Tag: CWDM SFP Transceivers

CWDM SFP (Coarse Wavelength Division Multiplexing) transceiver, used on SFP ports or slots on the switches or routers, is a technology that allows for multiple channels, of mixed protocols and data rates, to be COMBINED and transmitted over fiber optic cable.

CWDM SFP makes use of the SFP interface to connect the apparatus and also double LC/PC fiber connector software to connect the optical network. CWDM SFP is used to link the ports to the fiber optic network, typical CWDM SFP like Cisco’s could support both Gigabit Ethernet and Fiber Channel. It is compatible with Fast Ethernet, SONET OC-3 and OC-12, and SDH STM-1 and STM-4 standards.

Basic Features of CWDM SFP transceiver

Hot-Pluggable, Dual LC port;

Class 1 Laser safety, compliant with IEC60825-1;

Transmitter center wavelength:

1270nm,1290nm,1310nm,1330nm,1350nm,1370nm,1390nm,1410nm,1430nm,1450nm,1470nm, 1490nm, 1510nm, 1530nm, 1550nm, 1570nm, 1590nm and 1610nm;

Receiver PIN or APD;

Single +3.3V power supply, PECL data interface;

Operating temperature range: -5 to +70 degrees;

Supports DDMI function;

Compliant with RoHS standard;

Compatible with Telcordia (bellcore) GR-468-CORE requirement;

Data speed from 155M to 2.5Gbps;

Structure of CWDM SFP transceiver

The CWDM SFP transceiver consists of three sections: a uncooled CWDM DFB laser transmitter, a PIN photodiode integrated with a trans-impedance preamplifier (TIA) and MCU control unit.

The transceiver integrates the receiver and transmitter path on one module. On the transmit side, the serial data stream is passed to a laser driver. The laser driver biases and modulates an uncooled direct modulated laser (DML), enabling data transmission over single-mode fiber through an industry-standard LC connector. On the receive side, the optical data stream is recovered from a PIN or avalanche photodetector (APD), sent to a transimpedance amplifier, and then passed to a post amplifier. This module features a hot-pluggable SFI-compliant electrical interface.

This integrated fiber optic transceiver provides a high-speed serial link at signaling rates from 100 Mbps to 3.1Gbps. The module complies with the small form factor pluggable (SFP) multisource agreement (MSA).

Types of CWDM SFP transceiver

Typical CWDM SFP transceiver includes CWDM SFP 1470nm, CWDM SFP 1490nm, CWDM SFP 1510, CWDM SFP 1530nm, CWDM SFP 1550nm, CWDM SFP 1570nm, CWDM SFP 1590nm and CWDM SFP 1610nm.

Brands of CWDM SFP transceiver

Cisco CWDM SFP is a series of single mode transceiver cover from 1470 to 1610nm wavelength applications, they are different colors to identify them; these CWDM SFP are used for Gigabit Ethernet and 1/2Gbps Fibre Channel applications.

Juniper CWDM SFP transceiver module includes SFP-1GE-LH-CWDM-1270, SFP-1GE-LH-CWDM-1290, SFP-1GE-LH-CWDM-1310, SFP-1GE-LH-CWDM-1330 and SFP-1GE-LH-CWDM-1350. The Juniper CWDM SFP transceivers are with excellent quality.

Foundry CWDM SFP transceiver works at 80KM and with different working wavelength from 1470nm to 1610nm. It is fully compatible and functional in its intended Foundry router or switch and complete MSA compliant.

As an extension of wavelength division multiplexing (WDM), coarse wavelength division multiplexing (CWDM) is a technology that multiplexes a number of optical carrier signals onto a single optical fiber through the use of different wavelengths (i.e., colors) of laser light. A CWDM SFP (Small Form-factor Pluggable) transceiver is a hot-swappable input/output device that plugs into an SFP port or slot of a switch or router, linking the port with the fiber-optic network. It is a  kind of optical-electric/electric-optical converter. With the transmitter on one end, the CWDM SFP transceiver takes in and converts the electrical signal into light, after the optical fiber transmission in the fiber cable plant, the receiver end again converts the light signal into electrical signal. The following figure shows the CWDM SFP transceiver in the CWDM system. In the figure, TX represents “transmit”, RX represents “receive”. Being a kind of compact optical transceiver, CWDM SFP transceiver is widely used in optical communications for both telecommunication and data communication. It is designed for operations in Metro Access Rings and Point-to-Point networks using Synchronous Optical Network (SONET), SDH (Synchronous Digital Hierarchy), Gigabit Ethernet and Fibre Channel networking equipment.

Three Components of CWDM SFP Transceivers

The CWDM SFP transceiver consists of an un-cooled CWDM Distributed Feed Back (DFB) laser transmitter, a PIN photodiode integrated with a Trans-impedance Preamplifier (TIA) and a Microprogrammed Control Unit (MCU). The DFB laser used in the CWDM SFP transceiver transmitter is a 18 CWDM DFB wavelengths laser. It is well suited for high capacity reverse traffic. Obeying the standard diode equation for low frequency signals, The PIN photodiode has a 80km transmission distance. And the MCU is a high-speed, executive, input-output (I/O) processor and interrupt handler for the NRL Signal Processing Element (SPE).

Advantages of CWDM SFP transceivers

Using existing fiber connections efficiently through the adoption of active wavelength multiplexing, CWDM SFP transceivers have improved the designs of telecommunications devices and other technologies. Here are some advantages of CWDM SFP transceivers:

Scalability and Flexibility—CWDM SFP transceivers can support multiple channels. It means that more channels can be activated as demand increases. CWDM SFP transceivers have a wide variety of network configurations that range from the meshed-ring configurations to the multi-channel point-to-point. In point-to-point configurations, the two endpoints will connect directly through a fiber link, allowing users to add or delete as many as eight channels at a time.

Low Risks in Investment—Most CDWM SFP transceivers have a low failure rate, which is less likely to be the reason why the user’s solution fails. It helps enterprises increase the bandwidth of the Gigabit Ethernet optical infrastructure without adding any additional fiber strands and can also be used in conjunction with other SFP devices on the same platform. Thus the user will be able to re-invest the capital saved by avoiding prematurely failed devices.

Selecting a Right CWDM SFP Transceiver

There are many kinds of CWDM SFP transceivers in the market. Their wavelengths are available from 1270 nm to 1610 nm, with each step 20 nm. Different CDWM SFP transceivers have different color codes, distances, date rates and laser operating wavelengths. For example, the CWDM-SFP-1470, which is colored gray, is one of Cisco CWDM SFP. It is a CWDM SFP transceiver that rates for distances up to 80 km and a maximum bandwidth of 1Gbps, operating at 1470nm wavelength. Customers may choose a CWDM SFP transceiver in accordance with their actual needs.

Applied to the access layer of Metropolitan Area Network (MAN), CWDM is a low-cost WDM transmission technology. fiber-mart.com provides the aforesaid CWDM-SFP-1470 and other types of CWDM SFP transceivers, which are convenient and cost-effective solution for the adoption of Gigabit Ethernet and Fibre Channel in campus, data center, and metropolitan-area access networks.