Chapter 4

Physical Layer

Objectives

Upon completion of this chapter, you will be able to answer the following questions:

  • What are the purpose and functions of the physical layer in a network?

  • What are the characteristics of the physical layer?

  • What are the basic characteristics of copper cabling?

  • How is UTP cable used in Ethernet networks?

  • What is fiber-optic cable, and what are its main advantages over other media?

  • How do you connect devices using wired and wireless media?

Key Terms

This chapter uses the following key terms. You can find the definitions in the glossary at the end of the book.

wireless access point (AP) page 138

network interface card (NIC) page 139

International Organization for Standardization (ISO) page 141

Telecommunications ...

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