1000 Mbs
802.11g up to 54Mbs
802.11n Greater than 100Mbs
Bluetooth 700 kbs - 1 Mbs

5. Distance
The further that data travels the signal becomes attenuated (become weaker)
Distances may be affected by the environment and the amount of network noise (interference)
Cat 5e/6 Distances of up to 100m
Fiber Optic 2 Kilometres
Coaxial cable 500 m
802.11n Up to 100m
Bluetooth 10 m
IrDa 1 m

6. Environment
Interference (static) that destroys the integrity of signals on a line. Noise can come from a variety of sources, including radio waves, nearby electrical wires, lightning, and bad connections. One of the major advantages of fiber optic cables over metal cables, light and radio wavves is that they are much less susceptible to noise.

7. Security
The less susceptible to Interference (EMI) the less prone to eavesdropping.
Fibre Optic Cable not susceptible to EMI
Twisted Pair
UTP Very Susceptible
STP Good resistance
Coaxial Good resistance
WiFi Very Susceptible

8. Cost You pay for speed, distance and security.
The most expensive and difficult cable to install is Fibre Optic
The cheapest and easiest cable to install is twisted pair.
Wireless networking is reliatively inexpensive and very easy to install but there is a greater need for router encryption.

9. What is attenuation
data loss experienced in a transmission media as a function of length
Attenuation increases as the distance a signal increases.
Attenuation will eventually prevent a signal reaching its intended destination.