Fiber’s Advantages over Copper

by www.fiber-mart.com
All modern communications systems are based on fiber optic cable – hair-thin (or thinner) strands of glass that carry information by transmitting pulses of light, which are usually created by lasers. The pulses are turned on and off very, very quickly. A single fiber can carry multiple streams of information at the same time over different wavelengths, or colors, of light.

Fiber has many advantages over copper, whether that copper is in the form of wire or coaxial cable. 
  • Fiber is great for rural areas.  Signals travel long distances inside fiber cable without degradation or need for refreshing – 40 miles or more in many real-world networks and 65 miles or more in some.

  • Fiber is easy to deploy.   Thin fibers can be packaged in a cable or a narrow ribbon or inside a hollow plastic microduct less than 1/8 inch in diameter. Fiber cable can be hidden easily on the surfaces of walls in old buildings. There are even hair-thin fiber products that can be attached to walls with adhesive tape and painted over.

  • Fiber is permanent.   Once installed, fiber is upgraded by changing the electronics that create and receive the light pulses, not by replacing the cable itself. 

  • Fiber is rugged and weatherproof.   Unlike copper, it does not corrode, is not easily affected by water and generates no heat. Lightning doesn’t damage it. Nothing hurts it except a physical cut. 

  • Fiber networks cost less to operate than copper.   The most common FTTH network technology, GPON, uses no electronics – and therefore no power – between the provider’s central office and the customer premises. Even optical networks that require electronics in the field use far less power than copper networks do. Glass is easily made from sand, an abundant resource. 
  • All-fiber networks are far m
  • ore reliable than copper.   Surveys by market researcher Michael Render of RVA LLC show that a typical DSL modem has to be reset by a user about once a week. For fiber, it is once a month or less. This is critical for telemedicine and for distance learning, but it is also important for businesses. We have all sought to pay for an item by credit card only to find that the card reader is not working. This is usually because the DSL or cable modem connection has been lost. A few lost sales per month can cost a retailer more than the monthly fee for the connection!

评论

发表评论

此博客中的热门博文

Common Armored Fiber Optic Cables

  Armored fiber optic cables are often installed in a network for added mechanical protection, as they have extra reinforcing in the cable housing to prevent damage. Two types of armored fiber optic cables exist: interlocking and corrugated. Interlocking armor is an aluminum armor that is helically wrapped around the cable and found in indoor and indoor/outdoor cables. It offers ruggedness and superior crush resistance. Corrugated armor is a coated steel tape folded around the cable longitudinally. It is found in outdoor cables and offers extra mechanical and rodent protection.   The Structure of an Armored Fiber Optic Cable In basic armored fiber cable designs, the outer sleeve provides protection against wind, solvents, and abrasion. This outer sleeve is usually made of plastic such as polyethylene. The next layer between the sleeve and the inner jacket is an armoring layer of materials that are difficult to cut, chew, or bu
阅读全文

what the Differences Between FBT Splitter and PLC Splitter

  In FTTx and PON architectures, optical splitter plays an increasingly significant role to create a variety of point-to-multipoint fiber optic networks. But do you know what is a fiber optic splitter? In fact, a fiber optic splitter is a passive optical device that can split or separate an incident light beam into two or more light beams. Basically, there are two types of fiber splitter classified by their working principle: fused biconical taper splitter (FBT splitter) and planar lightwave circuit splitter (PLC splitter). You may have one question: what’s the difference between them and shall we use FBT or PLC splitter?   What Is FBT Splitter? FBT splitter is based on a traditional technology to weld several fiber together from side of the fiber. Fibers are aligned by heating for a specific location and length. Because the fused fibers are very fragile, they are protected by a glass tube made of epoxy and silica powder. And then a stainless steel tube covers the inner glass tu
阅读全文

Introduction of Optical Fiber Couplers and How Do They Work?

 What are optical fiber couplers? A fiber optic coupler can be defined as an optical component used with one or more input fibers and several output fibers in fiber optic systems. A coupler essentially puts two or more cores of fibers together to connect. The simple coupler is the fused fiber 2x2 coupler. Couplers are used as multiplexers that are resistant to certain wavelengths. A fiber output depends on the wavelength of light and the frequency of polarization. The fiber refractive index also plays a significant role in the performance. Let’s checkout how do optic couplers work to understand this better. How do fiber optic couplers work? Either fiber optic couplers separate optical signals into multiple paths or combine multiple signals in one direction. Optical signals are more complicated than electrical signals, making it more difficult to design optical couplers than their electrical copy. Unlike electrical currents, the optical signal consists of a stream of signal carriers, in
阅读全文