Pros and Cons of Light Wave Transmission

Light Wave Transmission

A modern application is to connect the LANs in two buildings via lasers mounted on their rooftops.
So each building needs its own laser and its own photo detector.

PROS
Lasers are unidirectional with high bandwidth and low cost.
It is also easy to install and does not require an FCC (Federal Communications Commission) license.

The laser’s strength a very narrow beam is its weakness but 1mm wide beam at a target 1mm wide 500 meters away requires.

Cons
A disadvantage is that laser beams cannot penetrate rain or thick fog.

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Pros and Cons of Radio waves

Radio waves  PROS and Cons

Radio waves are used every day in our lives, as they are used to broadcast everything that you hear on the radio and see on your television. They have the lowest frequency and the highest wavelength of the electromagnetic spectrum, and are the least potentially dangerous. There are no real health problems directly associated with radio waves. (Unless you blow your car up with the volume of your radio, but that has to do with sound waves and amplitude, and we don't have any control over what you set that to.) They are the lowest on the electromagnetic spectrum, and are just below microwaves. With these waves, it is possible to communicate with people around the world, and even to other planets in space! One day, some radio signals that we have sent off into space may yet reach another planet with life. Here are some pros and cons of using radio waves.

PROS

    They can be used for communication (This one's for you, phone companies.)
    They do not harm living organisms at all.
    They are available in a wide range of frequencies.
    They can be used to save lives. (For example, radioing someone if you are stuck at sea and need to be rescued.)
    Sometimes used for radar.

cons

    Interference from other radio waves can be a problem.
    Range can also be a problem. (Higher Frequencies = More Range)

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Pros and Cons of Message Switching

Message Switching

ADVANTAGES
1. It provides efficient traffic management by assigning priorities to the messages to be switched.
2. No physical connection is required between the source & destination as it is in circuit switching.
3. It reduces the traffic congestion on network because of store & forward facility. Each node can store the message until communication channel becomes available.
4. Channels are used effectively and network devices share the data channels.
5. It supports the message length of unlimited size.

DISADVANTAGES of Message Switching
1. As message length is unlimited, each switching node must have sufficient storage to buffer message.
2. Storing & forwarding facility introduces delay thus making message switching unsuitable for real time applications like voice and video.

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Pros and Cons of Packet Switching

Packet Switching
ADVANTAGES
1. More efficient use of overall network bandwidth due to flexibility in routing the smaller packets over shared links.
2. It allows multiplexing; different users, or different processes from the same user, can communicate at the same time.
3. Cheaper to build as less equipment is needed.

DISADVANTAGES OF PACKET SWITCHING
1. Longer delays in receiving messages due to the time required to package and route packets
2. Potential for network security risks due to the use of shared physical links

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Pros and Cons of Circuit Switching

Circuit Switching
ADVANTAGES
Highly reliable

DISADVANTAGES
Requires an initial channel set up that is usually time-consuming

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Unshielded Twisted Pair Cables Vs. Shielded Twisted Pair Cables

Shielded Twisted Pair Cables
Pros and Cons
The protective casing/shielding of STP cables works in connection with the other crosstalk-eliminating techniques implemented in Twisted Pair cables, giving it a performance edge over other types like UTP and coaxial cables.

Properly installed STP cables are the most secure of all.

However, the operation of STP cables is not that simple. First of all, they are bulky, as well as fragile. They need to be correctly installed and then regularly maintained, taking into account physical factors like their bending radius and maximum tension, otherwise they could easily get damaged.

They are costlier than other types of cables, and additionally, the cost of their installation and maintenance is high.

STP cables need to be properly grounded. If this is not taken care of, the shielding will have the opposite effect; rather than eliminating cross talk, the cable will start attracting stray signals and interference.

Unshielded Twisted Pair Cables

Since these cables are inexpensive, less bulky, perform satisfactorily when used to provide basic connectivity, are easy to install, and also require less maintenance, they are very popular.

Various categories of UTP cables are available, which have different specifications, including data speed. UTP cables have the ability to match STP cables' data transmission rates.

In the absence of casing, twisted pairs alone are not as capable of blocking out cross talk, and hence, UTP cables depend on other techniques of signal balancing, including the use of devices like filters and baluns.

Due to the fact that they are susceptible to noise, they have limited applications.
Read more at Buzzle: http://www.buzzle.com/articles/comparison-between-stp-cable-and-utp-cable.html

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Pros and Cons of Fiber Optic Cable

Fiber Optic Cable

Advantages

    It can handle much higher bandwidth than copper. Due to the low attenuation, repeaters are needed only about every 30 Km on fiber lines, versus about every 5 km for copper.
    Fiber is not affected by power surges, electromagnetic interference, or power failures. Nor is it affected by corrosive chemicals in the air, making it ideal for factory environments where electrical interference is very high.
    Fiber is lighter than copper. One thousand twisted pairs copper cables of 1 km long weigh 800 kg. But fibers have only 100 kg.
    Fibers do not leak light and are quite difficult to tap. This gives them excellent security against potential wire-tappers.

Disadvantages

    Fiber is an unfamiliar technology requiring skills which may not be easily available.
    Since optical transmission is inherently unidirectional, two-way communication requires either two fiber cables or two frequency bands on one fiber.
    Fiber interfaces cost more than electrical interfaces.

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