CTI 120, Network and Security Foundations Ch 3 Problem Set

Name:

Christian Shackelford

Chapter 3 Problem Set Conducted and Wireless Media

1. What is the advantage of using twisted pair wiring? Coaxial cable? Fiber optic?
Twisted pair, since the wires are twisted together and in separate pairs, helps fight against cross
talk.
Coaxial cable can carry a wide bandwidth of frequencies because of the shielding. Its good with
applications like cable television.
Fiber optic cabling is capable of supporting millions of bits per seconds for thousands of meters.
2. Why is twisted pair wire called twisted pair?
Because it is a wire, with smaller copper wires in it that are separated into pairs and twisted
together, then insulated for help against electromagnetic interference.
3. How does crosstalk occur in twisted pair wire?
A current or a signal in one wire can produce an unwanted current or signal in another wire if
they are close to one another with voltage going down the wire.
4. What are Category 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 5e, 6, and 7 twisted pair wire used for?
They are used for deciding what application you should use it for. For example, Category 1 is
standard telephone wire and has few or no twists.
5. What are the advantages and disadvantages of shielded twisted pair?
Advantage It helps shield against electromagnetic interference from other cables and heating
and cooling equipment.
Disadvantage Cost, its over 1$ per foot for the cable and still cannot go past the 100 meter
limit.
6. What is the primary advantage of coaxial cable compared to twisted pair?
The shielding allows it to carry a wide bandwidth which allows cable television to get so many
channels.
7. What is the difference between baseband coaxial and broadband coaxial cable?

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CTI 120, Network and Security Foundations Ch 3 Problem Set

Baseband coaxial cable uses digital signaling in which cable carries only one channel of digital
data whereas broadband coaxial cables can typically support multiple channels of data
simultaneously because it uses an analog signal.
8. Why is fiber optic cable immune to electromagnetic interference?
Because instead of using voltage and signals like your typical wire it uses pulses of light sent
down a strip of wire to transmit data.
9. What are the advantages and disadvantages of fiber optic cable?
Advantages, it can transmit data quicker than 100Gbps over several kilometers. However for real
world applications they are limited to 10Gbps and 300 meters. No interference from
electromagnetic fields. It is also impossible to wiretap without breaking the line.
Disadvantages Requires two cables if you want to transmit data back and forth at the same time
because light pulses can only go one way.
Its pretty costly, however, this cost has been going steadily down.
10. What is the difference between terrestrial microwave and satellite microwave?
Terrestrial microwave transmissions go from one ground-based antenna to another while
satellite transmissions go from a ground station on earth, to a satellite and back to another station
on earth. You can also send signals part way around the earth by bouncing from satellite to
satellite.
11. What is an average distance for transmitting terrestrial microwave?
15-30 miles
12. What kind of objects can interfere with terrestrial microwave transmissions?
Buildings, hills, forests, heavy snow or rain.
13. List two major uses of terrestrial microwave.
Telephone communications and business intercommunications.
14. What are the four orbit levels for satellite systems?
Low-Earth-Orbit Satellites.
Middle-Earth-Orbit Satellites/
Geosynchronous-Earth-Orbit Satellite.
Highly Elliptical Orbit Satellite.

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CTI 120, Network and Security Foundations Ch 3 Problem Set

15. One or more common application areas for each orbit level satellite system.
LEO wireless transfer of electronic mail, worldwide mobile telephone networks, spying,
remote sensing, and video conferencing.
MEO Primarily used in Global Positioning Systems.
GEO Used for signal relays, broadcast, cable, direct television, meteorology, government
intelligence operations, and mobile maritime telephony.
HEO governments for spying (Via satellite photography) and by scientific agencies for
observing celestial bodies.
16. What is the sequence of events when placing a call from a cellular telephone?
Transfers the dialed telephone number along with any other identification such as the cell
phones MIN to the CTSO via a setup channel, the users account is checked for validity and if
the telephone bill has been paid, the CTSO assigns a channel to that connection. The cell phone
then releases the setup channel, seizes the assigned channel, and proceeds to place the telephone
call.
17. What is the function of a cellular telephone switching office?
It handles the connections when the cell phone moves from one cell to another.
18. What is the primary difference between AMPS and D-AMPS cellular systems?
AMPS uses frequency division multiplexing while D-AMPS is a digital equivalent of the
original analog AMPS. It uses time division multiplexing along with frequency division
multiplexing and provides greater signal clarity and security than AMPS.
19. What is the primary difference between AMPS (or D-AMPS) cellular systems and the
newer PCS mobile telephones?
It does not rely on analog technologies.
20. What are the differences between the 2.5 generation cell phone services such as GPRS
and 1xRTT and the newer UMTS, 1xEV, and EV-DO?
UMTS took the place of GPRS. GPRS could only clock between 30-40kbps while UMTS can do
anywhere from 220-320 Kbps. And EV-DO has a data transfer rate of anywhere between 300 to
500 Kbps.

21. What is meant by line-of-sight?

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CTI 120, Network and Security Foundations Ch 3 Problem Set

For instance, if you had two, 30 foot tall, antennas, 60 feet apart in a field then those two towers
are within the line of sight of each other. However, if you were to put a 60 foot tall building in
between the two towers then the building would be in the line of sight of one antenna to the next.
22. What are the WiMAX protocols used for?
To provide competition for DSL and to offer high speed rates.
23. What is the advantage of IEEE 802.20 over IEEE 802.16e?
It has a high speed data rate and ability to move while in range of the router. Can operate with
moving vehicles up to 180 miles per hour. The data transfer rate can go anywhere from a couple
hundred kbps to more than a million bits per second.
24. Infrared transmission can be used for which type of applications?
Mostly short range applications like sending files to a printer.
25. What are the main advantages and disadvantages of ZigBee?
Its exceptionally good for home automation devices and things that require low transmission
rates from 50-250 kbps. Its requires very little power, for instance it is said a battery can last up
to a couple years before needing replacement. When not communicating with devices it can just
put itself to sleep.
The biggest disadvantage would be the low transfer speeds.
26. Broadband wireless service supports what kind of applications?
Really any kind of applications that require high transfer speeds along with good range
capabilities.
27. What are the main advantages and disadvantages of Bluetooth?
The main advantages are the good transfer speeds, it can transmit through nonmetallic objects. It
can also talk to multiple devices.
The biggest disadvantages would be the small amount of range Bluetooth has. It can go
anywhere from 4 inches to 30 feet.
28. List three possible application areas of Bluetooth.
1. Wireless transmission from a music player to headphones
2. Transmissions between a PDA and another computer
3. Transmissions between peripheral devices and a computer.

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CTI 120, Network and Security Foundations Ch 3 Problem Set

29. What are the different wireless local area network protocols?
IEEE 802.11
IEEE 802.11b
IEEE 802.11a
IEEE 802.11g
IEEE 802.11n
30. In what situation might we use free space optics?
Probably in something like a digital laser level or to transmit data from building to building,
provided the buildings are fairly close (across the street maybe).
31. What is the difference between data transmission speed and propagation speed?
Propagation speed is the speed in which a signal moves through a medium and data transmission
speed is the amount of bits that can be transmitted per second.
32. Rank the following five media examples twisted pair, coaxial cable, fiber-optic cable,
microwave, and satellite in order from highest data transmission speed to lowest data
transmission speed.
Microwave
satellite
Fibre-optic - 100 gbps
Twisted pair 1000Mbps
Coaxial 100Mbps
33. Using the same five media examples from the previous exercise, rank them in order
from least noisy transmission to most noisy transmission.
Fiber-optic
Coaxial
Twisted pair
Microwave
satellite
34. Using the same five media examples from the previous exercise, rank them in order
from most secure transmission to least secure transmission.
1. fiber-optic
Satellite
Microwave
Coaxial
Twisted pair

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CTI 120, Network and Security Foundations Ch 3 Problem Set

35. Given that a satellite signal travels at the speed of light, exactly how long does it take for
a signal to go from the earth to a satellite in geosynchronous orbit, and back to Earth?
Show your calculations.
.417 seconds.

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