Guided media, which are those that provide a conduit from one device to another, include Twisted-Pair Cable, Coaxial Cable, and Fibre-Optic Cable.

A signal travelling along any of these media is directed and contained by the physical limits of the medium. Twisted-pair and coaxial cable use metallic (copper) conductors that accept and transport signals in the form of electric current. Optical fibre is a cable that accepts and transports signals in the form of light.

Twisted-Pair Wire

Twisted-pair is ordinary telephone wire, consisting of copper wire twisted into pairs. It is the most widely used media for telecommunications and is used for both voice and data transmissions. It is used extensively in home and office telephone systems and many LANs and WANs.

Coaxial Cable

This telecommunication media consists of copper or aluminum wire wrapped with spacers to insulate and protect it. Coaxial cables can carry a large volume of data and allows high-speed data transmission used in high-service metropolitan areas for cable TV systems, and for short-distance connection of computers and peripheral devices. It is used extensively in office buildings and other work sites for local area networks.

Fiber Optics

This media consists of one or more hair-thin filaments of glass fiber wrapped in a protective jacket. Signals are converted to light form and fired by laser in bursts. Optical fibers can carry digital as well as analog signals and provides increased speed and greater carrying capacity than coaxial cable and twisted-pair lines