3 Network Media Types

In modern-day networks however your choice of knowledge pathways has a varied spectrum of things you can use. But network media for connectivity and creating networks falls into 3 basic types.

Fig 1: 3 Network Media Types

"So what are those types?".

Electric Medium

Fig 2: Electric Medium

Well the initial and the first type of network medium used was electrical signal directed over copper cables. So copper cabling can essentially be found in two types by itself. It are often found in coaxial cabling, which was by the way the first and used to be the only type of network media used in early networks, and you will find it in twisted pair cabling, which you discover on a majority of physically wired networks within the present day. Twisted pair cables usually have the RJ45 connectors on the highest and they've become somewhat standardized on computer networks across the world. Now those are all kinds of physical cables that are made up of copper wires allowing the electrical signals representing data on a network to be transmitted and received from node to node.

Fiber Medium

Fig 3: Fiber Medium

The second and fewer commonly used media or medium used on computer networks is fiber optic cabling. Now this is often often where electrical signals or data are translated into light pulses and they're sent down a glass cable or a glass medium type of cable. That light signal of those pulses are then translated back into electrical signals or data again on the other end with the device that's receiving that information. Now fiber optic cable contains those light pulses and allows them to travel over for for much longer distances than electrical signals can travel over copper cabling. you'll often find fiber-optic cabling used on WANs (Wide Area Networks) or long-range telecommunication networks. Fiber optic cable contains that light all throughout the cable by having a reflector wrapped around that tumbler cable so it contains those light pulses and allows them to be transmitted and travel over for much longer distances than electrical signals can over copper cabling. You'll often find fiber-optic cabling utilized in Wide Area Networks or WANs or on long-range telecommunication networks.

Radio Medium

Fig 4: Radio Medium

The third kind of media or medium used is radio signals through the air in what we've all come to call wireless. Now this is often often where devices connect to and communicate with each other by sending data back and forth over radio waves. Wireless networks are often found in two differing types or two different forms in modern-day networks. you will find wireless using radio waves with wireless Access Points being used or APs for short and you can find it being used in Bluetooth technology which has its own bandwidth signals and it's used typically to connect devices that are closer to each other. So now you recognize the three types of network media used in modern-day networks.