Author: Fiber-MART.COM

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Fiber Optic Cables Bring Great Communication Services

by http://www.fiber-mart.com

Fiber optic technology has paved the way for a new type of technology and its effects on home services. Everything from TV, phone, and even internet services have been positively altered due to the advancements brought on by fiber optic technology. With internet services in particular, this new form of connection allows for the internet to go in a direction that it has not always been able to go. Fiber Optic Internet is a step forward toward an unstoppable internet connection.
Optical communication motivation began with the invention of the laser in the early 1960s. Since then, the technology has evolved at the speed of light. Optical technology has advanced so fast that it has become the information conduit of the world. The transmission of data, voice and media is distributed at the speed of light over a mesh of glass fibers that span thousands of kilometers throughout the world. Fiber optic cables have developed to various types, mutimode fiber cable and single mode fiber cable are the basical one.
Multimode fiber allows multiple rays/modes to couple and propagate down the fiber at the same time. Large core fiber is attractive due to the ease in which light can be coupled into the fiber, greatly reducing transmitter design and packaging costs. Multimode fiber is sensitive to dispersion, which tends to limit an optical system’s distance and bandwidth. Multimode fiber can be stepped-refractive-index-profile, or graded-index-profile. While, single-mode fiber has an advantage of higher capacity/bandwidth and is also much less sensitive to the effects of dispersion than multimode fiber. It is also possible to incorporate wavelength division multiplexing techniques to further increase the transmission capacity of a single-mode fiber.
Fiber Optic Internet creates a different kind of online user experience as compared to other types of connections. No longer do users worry about losing connectivity during operations because of the quality of the transmission. Fiber optic technology also allows users to eliminate waiting for pages to load, messages to send, and images to appear. An overall more comfortable surfing experience is provided by fiber optic technology. With the increased popularity of social media sites and live content sites, a fiber optic connection allows users to more completely engage and interact. This type of internet connection is more able to meet the increasing demands of today’s internet-heavy society.
All fiber optic cable manufacturers diverse fiber cables but their item literatures should be cautiously studied so as to assess which variety of fiber cables they specialize in. Want to buy fiber optic cable, recommend you FiberStore, who provdes really high quality cables with reasonable price.

A Comparison Of Multimode And Single Mode Cables

by http://www.fiber-mart.com

Over the past few years, fiber optic cable has become more affordable and widely used. Fiber is ideal for high data-rate systems such as FDDI, multimedia, ATM, or any other network that requires the transfer of large, time-consuming data files. And the basic cables are multimode optic cable and single mode fiber.
A Comparison Of Multimode Cables And Single Mode Cables
Multimode cables have a larger core diameter than that of singlemode cables. This larger core diameter allows multiple pathways and several wavelengths of light to be transmitted. Singlemode Duplex cables and Singlemode Simplex cables have a smaller core diameter and only allow a single wavelength and pathway for light to travel. Multimode fiber is commonly used in patch cable applications such as fiber to the desktop or patch panel to equipment. Multimode fiber is available in two sizes, 50 micron and 62.5 micron. Singlemode fiber is typically used in network connections over long lengths and is available in a core diameter of 9 microns (8.3 microns to be exact).
Most building cables had 62.5/125 micron multimode fibers for LANs or security systems, while outside plant cables were all single-mode fiber. For some time, we have been encouraging people to install hybrid cables with both multimode fibers for today and single-mode fibers for the future regardless of the fiber optic cable price.
If you are transmitting from a smaller fiber core to a larger one, it is not a problem since the larger fiber like large core optical fiber will collect all the light from the smaller one with minimal loss. But if you transmit light from a larger fiber to a smaller one, the light in the larger core will overfill the smaller core and large losses will occur. How big are the losses we are talking about? Coupling a multimode fiber to a single-mode fiber will cause about 20 dB loss. Connecting a 62.5 fiber to a 50 micron core fiber will cause 2 to 4 dB loss, depending on the type of source (laser or LED). In any case, it can be enough loss to prevent network equipment from working properly.
Both 50 micron and 62.5 micron multimode fibers have the same cladding diameter and can use the same connectors and termination processes, but testing still requires using the correct matching fiber optics patch cords or the measured loss will be too low by a few tenths of a dB in one direction (50 to 62.5), or 2 to 4 dB too high the other way (62.5 to 50.)
Needless to say, these mismatched fiber losses affect the end user the same way they affect the installer, creating excess connection loss that can cause systems to malfunction or have high error rates, causing an expensive and annoying service call. Unfortunately, there is no optical mating adapter that will match two dissimilar fibers—although it has been tried many times. There is no solution other than preventing mismatched fiber terminations.

Perfect Couple: Fiber Splice Tray and Fiber Enclosure

by http://www.fiber-mart.com

In the cabinet, we may find many devices and gadgets, such as fiber patch panel, fiber splice tray, fiber enclosure, adapter panel and zip ties which are all little but critical components for cable management. Fiber patch panel, the one we have cued for a lot of times, will give way to fiber splice tray and fiber enclosure, the two subjects that we will introduce today.
Fiber Splice Tray Unveil
As we all know, it is usually unavoidable to match splice fiber optic cables with fiber pigtails in data center, which not only demands lower space requirement but also allows a better network performance compared with other fiber optic termination methods.
Fiber splice tray, very popular in data center and server room, is a plate to store the fiber cables and splices and prevent them from becoming damaged or being misplaced. Splice trays are necessary for holding and protecting individual fusion splices or mechanical splices. One of the important factors of fiber splice tray is the fiber count that it can hold. Most fiber splice tray can hold up to 24 fiber splices. 12-fiber splice trays are the most commonly used fiber splice tray in fiber optic network.
A Closer Look At Fiber Enclosure
It is a box that contains the devices to connect various fiber optic cables. Fiber enclosures can be classified into two configurations, namely rack mount fiber enclosure and wall mount fiber enclosure. And the rack mount fiber enclosure can be further categorized by its height and the design. We have 1U, 2U and 4U choices. The rack mount enclosures come in two flavors. One is the slide-out variety , and the other incorporates a removable lid which requires the user to remove the whole enclosure from the rack to gain internal access.
How The Two Coordinate?
Owning solely a fiber splice tray is far more enough. It should be equipped with a device to provide a safe and easy-to-manage environment for fiber splices. Apart from fiber optic splice closure, fiber distribution box and fiber optic enclosure, we can adopt the fiber enclosure displayed today. Fiber splice tray can be installed in fiber enclosure.
Here takes the example of fiber splice tray used in FHD fiber enclosure of fiber-mart.COM as shown in the following picture. It is a 96-fiber enclosure which has four 24-fiber adapter on the front panel. This 1U fiber enclosure can hold up four 24-fiber splice tray to provide the space for 96 fiber optic splices.
Conclusion
As optical fibers are sensitive to pulling, bending and crushing forces, fiber splice tray and fiber enclosure serve as double protections which are used to provide a safe routing and easy-to-manage environment for the fragile optical fiber splices. Attention! Bare fibers without protection tubes should never be exposed outside of a splice tray. It’s our pleasure to provide you with the best solutions.

Why Use A Patch Panel?

by http://www.fiber-mart.com

When we set up a network, we are accustomed to buying a patch panel as usual. And people always say they buy patch panels for cable management, as they are asked why use a patch panel. However, are there any other benefits of a patch panel? Yes, of course, here explains why use a patch panel in networking.
Why Use A Patch Panel?
As shown in the picture above, patch panels are usually attached in the network racks. All the cables from the individual desktop, computer or printer go to the patch panel. Then the patch panel provides a protection and management for the cables, which contributes to ensure the cables’ performance in the whole network. This is the greatest benefit of using a patch panel. Whenever cables change direction, the bend of the cables is likely to change the electrical properties. If one cable bends too far, unfortunately, damages may occur inside where you can’t see it. So patch panels can help to protect the delicate cables.
Besides, using a patch panel improves working efficiency and workflow. How? For example, telecommunication and cable companies always use patch panels in strategic locations in their coverage areas. Therefore, the technicians can connect or disconnect services to the specific places without going to the actual locations just by managing the patch panels.
Finally, using a patch panel also improves the aesthetics of your work area. All cables are in place and accessible represent a well managed workstation, which also shows your professional quality.
Why Not Use A Switch Instead of Patch Panel?
When someone connects the cables, he may wonder why use a patch panel is a requirement and why they aren’t connected to network switches directly. The answer is that patch panel and switch play different roles in the cabling system. Patch panel acts just as a connector which will not make any influences on data transmission, but a network switch connects hardware within a network to enable them to access the Internet, share data etc. In a data center rack, there are many network switches with numbers of ports. Routing cables from one rack to another is a tough job. So you have to use patch panels to manage these cables.
Fiber and Copper Patch Panels Recommendation
Designed for specific cables like Cat5e, Cat6 copper cables and OS2, OM3 fiber cables, patch panels types are different.
Fiber Optic Patch Panel
This type of patch panel takes the simplex, duplex and quad model designs at fiber-mart.COM. There are 24 port patch panel and 48 port patch panel available for you to choose. All products are produced strictly in accordance with national standards. The following is a 24 port LC duplex fiber optic patch panel used to connect 48 OS2 single mode fibers. It uses the standardized jack that makes it easy to insert and remove fiber cables, so that to ensure the long-term and stable performance of the fiber cables.
Ethernet Patch Panel
fiber-mart.COM offers punch down and feed-through Ethernet patch panel. And the feed-through patch panel falls into unshielded and shielded types to wire the unshielded and shielded Ethernet cables. The following is a 24 port Cat6 unshielded feed-through patch panel. Design with SPCC and ABS plastics materials, the Ethernet patch panel is sturdy and durable that can work in the environment of -25°C to 70°C.
Blank Keystone Patch Panel
When you are unable to decide in advance which type of cables will be used to connect your hardware, you can use a blank keystone patch panel. The following is a 48 port blank keystone patch panel that provides flexibility in the type of jacks. As a result, you can make a mixed connection based on your actual demands.
Conclusion
What is the purpose of patch panel in networking, or why use a patch panel? I think now you have a good understanding. Today’s fast changing technology makes more and more electrical and electronic devices connected to each other, so don’t hesitate to use a patch panel to simplify the cabling.

What Is the Function of Patch Panel

by http://www.fiber-mart.com

As we know, patch panel is a passive device with a number of ports. It’s a cable management tool that most frequently used, typically in a data center. However, for some people, they are still confused about the function of patch panel, and post questions on forum such as what is the purpose of patch panel in networking, why not connect end device directly to switch? This article will help you find the answer.
How Patch Panel Works
Patch panels work in different ways due to the two types, fiber patch panel and copper patch panel. Usually, fiber patch panel is designed with ports both on the front and rear sides. Just insert the corresponding fiber cables into the ports, then you can achieve a neat cable management.
Unlike the fiber patch panel, copper patch panel is divided into feed-through and punch down types. The feed-through panel contains RJ45 ports on two sides, which is convenient for users to plug the cables. And the punch down panel is equipped with Rj45 ports on the front side and punch down terminations and color coding on the rear side. Each set of punch down terminations corresponds to a port on the front side. So you have to terminate all cables into the patch panel first.
Main Function of Patch Panel
As a cable management tool, the primary benefit of using patch panel is the improved organization and easier management of your network. But how? As the figure 3 shows, a patch panel is usually installed within a server rack. And you may encounter many or even thousands of fiber optic cables and cable connection. Using a patch panel, you can label the patch panel, so that you know which end device or room the cable run goes to. This will be helpful when you need to make changes on the cables.
Also, we can see that all cables on the server rack have a bend radius (a term used to describe how sharply a cable can safely bend at any given point). If the fibers bent beyond the minimum bend diameters may lead to break, causing network failures. Therefore, using a patch panel, the cables bend radius will be reduced, which can enhance the cables’ long term reliability.
As described above, we have learned the main function of patch panel is to provide a robust, reliable management solution and protect the cables. It doesn’t have any electrical or logical function like the network switch or router. Patch panel is solely a physical connection, which means patch panel can’t replace a switch or a router.

How to Add CWDM MUX/DEMUX System to Your Network?

by http://www.fiber-mart.com

Coarse wavelength division multiplexing (CWDM) technology is developed to expand the capacity of a fiber optic network without requiring additional fiber. In a CWDM system, CWDM Mux/Demux (multiplexer/demultiplexer) is the most important component. Usually, a CWDM Mux/Demux is used to increase the current fiber cable capacity by transmitting multiple wavelengths, typically up to 18 separate signals over one fiber. This article may mainly describe what is Mux in networking and how to install your CWDM Mux/Demux system. Unless you are an experienced user, we recommend that you follow the detailed installation steps described in the rest of this article.
Introduction to CWDM MUX/DEMUX Module
CWDM Mux/Demux module is a passive device, very reliable and simple to use. These devices are available with a variety of wavelength combinations, usually from 1270nm to 1610nm (20nm spacing). Based on different applications, a CWDM Mux/Demux module can be designed into different channels. A typical 4 channel Mux/Demux module will be used to multiplex four different wavelengths onto one fiber (shown in the picture below). This allows you to simultaneously transmit four different data over the same fiber. If you are using a CWDM multiplexer at the beginning of your network, you will use a CWDM demultiplexer at the opposite end to separate or demultiplex the wavelengths to allow them to be directed to the correct receivers. Usually, a CWDM Mux/Demux is a module that can be used as a multiplexer or demultiplexer at either end of the fiber cable span. However, it must still be used in pairs.
What IS MUX in Networking?
What is MUX in networking? A basic CWDM Mux/Demux system comprises a Local unit, the CWDM Mux/Demux module and a Remote unit. Usually, a Local or Remote unit refers to two different switches. In general, to install a CWDM Mux/Demux module, a chassis should be installed first to hold the module. Besides, to connect a CWDM Mux/Demux module to a switch, we should install CWDM SFP transceivers in the switch first. Then using the single mode patch cables to connect the transceivers to the CWDM Mux/Demux module. Therefore, when we want to build a CWDM Mux/Demux system, the components we need usually include rack-mount chassis, CWDM Mux/Demux module, CWDM SFP transceiver and single mode patch cables。
How to Add CWDM MUX/DEMUX System to Your Network?
After knowing what is MUX in networking? Next, we’ll learn how to install a CWDM Mux/Demux system, there are four basic steps:
Install the Rack-Mount Chassis
The CWDM rack-mount chassis can be mounted in a standard 19-inch cabinet or rack. When to attach the chassis to a standard 19-inch rack, ensure that you install the rack-mount chassis in the same rack or an adjacent rack to your system so that you can connect all the cables between your CWDM Mux/Demux modules and the CWDM SFP transceivers in your system.
To insert a module, you should align the module with the chassis shelf (shown in the figure below) first and then gently push the module into the shelf cavity. Finally, tighten the captive screws.
Connect the CWDM Mux/Demux to Switch
After inserting the CWDM SFP transceiver into the switch, then we should use the single mode patch cable to connect the transceiver to the CWDM Mux/Demux.
Connect the CWDM MUX/DEMUX Pairs
Once you use a CWDM multiplexer on one end of your networks, you must use a demultiplexer on the other end of the networks. Therefore, the last step to complete CWDM Mux/Demux system is to connect the Mux/Demux pairs (or multiplexer and demultiplexer). For duplex Mux/Demux, a pair of single mode patch cables must be used. For simplex Mux/Demux, only one single mode patch cable is enough. After all done, your CWDM Mux/Demux system is then installed successfully.
Conclusion
What is MUX in networking? In summary, Mux/Demux system is a cost-effective solution which is easy to install. CWDM Mux/Demux, CWDM multiplexer only, and CWDM demultiplexer only are a flexible, low-cost solution that enables the expansion of existing fiber capacity and let operators make full of use of available fiber bandwidth in local loop and enterprise architectures. Fiberstore CWDM Mux/Demux is a universal device capable of multiplex multiple CWDM (1270~1610nm) up to 18 channels (2, 4, 5, 8, 9, 16, 18 channels are available) or optical signals into a fiber pair or single fiber. Together with our CWDM transceivers or the wavelength converters, the bandwidth of the fiber can be utilized in a cost-effective way.