Category: Fiber Transceivers

Optical transceivers, Active Optic Cables, data center switches, and cable management in data centers.

How to Locate Fiber Problem in One Second?

Fiber Visual Fault Locator is a kind of device which is able to locate visual faults including tight bends, breaks and bad connectors immediately. You can diagnose and repair simple fiber optic link problems with the help of Fiber Optic Visual Fault Locator. This laser-powered VFL enables you to locate fibers, verify continuity and polarity, and helps you find the location of breaks in fiber optic cables, connectors and splices.
The Visual Fault Locator, model BWJ650-10, can be operated in continuous or flashing modes for easier identification. This fiber optic VFL is compatible with 2.5mm and 1.25mm fiber optic connectors(with optional adapter, watch video below), providing you with easy connectivity. You will find that this ruggedly constructed fiber optic Visual Fault Locator stands up to the demands of field-testing. This fiber optic testing device is housed in an ergonomic case that survives drops, impacts and vibrations The fiber optic Visual Fault Locator also features long battery life for hours of use. BWJ650-10 can locate fault up to 10km in fiber cable(BWJ650-20, up to 20km), with compact in size, light in weight, red laser output.
Specifications
Product: Fiber Visual Fault Locator BWJ650-10
Wavelength: 650 ± 10nm
Output Frequency: 10mWDetect
Operating Temperature: 0~60°C
Features
Accelerates end-to-end fiber continuity checks;
Speeds fiber tracing and identification;
Aids in location of fiber faults, tight bends, breaks and bad connectors;
Connects to 2.5mm standard connectors;
Connects to 1.25mm LC connectors (with optional adapter).

How to choose 40G QSFP+? AOC, DAC or Transceiver?

40Gbps QSFP+ ports are very popular in IDC. Then, do you know how to choose the most suitable product for your networking infrastructure? It refers to the link length, fiber applied, devices to be connected etc.
For 1~5m link length, 40G QSFP+ DAC is the ideal choice for data center. QSFP+ DAC owns advantages:
Lower Power Consumption: as DAC cables all are passive direct-attach copper cables, no power consumption;
Wider Temperature Range: this is also because it’s passive design;
Lower Cost: could save about 60% or more compared with QSFP+ AOC cable. As data center applied DACs in large quantity, so there will be a large amount to be save;
Faster Transmission: as it is no need to switch between optical to electronic signals.
It is easy to realize the connectivity between two 40G switches or connect one 40G and 10G switches by QSFP+ breakout cables(QSFP-4SFP10G-CU1M).
For 1~100m link length, 40G QSFP+ AOC is preferable for data center. QSFP+ AOC is consist of two QSFP+ transceivers and one 8-core fiber cable, with laser components inside, cable and connector are fixed, which meets the data centers’ usage habit, needless to consider the plug in or plug out of patch cords.
The cables of AOC are thin and AOC has better bend radius than DAC, so if the data centers don’t have enough space for cabling, AOC is a good choice.
Also because the AOC cable is thin and space-saved, the switches will have more room for air flow and easy for cooling system.
AOC always has a good eye pattern, and its performance is very good. It can meet up to 100m on OM3 MMF or up to 150m on OM4 MMF.
Once it’s short distance connection of 1m~150m, you could adopt 40G QSFP+ SR4 optic. It offers 4 independent signal channels each capable of 10Gbps, over 100 meters on OM3 or over 150 meters on OM4.
As a transceiver, it always supports DD function. Enterprise network always uses this solution.
When the link length is less than 300m, 40G QSFP+ eSR4 module is suggested to use. QSFP+ eSR4 supports link lengths of up to 300 meters and 400 meters on laser-optimized OM3 and OM4 MMF respectively.
If your link length is long about 2km, please use 40G QSFP+ IR4 transceiver. 40G QSFP+ IR4 module supports link lengths of up to 2 kilometers over a standard pair of G.652 single-mode fiber (SMF) with duplex LC connectors.
For long distance connection of 10km, the 40GBASE-LR4 QSFP module supports link lengths of up to 10 kilometers over a standard pair of G.652 single-mode fiber with duplex LC connectors. The 40 Gigabit Ethernet signal is carried over four wavelengths. Multiplexing and demultiplexing of the four wavelengths are managed within the device. This is applied when you connect two 40Gb devices.
If you would like to connect a 40G switch and a 10G switch away from each other 10km, 40G QSFP+ LR4 PSM module is the solution, which is available to link with 4x 10G devices on MPO to 8LC patch cord cables(SMF), as solution picture below.
40G QSFP+ LX4 transceiver is a hot star, as it can work with MMF or SMF. It’s role has been a very good play especially when used in lines that do not know what cable used. When QSFP+ LX4 module works with OM3, it supports up to 150m on OM3. When QSFP+ LX4 module connects with SMF, it supports up to 2km.
Conclusion
Finally, which brand should we choose for the 40G QSFP+ AOC, DAC and transceivers? Cisco, H3C, Juniper etc. are the most common brands, however products of these brands can only be applied in the corresponding switches. And the price of original pieces are super high, that caused there are renewed, recycled and even fake products in market. Here I recommend you two companies: Finisar and fiber-mart, which are the leading optical communication products manufacturers. fiber-mart‘s products can be coded according to the switch model. They can satisfy most of the switches in the current market.

Summary of 40Gb QSFP+ Transceivers

If you’re looking for versatility in your transceivers, look no further than fiber-mart’s line of 40G QSFP+ transceivers. Perfect for multi-lane data communication, interconnecting applications, datacom switches, data aggregation and many more applications, the 40G QSFP+ can meet the demands of your data center. There are many options and variety to choose from to fit your demands. Let’s take a look at the options available from fiber-mart.
Like all QSFP+ modules, the QSFP+ SR & eSR are designed to support SCSI, InfiniBand SDR DDR & QDR, 40G Ethernet, TOR Switch and other communications standards. This short range transceiver, 100m and 300m for the SR4 and eSR4 respectively, uses MPO/MMF interface and 850nm lasers. The short distance is perfect for most data center applications and usages particularly in connecting Ethernet switches to 12 lane OM3/OM4 cables. This allows for high bandwidth optical links with multi-fiber connectors (MTP/MPO). The other advantage of the SR4 is the low power consumption at less than 1.5w. fiber-mart tests and certifies every transceiver to make sure it’s fully compatible with your system. This is the perfect choice for your inter-data center needs.
While the SR4 & eSR4 provide high quality, short-range performance, the LR4 & ER4 are designed for longer range applications. Also different from the SR4s, the LR4s run on LC Duplex or SMF interfaces. Combining two strands of fiber and four CWDM wavelengths, the cable delivers data at a rate of 10Gbit/s per wavelength. This allows them to not sacrifice performance for length. The ranges vary with the 2km LR4 Lite, 10km LR4 and 30km ER4. The only difference between the ER4 and LR4 is that the ER4 uses APD RX, which is common in longer distance transceivers, instead of PIN. The LR4 & ER4 cables are perfect for data center to data center connectivity or internet exchange point sites. For your long range transceiver needs, fiber-mart always has LR4s and ER4s in-stock and ready to ship.
If you’re looking for a transceiver that provides both intermediate range and MPO/SMF connectivity, look no further than the fiber-mart QSFP+ PSM (Parallel Single Mode) IR4 and LR4. Giving the same output and performance as the standard SR4 and LR4 modules, the PSM provides the variability to split the connection into 4x10G connections. This is great for servers that want to maximize their server space and connectivity. The IR4 & LR4 models use 1310nm wavelengths and have a maximum reach of 1.4km & 10km respectively. fiber-mart makes sure that these products are compatible with all systems and networks in our state of the art testing facility.

A Simple Application of 10GBase-T Transceiver in Copper Network

Besides fiber optic cables, 10G Ethernet SFP+ transceivers can transfer data over copper cables, like twin-axial cabling or twisted pair cabling. This kind of SFP+ transceiver is equipped with a RJ-45 connector on one side, as the below figure shows. It is called 10GBase-T SFP+ transceiver. With cat6, cat6a or cat7 copper cables, 10GBase-T SFP+ transceiver could make a link length up to 30 meters.
Why SFP+ 10GBase-T transceiver?
Since optic fiber could make transmit faster and further and build a complete network system, why SFP+ 10GBase-T transceiver is needed? This is a key question encountered by 10GBase-T SFP+ transceiver. As a star member of 10G SFP+ transceiver family, 10GBase-T SFP+ transceiver is popular for a wide range of applications in copper-based infrastructure of network system. When connecting 10G modules to copper networks, 10GBase-T SFP+ transceiver can directly connect into the copper networks, while the other 10G SFP+ transceivers using optic fibers need to connect with media converter to realize this connection. Let me show you this application with a good example.
A Specific Application
Sometimes, due to the consideration of cost savings, there are some devices equipped with RJ-45 port still working in 10G Ethernet standard in many data centers, workstation, or servers network. For these devices, the only way to connect them to a host switch is using the RJ-45 port over a cat6a or cat7 copper cable. But what if this host switch has no RJ-45 port but only SFP+ slots? There are two solutions answering this question.
The first solution is using a SFP+ 10GBase-SR transceiver, a fiber patch cord with duplex LC port, a media converter and finally a cat6a copper cable connecting to the endpoint.
Like the table shown above, the second solution is very simple. Just a SFP+ 10GBase-T transceiver and a cat6, cat6a or cat7 copper cable are enough. No optical fiber and no media converter mean lower cost.
Now note the point in this application. First, you do have a endpoint with RJ-45 port. Second,  you have a host switch equipped with SFP+ slots but no RJ-45 port. Third, you don’t want to dissipate neither of them and hope put them together to build a network. Then, being the cable system within 30 meters is under application. So SFP+ 10GBase-T transceiver is a good and advisable choice.
10Gtek provides the 100% compatible SFP+ 10GBase-T transceiver with many switch vendors such as Cisco, HP, Juniper, Arista, Brocade and etc. Since it has the interoperability for a ranges of brands, 10Gtek SFP+ 10GBase-T transceiver certainly will run well in this kind of application.

Why do we need 10GBASE-T copper transceivers?

10GBASE-T, or IEEE 802.3an-2006, is a standard released in 2006 to provide 10Gbit/s connections over unshielded or shielded twisted pair cables, with distances up to 30 meters (98 ft) with RJ45 connectors on an electrical transceiver (or copper transceiver). It’s backward-compatible with existing 1GbE (1 Gigabit Ethernet) networks, meaning that it can be deployed based on existing 1GbE switch infrastructures in data centers that are cabled with CAT6 and CAT6A (or above) cabling. 10GBASE-T is a cabling solution of 10GbE, the other 10GbE cabling solutions include SFP+ fiber (10G-SR,10G-LR,10G-LRM, etc.), SFP+ Direct Attach Cable (DAC), SFP+ Active Optical Cable (AOC).
The most outstanding difference between optical transceivers and electrical transceivers is the transport media they use, as a result, optical transceivers should be linked with optical fiber and electrical transceivers should be linked with networking cables such as CAT6.
Generally, transceivers are meant to be optical because there are RJ45 electrical ports on switches for potential connection need of networking cables. However, the fact is we don’t have enough RJ45 electrical ports on the switch for networking cabling every now and then, it’s unlikely to replace the functional switch merely for a temporary or occasional use of electrical ports. In this case, a product that can convert the optical port to the electrical port, which is a 10GBASE-T copper transceiver can certainly give you a hand. Even more than that, the 10GBASE-T copper transceiver, for example, the 10G-SFP-T (SFP-10G-T-S) of 10Gtek, can backward-compatible with 100/1000Base-T as well, surely it’s a good news for those Data Centers built years ago, by this means the owner can save a bunch of budget from it. Even so, in order to achieve the expected effect, the electrical transceivers inevitably consume more power than optical transceivers, which limits the amount of 10GBASE-T transceivers being installed at the same time. Whether the chipset is Marvell or Broadcom, the power consumption of electrical transceivers is still 2.5 W. As to the chipset, 10Gtek is applying Marvell on the 10G-SFP-T because it costs lesser than Broadcom though they have the same function.
Currently, there are products with 10GBASE-T standard, including the Network Interface Card (NIC) and the electrical transceiver. 10GBASE-T has been important in the network of the data center. In case you are looking for 10GBASE-T transceivers, there are 2 websites for you to get one of them, the e-commerce website SFPcables.com and amazon.com/10gtek. Make sure whether you have requirements on compatibility for the 10GBASE-T transceivers before making an order. What’s more, 10Gtek provides technical support for those products on their websites.

The Simple Guide of Optical Transceiver

The word we now often refer to optical module is transceiver. It is a compound of transmitter and receiver, which is a smart combine. Because it vividly expresses the key function of the device, transmitting and receiving signal. Therefore, a transceiver is basically a transmitter and receiver in a small package and serves as an important sub system in fiber optic communication networks.
Structure and Operational Principle
There are several key components in a common transceiver. It’s TOSA, ROSA, laser driver chip, limiting amplifier chip and PCB. This components usually hides in a small package with one or two fiber optic connector at one hand including a release latch and an electrical PCB edge connector at the other. The TOSA(Transmitter Optical Sub-assembly) consists of a laser diode, optical interface, monitor photodiode, metal housing, and electrical interface. The ROSA (Receiver Optical Sub-assembly) consists of a photodiode, optical interface, metal housing, and electrical interface.
Look at how a common transceiver works. First, the electrical signal imported through PCB (Printed Circuit Board) from a motherboard is converted into the optical signal with the help of a laser diode and laser driver chip, and through TOSA the optical signal couples into an optical fiber cable. Meanwhile, the optical signal received through optical interface is converted by ROSA into the electrical signal, then exports by limiting amplifier to the motherboard over the PCB edge connector.
Short Story of Development
It probably not be over 30 years after the first transceiver was invented, but this tiny device has experienced updating every few years, which has taken many experts’ heart and soul. Generally speaking, the pace of technology progress always faster than we can imagine. But as for transceiver, no matter how far and how deep it will go and develop, the tendency of transceiver’s evolution always focus on data speed enhancing, miniaturization, longer distance, compaction, cost-effectiveness, lower dissipation and hot-plugging. In the following chart of different generation of transceivers, you may find how transceiver develop and update over the years.
Application
As an important sub system of communication network industry, transceivers can found where high speed computer network and high-bandwidth data communications need, such as base stations, servers, data centers and so on. Specifically, Ethernet switches, routers, firewalls and network interface cards, fiber converter are most application scenarios.
Standardization
No matter old GBIC or the latest QSFP-DD, they are ‘standardized’ by multi-source agreements(MSA). It is an agreement between multiple manufacturers to make products which are compatible across vendors. This is a very important agreement for many transceiver market participator. Besides strictly defining the operating characteristic of transceivers that compliant vendor can make produce, most importantly, it establishes a competitive market for interoperable products, allowing third party vendor participating in the market. Thus, transceivers may be purchased from any of the multiple sources in the open market, just like 10Gtek.