Category: Fiber Optic Cables

What is fiber optic cable?

A fiber optic cable is really a network cable which contains strands of glass fibers in a insulated casing. These cables are equipped for long distance and very high bandwidth (gigabit speed) network communications. If you want to know more info about fiber optic cable specifications, you can visit the Fiber-mart.com “Fiber Optic Cable Tutorial” within our tutorial.

There are a couple of types of optical fiber cables, Single-mode VS Multimode?

Single-mode fiber provides you with a greater transmission rate and as much as 50 times more distance than multimode, it is more expensive. Single-mode fiber includes a smaller core than multimode fiber-typically Five to ten microns. Merely a single lightwave can be transmitted at a with time. The small core and single lightwave virtually eliminate any distortion that may derive from overlapping light pulses, providing the least signal attenuation and also the highest transmission speeds associated with a fiber cable type.

From data and voice to security and videoconferencing, a lot of today’s IT infrastructure services depend on fiber optics to transmit information faster, farther, as well as in greater amounts than in the past. So fiber optics are more and more popularity within our internet. This post will attempt to reply to a few of the questions about fiber optic cable.

Multimode fiber gives you high bandwidth at high speeds over long distances. Lightwave are dispersed into numerous paths, or modes, because they travel through the cable’s core. Typical multimode fiber core diameters are 50, 62.5, and 100 micrometers. However, in long cable runs (greater than 3000 feet (914.4 ml), multiple paths of light can cause signal distortion at the receiving end, leading to an unclear and incomplete data transmission. For example, you can test to check the single mode duplex fiber vs multimode duplex fiber optic cable, and well know their different.

Relationship between fiber optic cable and fiber patch cord:

A fiber patch cord is really a fiber optic cable capped at either end with connectors that permit so that it is rapidly and conveniently linked to CATV, an optical switch or other telecommunication equipment. Its thick layer of protection can be used to connect the optical transmitter, receiver, and the terminal box. This is known as “interconnect-style cabling”.

What types of connectors ought to be used?

There are a number of connector styles available on the market including LC, FC, MT-RJ, ST and SC. There are also MT/MTP style connectors which will accommodate up to 12 strands of fiber and occupy far less space than other connectors. This connector is intended for use with indoor loose tube no-gel cable constructions. However, typically the most popular connectors are SC, which push in then click when seated, and ST, also known as bayonet style, which are pushed in and twisted to lock. That needs to be considered when creating product selections.

What kind of jacket rating and kind do you require?

Fiber cable jackets are available in many styles. For example, fiber could be Indoor only, Outdoor only, Indoor/Outdoor, Tactical also it can also provide Plenum or Riser ratings.

Jacket color is relatively standardized.

a) Multimode = Orange

b) 50/125um 10G = Aqua

c) Single Mode = Yellow

d) Indoor/Outdoor or Outdoor = Black

e) Custom jacket colors are also available for indoor fiber cables

Whether you are your residential or commercial environment. Fiber-mart.com provides a wide selection of fiber cables, and other fiber optic cables related prodcuts, such as fiber patch cable, fiber optic connector, fiber transceiver. No matter how complex or simple your installation needs are, we’ve the expertise to offer you the right products and knowledge for both your fiber optic cable, custom fiber optic assembly and fiber optic connector needs.

by http://www.fiber-mart.comHave you ever wondered: “What is a pre-terminated cabling system?” Or “How can a pre-terminated system benefit my data center or open office space”? In this article we will discuss the rewards of using this type of system, as well an overview of the types of cables used. What is a pre-terminated cabling system? 

Pre-terminated cabling systems contain factory manufactured cables and modular components with connectors already attached. All of the components have been tested, qualified and ready to plug-and-play in the network. Plug-and-play pre-terminated cabling systems can offer significant advantages over a field installed system, which is why the use of factory pre-terminated assemblies continues to grow as percentage of total cabling installed, especially for data centers. The idea of pre-terminated assemblies is not new, however they can come in a number of different forms, from connectorized fan-outs and attached or discreet cassette modules to cable bundles utilizing both fiber and copper cabling with protective pulling grips installed over the connectors at one end. As data centers continue to grow in number and size – more cabling is required to meet the demands of today’s increased data storage and application processing needs.

This increased demand for upgraded or new data centers has encouraged the development of alternative concepts for improving the connectivity installation times and simplifying the deployment for advanced reliable cabling systems. Open concept offices are a perfect example of alternative cabling concepts at work. Due to their ever-changing work spaces, pre-terminated systems allow for quick reconfigurations within the work space. Benefits of Pre-terminated Cabling Systems Pre-terminated cabling and components can help manage and reduce costly field termination and testing time. Additionally, they can decrease or eliminate unused cable, connector scrap and the need for field installation consumables. 

The plug and play aspects of these systems can easily facilitate moves, adds and changes within the work space and offers rapid re-configurability where and when it’s needed. Some of the benefits of pre-terminated cabling systems are: 

• Rapid Deployment – time savings • High reliability operation 

• Less field testing & troubleshooting

 • Consistent quality • Less waste generation 

• Controlled & consistent performance

 • Emergency restoration capability 

• Company backed warranty Pre-terminated System Considerations:

 There are a few things to consider before specifying, ordering and installing a cabling infrastructure.

The types of cables used in your project should be carefully selected based on the type of application and setting. Plenum rated cables (OFNP) 

• Used in plenum space

 • Made of flame-resistant material 

• Backbone and Horizontal cables Riser rated cables (OFNR)

 • Backbone and Horizontal cables 

• Used in non-plenum spaces If you are considering adding a pre-terminated cabling system to your work space check out C2G’s fiber optic cables, category cables and data center racks and cabinets. Can’t find exactly what you need? We can help you design an affordable custom cable solution!

by http://www.fiber-mart.comMaintaining clean fiber connections is a vital part of any network installation, but proper cleaning is often overlooked. Check out the 5 facts below, and then make sure you think twice before making a connection without ensuring that your connector’s end faces are clean: 

Why should I clean and inspect fiber connections before installation? 

1: Improper cleaning is the number one cause for network failures and contractor call-backs. In fact, USCONEC indicates that 80% of network owners and 98% of cable installers cite contamination as the root cause of network failures. The use of dry cleaning tapes is recommended for single and multi-fiber ferrule connectors. Dry cleaning tape sticks and swabs, used with non volatile optical cleaning fluids, are acceptable for cleaning optical ports. Note that this recommendation does not include expanded beam lens (EBL) connectors or other connectors that may have anti-reflection coatings that require other special cleaning techniques. 

2: Your fiber isn’t clean, even if it appears to be with a naked eye. A dust particle, as small as one micrometer, can block up to one percent of the transmitted light through the connector. A speck of dust as small as nine micrometers is still too small to see without a microscope, but it can completely block the fiber’s core. Use a fiber optic microscope with a good connector optical stage capable of 200X magnification for multimode connectors and 400X for single mode connectors. Digitally record your photos for future reference on the link. 

3: It’s nearly impossible to prevent contamination, even with the dust caps that come installed on your cords and connectors. Common sources of contamination include oils and dust, packaging material and other work site debris. Wet reagent-grade isopropyl alcohol can be used for more stubborn contaminates on the ferrule surfaces if necessary (see the table below). With Legrand’s strict manufacturing processes, cable assemblies may be clean right out of the bag, but we still recommend that you always clean and inspect the ferrules before plugging in.

 4: Contamination prevents proper physical contact and causes defects that cause permanent damage to your fiber. PC, UPC and APC connectors rely on proper physical contact to achieve a low loss, low reflection optical connection. If there is a film or debris that causes an air gap on the ferrule surface, the insertion loss of the connector increases, and so do the reflections. 

5: Charged dust particles attract more particles. Because glass fibers are insulators, contaminated connector end faces will also continue to attract and accumulate more and more dust and debris. A clean fiber optic connector will appear pristine under the microscope and there will be no contaminants on the fiber’s surface, or damage to the core.

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

40GBASE Optical modules are various of optical transceivers with 40Gbps transmission rate, in which the QSFP is the main form factor. And the 40G QSFP+ Modules are the most broadly applied optical transceivers. In this article 10Gtek will be introducing different network solutions of the most prevailing 40G QSFP+ transceivers to help you have easier understanding and better selection to the modules. Features and Benefits of 40G QSFP+ TransceiverHot-pluggable to 40G Ethernet QSFP+ portQSFP+ MSA compliant and interoperable with other IEEE-compliant 40G interfacesRoHS certified and verified superior performance, durability and reliabilityHigh-speed electrical interface based on IEEE 802.3ba compliant4 Parallel lanes design of SR4, ESR4, PSM LR4 and PSM IR44 CWDM lanes MUX design of LR4, IR4 and ER4Low power consumption less than 3.5W 40G QSFP+ SR4 and 40G QSFP+ ESR4 TransceiversThe signals’ delivery of 40G QSFP+ SR4 transceiver are transmitted thru four independent full-duplex channels. MPO/MTP Connector is a criterion applied to the Transceiver in 40G data transmission, and MMF(Multi Mode Fiber) is required to operate over within the transceiver. When it’s running over OM3 optical fiber jumper the transmission distance is 100m, while the reach can be 150m when it’s running over OM4 optical fiber jumper. 40G QSFP+ ESR4 is the same operating principle as 40G QSFP+ SR4 but with a enriched distance of transmission up to 300m over OM4 optical fiber jumper. It can be considered as a upgraded version of 40G QSFP+ SR4 transceiver. 40G QSFP+ BIDI TransceiverThe QSFP+ BIDI transceiver is developed to address the challenges of fiber infrastructure by providing the capability to transmit full-duplex 40G traffic over one duplex MMF cable with LC connectors(Figure 2). In other words, this transceiver supports 40G connection over one pair of MMF cables while allowing 40G to be deployed using the same infrastructure as 10G (10GBASE-SR) without the need to add any fibers. Comparison of 40G QSFP+ BIDI and 40G QSFP+ SR440GBASE-SR BIDI transceiver removes 40G cabling cost barriers in data center networks. It provides immense savings and simplicity compared to other 40G QSFP+(MMF) transceiver(QSFP+ SR4). Moreover, it allows organizations to migrate the existing 10G cabling infrastructure to 40G at no cost and to expand the infrastructure with low capital investment. 40G QSFP+ PSM IR4 and 40G QSFP+ PSM LR4 TransceiversQSFP+ PSM IR4/ LR4 is a highly integrated four-channel optical transceiver with the advantages of high density of port and lower cost. The optical port adopts a PSM(Parallel Single Mode) technology and a four-way parallel design MPO/ MTP interface which enable the transmission distance up to 1.4km of IR4 and 10km of LR4. It has been designed with form factor, optical/ electrical connection and digital diagnostic interface compliant with MSA(Multi Source Agreement), these features are quite feasible to meet the harshest external operating conditions including temperature, humidity and EMI interface. The transceiver can run thru the I2C two-wire serial interface which is available to send and receive more complex control signals, and to receive digital diagnostic information. By comparison to 40G QSFP+ SR4 they are both in the same way of working but QSFP+ PSM IR4/ LR4 is operating over SMF(Single Mode Fiber) that is the parallel optical signals are delivered via eight single mode fibers. 40G QSFP+ CWDM LX4/ LR4 Lite/ LR4/ ER4 TransceiverDistinguished from DWDM i.e. Dense Wavelength Division Multiplex, CWDM known as Coarse Wavelength Division Multiplex is a innovative technology for transporting large amounts of data between sites. It increases bandwidth by allowing different data streams to be sent simultaneously over a single optical fiber network. In this way, WDM maximizes the utilization of fiber and helps to optimize network investments. QSFP+ LX4 is a optical module designed especially for operating over both SMF and MMF with transmission distance of up to 150m on OM4 MMF and 2km on SMF. The central wavelengths of the 4 CWDM channels are 1271nm, 1291nm, 1311nm and 1331nm as members of the CWDM wavelength grid defined in ITU-T G.694.2. There is a duplex LC connector for the optical interface and a 148-pin connector for the electrical interface. For applications over SMF, the transceiver is used as a QSFP+ LR4 Lite module and SMF cables are directly connected to the LC connectors of the module. QSFP+ LR4 Lite/ LR4/ ER4 Module supports the link length of up to 2km, 10km and 30km respectively by operating over a standard pair of G.652 SMF with duplex LC connector. Within the device the 40G Ethernet signals are transmitted over four wavelengths which are managed to multiplex and demultiplex. There are 4 data channels to transmit signals at the same time. At transmitting side the 4 channels of optical signals are combined together by multiplexer while at receiving end there is a breakdown processed into 4 channels of optical signals by demultiplexer. The module features high density, low cost, high speed, large capacity and low power consumption. CWDM vs PSM, What’s The Difference?From an optical transceiver module structure viewpoint, PSM seems more cost-effective because it uses a single uncooled CW (continuous-wave) laser which splits its output power into four integrated silicon modulators. Besides, its array-fiber coupling to an MTP connector is relatively simpler. However, from an infrastructure viewpoint, PSM would be more expensive when the link distance is long, mainly due to the fact that PSM uses 8 optical single-mode fibers while CWDM uses only 2 optical single-mode fibers. Comparable with Third-Party QSFP+All 10Gtek’s 40G QSFP+ Transceiver is friendly compatible with third-party QSFP+ device, such as Cisso, Extreme, Brocade, Juniper, HP, Dell, Arista, Huawei and other known brands. Our 40G QSFP+ transceiver will give you a excellent solution to establish network connection without expensive cost.

by http://www.fiber-mart.com1.How to connect 10 Gigabit Ethernet CNA/NIC Intel X550 with 10GbE switches?Answer: Intel X550 is a kind of 10GbE converged network adapter, with RJ-45 ports. But most of 10GbE switches are with SFP+ ports. Port RJ-45 and port SFP+ can’t be linked directly. That is, we need a port converter to convert SFP+ to RJ-45. 10G copper transceiver is that kind of “converter”. Deploying 10GBASE-T transceiver and CAT.6A cable, the interconnection of 10GbE NICs with RJ-45 port and 10GbE switches with SFP+ port can be realized. 2.What is the maximum transmission distance of 10Gb/s copper transceiver?A: 30 meters, by CAT.6A cable. 3.Is it possible to use CAT.5E cable to link with 10GBASE-T?A: No. The standard bandwidth of CAT.5E is 100MHz, and CAT.5E is designed to transmit signals below 90M. 10 Gigabit signal transmission requires a CAT.6A patch cable. 4.Is 10GBASE-T pluggable?A: Yes. Please note that frequent plugging and unplugging may affect the working life of the module, so frequent plugging is not recommended. 5.Can the 10GBASE-T be used at low temperatures?A: The 10GBASE-T is available in commercial and industrial versions. Standard products are suitable for operating temperature range of 0~70 °C. For a wider temperature range, it is recommended to purchase industrial modules. 6.What is the difference between a 10GBASE-T transceiver and a 10Gb/s media converter?A: Both can achieve mutual conversion between 10 Gigabit electrical signals and optical signals. There are 3 main differences: 1.Different form factor: 10GBASE-T is on SFP+ form factor, with a small size; while 10GbE media converter is bulky and requires an additional power supply.2. Different cost: compared to 10GbE media converter, 10GBASE-T is on a lower cost. 3.Different application prospects: 10GbE media converter is a transitional product. There was a market for it before the 10GBASE-T launched. When the 10GBASE-T transceiver can be delivered in batches, there was almost no market for the 10 Gigabit Ethernet media converter. 7.Can 10GBASE-T increase the network transmission rate?A: No. The 10GBASE-T is just a photoelectric conversion converter that does not process the signal and does not increase the signal transmission rate. 8.What should I pay attention to when purchasing 10GBASE-T?A:Multi-rate or single rate: There are 2 types of 10GBASE-T: one supports multi-rate (1~10Gb/s) and another supports single rate (10Gb/s) only.Range of working temperature: The 10GBASE-T transceivers are available in commercial and industrial versions, with commercial version ranging from 0 to 70 ° C and industrial version from -45 to 80 ° C.Different main chip: At present, the main suppliers of 10GBASE-T transceiver chips are Marvell and Broadcom. Marvell’s chip solution is lower in cost and is currently used more commonly. 9.What is the difference between a 10 gigabit electrical transceiver and a 10 gigabit optical transceiver?A: The 10G electrical transceiver is with the RJ45 interface and connected by a CAT.6A patch cable. The 10G optical transceiver generally adopts the LC fiber interface and uses fiber patch cable for connection. 10.What is a 10GBASE-T 10 Gigabit electrical module?A: 10GBASE-T, 10 Gigabit electrical module is a device used to implement 10G Ethernet transmission in a Category 6 (CAT.6A) or Category 7 (CAT.7) copper cabling system. Its interface is RJ-45, which supports both shielded twisted pair and unshielded twisted pair. Its maximum transmission distance is up to 30 meters. 11.Is the heat generated when the 10GBASE-T is working?A: The calorific value is very high. The designed power consumption of the 10GBASE-T is 1.5w. Its heat generation is very high, and the high temperature can be obviously felt during use. The switches with multiple SFP+ interfaces cannot be fully equipped with 10GBASE-T. As for the maximum number of 10GBASE-T that can be equipped with, it depends on the switch availability.