Fiber-optic cabling is slowly replacing copper in many networks. Optical fiber has long been used by carriers for connectivity over long distances and for high-speed network backbones. Increasingly, fiber is being installed in the “last mile,” connecting customers to the carrier network.
Organizations are using fiber for campus connectivity, data center network backbones, and other use cases where greater speed, bandwidth, and transmission distance are critical. Fiber-optic cables, terminations, and other components cost more than copper cabling — although the cost difference between fiber and high-speed copper can be negligible. However, fiber may ultimately save money over the long term through reduced maintenance costs and a future-proof network.
How Do Fiber Optic Cables Work?
The simple answer is fiber-optic cables use pulses of light to transmit data. In contrast, copper cables use electronic pulses for data transmission. In fiber optic systems, a transmitter at one end of the system takes coded electronic pulse information and translates it into coded light pulses. The light pulses may be generated by a light-emitting diode (LED), vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL), or injection-laser diode (ILD) and are funneled into the cable using a lens.
The core of the fiber-optic cable has reflective properties that allow the light to travel down its length, even if the cable bends. A receiver at the other end accepts the coded light pulses and converts them back into electronic pulses.
Fiber-optic cabling can be single-mode or multimode. Single-mode fiber transmits one type of light mode over one strand as small as 8.3 microns. Multimode fiber can transmit multiple light modes over 50- to 100-micron diameter glass fibers. The larger core of multimode fiber cables enables the use of cheaper LED or VCSEL light sources, while single-mode fiber requires more expensive laser sources.
Since single-mode fiber only allows one mode of light through, the number of reflections resulting from the light traveling down the core is reduced compared to multimode. Therefore, single-mode fiber has lower attenuation and allows the signal to travel further and faster. The benefit of multimode fiber is it allows multiple modes of light to propagate and, in turn, more data to be transmitted than single-mode fiber (albeit across shorter distances). Single-mode fiber is commonly used in backbone cabling requiring long-distance travel, while multimode is used for applications requiring shorter distances and more data like local area networks (LANs).
What Are the Types of Fiber Optic Cables?
ISO/IEC 11801 and EIA/TIA include standards for two types of single-mode (OS1 and OS2) and four types of multimode (OM1, OM2, OM3, and OM4) cables. OS2, OM3, and OM4 are most relevant to today’s use cases.
What Is OS2 Fiber?
OS2 fiber is a single-mode fiber optic cable designed to deliver 1Gb to 10Gb transmission rates over distances of 5,000 meters to 10 kilometers. Single-mode fiber cables differ primarily in the construction of the cable itself. OS2 cables can have blown or loose-tube construction. In blown construction, compressed air blows one fiber or bundles of hundreds of fibers through a micro-duct, following its bends and twists and allowing for rapid installation. With loose-tube construction, plastic buffer tubes with a strong cable insulate and protect six to 244 strands of fiber, particularly in underground installations.
What Is OM3 and OM4 Fiber?
OM3 and OM4 fiber are multimode fiber optic cables that use VCSELs (vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers) and support transmission rates of 10Gb and higher. OM3 fiber can deliver 10Gb up to 300m and 100Gb up to 100m, while OM4 supports up to 50 percent greater distances. In the past, OM1 and OM2 cables with LED light sources were used in conventional Ethernet and Gigabit Ethernet networks.
Supporting Your Cabling Needs
Although Enconnex has discontinued our line of network cables, our sister company, Liberty, offers a robust portfolio of connectivity products. Their team is ready to help. View their offerings at Libertyonline.com and get in touch at orders@libav.com or 800-530-8998.
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