Page 2 - fiber optic

Fiber optic cables provide incredible data speeds and can ensure a new or upgraded system will keep up with network demands for years to come. While the equipment specs are more than good enough to withstand the test of time, it is equally important to build a system that can physically hold up as the years go by. Physical network protection involves using the right tools and equipment to safeguard cables from external forces as well as improper use.

How To Protect Fiber Optic Networks

Raceway, also called conduit, is one of the easiest ways to protect any cable, fiber optic included. These hollow pieces of plastic act like a protective outer shell. They are available as straight sticks as well as various angled pieces for designing networks of any size and shape. Full details regarding raceway options can be seen here.

While raceway is ideal for protecting the main part of the cable, the connectors on the ends will need something a bit different. Typically, equipment using fiber optic

While fiber optic cable has been around for a while, it is only in recent years that new innovations have made the technology economically viable. Fiber has not quite hit the same low pricing as ethernet but is well within the realm of being cost-effective. With the issue of cost set aside, the real question becomes: “Why choose fiber over Ethernet?” These two cables may both be used for data transmission, but they have a few differences along with their similarities.

What are Ethernet Cables?

Ethernet is a tried-and-tested form of cabling, having been in use commercially since the 1980s. These cables are made with copper and use electrical signals to transmit data. Electrical pulses are sent through the cable with each pulse (or lack of a pulse) representing a 1 or 0. This happens very quickly with thousands of signals per second, allowing those 1’s and 0’s to be translated into computer code.

There are a few different types of Ethernet out there. Data speeds can change greatly depending

From left to right: FC, LC, SC, and ST

Fiber optic cables utilize a few different fiber connector types that can be used to terminate the cable. While they do bear some similarities, each kind has a different enough size and shape that they are not interchangeable. When preparing any fiber-related equipment for installation, it is important to make sure the cables are equipped with the right connectors for the job.

FC is an older fiber optic connector currently being phased out of industry standards. While single mode cables still use FC, it is unusual to see them on multimode cables. FC connectors take longer to unplug compared to newer fiber optic connectors due to their threaded screw-on design. Additionally, the more complex design and use of metal make them more costly to manufacture. Despite those downsides, FC still sees some use since those threads allow it to remain secure when used on moving machinery.

LC was designed as a push-pull connector that locks in place with a latch.

For decades, all varieties of cables from coax to ethernet have used electrical signals to transmit signals through metal cores. Modern technology has paved the way for improvements on these age-old cables with fiber optic cabling. These newer cables are made using optical fibers, plastic tubes filled with small pieces of glass. Each piece of glass is used as a tiny mirror to reflect lasers down the cable. Since light (lasers) moves faster than electricity, fiber optic cables can transmit data much faster than older metal-based cables. It is possible to use fiber and Ethernet together so long as you have a media converter, allowing newer technology to upgrade older existing infrastructure.

Each fiber optic cable has a different sized core measured in microns (μm). These cores are made of up optical fibers, also called strands, with each fiber acting like lanes of traffic that send and receive signals. Each fiber can only send or receive a signal, not both at the same time, so they work

Fiber optic cable is the newer, faster way to transmit data. These send data signals using light (lasers) instead of electricity. Light signals can travel faster for higher bandwidth, suffer from less signal loss, and degrade less from electrical interference. Fiber optic cables come in a few different varieties with multiple types of cable as well as multiple connectors.

Types of cable include:

• Single-mode
• Multi-mode
• OM1
• OM2
• OM3
• OM4

Types of connectors include:

• FC
• LC
• SC
• ST
• MTP/MPO
• MTRJ

Fiber Cables

Single-mode

Single-mode fiber optic contains a very thin core, making it ideal for long-range transmissions. These cables can be incredibly long, with a single line potentially running for miles. The light transmitted by single-mode cable is between 1,300 and 1,550 μm, a frequency range that almost puts it into the infrared wavelength. This version of fiber optic cable is mainly used for telecommunications.

The name “single-mode” comes from the cable only transmitting a single mode of light