Category: Fiber Transceivers

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

Fiber Optic Cable Vs. Coaxial Cable

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

When connecting data signals between components in a computer network, you may choose between fiber optic or coaxial cable. Deciding which is more appropriate for your use depends on the distance of your connection and the amount of data you will send.
Construction
Coaxial cables carry electrical signals with copper conductors.
Fiber optic cables contain a tiny strand of fiberglass about the size of a human hair, with an outer covering to protect it. Coaxial cables have a copper center conductor surrounded by an insulating material, a braided shield and a protective covering.
Distance
Low-loss fiber optic cables carry a signal for several miles before needing a repeater. Signal losses are high in coaxial cable, however, so you should use it only for short distances.
Amount of Data
Fiber optic cables carry far more information than coaxial cables. A fiber optic system can carry up to 10 giga, or billion, bits per second. Coaxial cable is limited to only 50 mega, or million, bits per second.

What Is the Difference Between Ethernet & Patch Cables?

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

Ethernet and patch cables are usually referred to interchangeably, although there can be differences between the two. A patch cable is a generic term that can be used for multiple types of cabling (such as telephone or audio/video, in addition to Ethernet).
Ethernet Is a Protocol
While eight-conductor Ethernet cables with RJ-45 plugs are extremely common (these are the cables that look like over-sized phone cords), Ethernet itself is a protocol standard that defines the way that bits of information travel over a particular medium. The two most common cabled versions of Ethernet are traditional copper cables and fiber-optic cables.
Patch Cables
Most standard copper Ethernet cables are referred to as patch cables. However, ordinary phone cords can be considered patch cables, as well as the RCA and HDMI cables that connect a home TV and stereo system together.
Types
Ethernet cables that serve different purposes are called by different names.
Different Ethernet cables have different names, with “patch cables” being the most common. Some of the differences include the length of the cable as well as the purpose. For example, an Ethernet connection that is designed for speed and/or great distance can be referred to as a “backbone” or “long haul,” even though it may use the exact same type of copper cable that a patch cable uses.

How Optical Fiber Networks Can Make Your Company More Productive

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

The optical fiber is to rely heavily on modern day businesses. Almost all the interactions of modern day companies have with their customers, from their sales activities on their customer service, they rely on communications technology. How to keep your business running as efficiently as possible, you should always have a communication system to properly service your company’s needs.

 

Many small businesses rely on a fairly slow connection for their communications needs. These companies usually have only 1-2 employees who rely on data to make phone calls and browse the Internet. If this is the kind of company you are running, you can save a lot of money by buying low-cost services such as DSL and cable.

 

If you’re doing more work, are probably witnessing a system slowdown when all your employees have Internet access at the same time. You may also be seeing a system slowdown when employees are relying relies on its communications network, as well.

 

If this is the situation you are currently in, you should consider upgrading your connection.T1 T1 line can efficiently handle the needs of up to ten employees without tension. Some companies prefer to rely rely on their data communication system, however, so you can run into some capacity issues, if this is the case for your company.

 

Companies that have more than a dozen employees often rely on systems that are at least as fast as a T3 line. T3 lines have the ability to transfer tens of megabytes each other. Since these networks have such high capabilities, they can meet the needs of nearly a hundred workers without tension.

 

Again though, if you can not risk the possibility of facing a slowdown during the peak period of use, your company should be looking and faster connections. No matter how great your company is, there is probably a service that can meet all your needs too.

 

Most optical carriers have already passed the wire that is needed for buyers to get service in many areas. These unused fibers are known as dark fiber. Once your organization has made ​​the decision to access these high-capacity communications networks, however, may be included and made accessible to you.

 

If your business is currently experiencing connection issues, especially during periods of peak usage, it’s probably time to start considering the link to upgrade. Because modern businesses rely on their ability to communicate effectively with each other and the outside world, it is absolutely essential that you maintain appropriate communication network for their employees to use.

Passive optic LANs: Prospects for your fiber optics business

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

We are back with our interview with our special guest, Jim Hayes, President of the Fiber Optic Association. The first part was devoted mostly to technical aspects of passive optical LANs, and now we are going to talk about POL business.
Jim Hayes tells about Passive Optical LAN
Alexei: For our readers probably the most interesting aspect is economics of PONs, expenses involved, etc. Motorola claims that capital expenses are cut by 50%, Tellabs’ number for that is even higher, 70%. Can you comment on the numbers?
Jim Hayes: As I said earlier, the numbers are not absolute, of course, and I cannot answer for Motorola and Tellabs. I would say all of this is dependent on the actual installation—how many users and how big a geographic area you cover—and what you compare it to. A POL is a “Level 1 +Level 2” network—it includes the switches and cabling to provide Ethernet. Some people only want to consider cables to cables, but that’s irrelevant, you need to consider it as part of the network. Furthermore, traditional LANs have been priced very high for fiber—a Cat5 port may cost $5 on a switch, a multimode port $500 and a singlemode port $5000! That’s hardly comparable to the cost of FTTH hardware where a typical FTTH subscriber can be connected for what a traditional switch supplier wants for a multimode port! Some cases like Sandia Labs are no-brainers because you need SM to connect various facilities. Others are non-optimal because they are updates in buildings with cabling systems already, but there is another advantage for an OLAN—it takes so little space you can install it before removing all the old copper. Just have a look. And yes, it is good income to recycle! Sandia made $80,000 off recycled cable. The cost of copper will likely be going up and make this recycling even more attractive economically. Besides, fewer electronics means less power. No power or AC in the telecom closet. AC is half the energy consumed in most LANs! That is why electricity expenses are cut about 80%. Even more, the space occupied by the equipment is reduced drastically, sometimes tenfold. One more on POL business. To date, the major markets have been in large LANs, like government agencies, schools and school systems, college campuses, where there are large numbers of users or large geographic areas. We know of several cities considering them for their municipal networks, perhaps in conjunction with a city-owned FTTH system. Now structured cabling standards are adapting to passive OLANs by adding in the splitter so centralized fiber with a splitter becomes a passive OLAN. The alternative is active Ethernet on a centralized fiber architecture using singlemode fiber and P2P (point to point) FTTH hardware. OLANs will be integrated into structured cabling architecture and standards but should over time predominate in larger LANs with at least 100 users, the more the better. That is where they are feasible now, though I can say with fiber optics booming in general the number will go down soon.
Alexei: Do you think that POLs are more interesting for well-developed regions with excellent infrastructure, like most of the US, Western Europe, and cities like Shanghai, Moscow, Singapore?
Jim Hayes: Yes, but only because there is probably a ”dark fiber” network in the cities that allows building citywide networks. I would say that with POL technologies those well-developed regions do not have to be so tightly packed as, say, in Hong Kong. A bank can have several offices, a few miles between them, and still cover it with one relatively cheap and advanced LAN. Besides, such cities are just places where the money goes, swirls, and boils. You want profits, you go to such places.
Alexei: What about installation personnel training and maintenance personnel training?
Jim Hayes: Of course, designers need to understand the new architecture of OLANs, where to place splitters, how to spec singlemode fiber and other related components. If you are familiar with optic fiber, the installation process is simple—tiny cables, prefab cables or prepolished/splice connectors. Installers can learn it in a couple of days. Again, most likely you will need better OTDRs than you do now, because of many connectors and splitters. If you are new fiber optics in general, then you have to learn how to splice, how connectors work, etc. But it is not rocket science.
Alexei: But you still have to pay for new equipment?
Jim Hayes: Right, you cannot reuse copper LAN equipment, of course. But again, if you compare the cost of upgrade, POL is much cheaper.
Alexei: Now about upgrades. According to Tellabs, POLs eliminate future infrastructure upgrades. Sounds too good to be true, no?
Jim Hayes: Well, I would put it more modestly: POLs are as future-proof as you can get today. The same fiber for a gigabit POL can be upgraded to 10G – the standards and products are already here. WDM POLs (wavelength division multiplexing) allows another 100X upgrade – again standards are being developed – and that takes us to 1Tb/s! When LANs go to speeds over terabits per sec, you may need an upgrade. Some time in the future you will definitely have to upgrade. To what? I don’t know, maybe to photon torpedoes or transporter beams, but it is not Godfather, it is Star Trek already (laughing).

Why is important to clean optical fibers?

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

A high percentage of fiber optic transmission problems are the result of contaminated connectors and couplers. Dirt not only impacts the speed and performance of a network, but also damages equipment.
As a manufacturer of fiber optic cables Datcom is keenly aware of the implications of improper cleaning of end faces and recommends the following points to ensure that your fiber networks are always up and running.
Dust caps are for protection only and do not mean that the fiber inside is clean.
Inspection of ferrules with a scope is a must and if possible used with an analysis software. Even the most experienced technician cannot visually determine the cleanliness of a fiber.
Do not use alcohol when cleaning fiber. It is hygroscopic which means it attracts water molecules from the air.
Use a wet to dry cleaning process to avoid electrostatic attraction.
Use an optical grade cleaning fluid for the static to dissipate.
Use optical grade lint free wipes that have high absorbency and strength.
Use cleaning sticks that are made from multiple fibers and can spread and contact the entire surface of the end face when port cleaning.
Proper installation practices, coupled with advanced inspection procedures and professional cleaning products will not only save a technician repeated onsite visits and time. But also eliminate customer complaints along with loss of confidence and money.

New OTDR pairs with Android for mobility and cost-effectiveness

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

Fiber optics lines and networks are rapidly entering new markets and gaining in popularity. That is why we are working hard to process our customers’ feedback and improve our products. As a result, two of our leading applications, Fiberizer Mobile and Fiberizer Desktop, can serve as a link between a cost-effective Agizer OPX-BOX OTDR and any popular Android-based tablet or smartphone, to measure fiber optic line parameters. After several simple operations the devices are connected via Bluetooth, and you can use the space and usability of your mobile device screen, thus making your trace analysis and editing, as well as file management, faster and more convenient. The same can be done with Agizer OPX-350—although this OTDR has a screen of its own, the bigger and higher-resolution tablet touch screen makes it more usable and detailed. This extended functionality will help testing and measurement teams stay more mobile. Besides, companies can use standard computer equipment like desktop and laptop PCs, and Android tablets and smartphones, for highly specialized procedures in fiber optics measurements, thus lowering capital expenditures and maintenance costs.
Agizer’s market research shows that our existing and potential customers are especially interested in the ‘OPX-BOX – Android device’ pair, because the solution is cost-effective and simple enough to be used by any technical specialist with minimal training. The new solution, however, retains the same high level of measurement accuracy and usability, because OPX-BOX uses the same optical modules as higher-level OTDRs do. Besides, the pair can be linked to Fiberizer Cloud OTDR viewer, thus tapping into even more functionality of measurement data storage and management, OTDR trace analysis and editing, and report generation (please find the overview video here). Currently we are developing team-work functionality for this cloud application, so please give it a try for your fiber optics measurements and let us know your opinion. The detailed description of the Fiberizer features can be found in our updated help system.