Optical fiber is an indispensable element in today’s network age, but do you really understand optical fiber? What are the fiber connection methods? What is the difference between optical cable and optical fiber? Is it possible for fiber to completely replace copper cables from outside
What are the fiber connection methods?
1. Active connection:
Active connection is a method of connecting a site to a site or a site to a fiber optic cable using various fiber optic connection devices (plugs and sockets). This method is flexible, simple, convenient, and reliable, and is often used in computer network wiring in buildings. Its typical attenuation is 1dB / connector.
2. Emergency connection (also known as) cold melting:
Emergency connection mainly uses mechanical and chemical methods to fix and bond two optical fibers together. The main characteristic of this method is that the connection is fast and reliable, and the typical attenuation of the connection is 0.1-0.3dB / point.
They can be plugged into connectors and plugged into fiber optic sockets. The connector consumes 10% to 20% of the light, but it makes it easy to reconfigure the system.However, the connection point will be unstable for a long time and the attenuation will increase greatly, so it can only be used for emergency in a short time.
It can be joined mechanically. To do this, place one end of two carefully cut fibers in a tube and clamp them together. The fiber can be adjusted through the junction to maximize the signal. Mechanical bonding requires about 5 minutes for trained personnel to complete, and the loss of light is about 10%.
3. Permanent fiber connection (also known as hot melt):
This type of connection uses electrical discharge to fuse and connect the connection points of the fiber. Generally used for long-distance connection, permanent or semi-permanent fixed connection. Its main feature is that the connection attenuation is the lowest among all connection methods, with a typical value of 0.01-0.03dB / point.
However, when connecting, special equipment (welding machine) and professional operations are required, and the connection point needs to be protected by a special container. The two fibers can be fused together to form a solid connection.
The fiber formed by the fusion method is almost the same as a single fiber, but there is a little attenuation. For all three connection methods, there is reflection at the junction, and the reflected energy interacts with the signal.
It is necessary to understand the loss of the optical fiber so as to better use the optical fiber. The main function of Fluke’s CertiFiber Pro Optical Loss Test fiber loss tester is to test the loss and failure cause of the fiber.
Fluke’s CertiFiber Pro Optical Loss Test fiber loss tester can:
1. Three-second automatic test — (four times faster than traditional testers) includes: optical loss measurement on two fibers of two wavelengths, distance measurement and optical loss budget calculation
2. Provide automatic pass / fail analysis based on industry standards or custom test limits
3. Identify incorrect test procedures that cause “negative loss” results
4.Onboard (USB) inspection camera records fiber endface image
5. Interchangeable power meter adapters available for all typical connector types (SC, ST, LC, and FC) for accurate single jumper reference method
6.Built-in video fault locator for basic diagnostics and polarity detection
7. Dual wavelength measurement capability on a single fiber allows the tester to be used in applications that require only one fiber link.
No additional equipment or processes are required to comply with TIA-526-14-B and IEC 61280-4-1 ring flux requirements.
What is the difference between optical cable and optical fiber
The optical cable is composed of a certain number of optical fibers. The outer core is covered with a sheath and a protective layer for communication and long-distance large-capacity information transmission.
Optical fiber is a transmission tool, just like a thin plastic wire. Very thin optical fiber will be encapsulated in a plastic sleeve for long-distance information transmission. So the fiber optic cable contains optical fiber.
Finally, let’s talk about a cable. A cable is composed of a conductive wire core, an insulation layer, and a sealing protection layer. It is made of a metal material (mostly copper, aluminum) as a conductor, and is used to transmit power or information. Wires are twisted. Cables are mostly used in transportation hubs, substations, etc. In fact, wires and cables have no strict boundaries. Generally, we call wires with small diameters and fewer cells as wires, and cables with large diameters and many cells.
Is it possible for optical fibers to completely replace copper cables from outside?
In most data centers, fiber has dominated the market due to high bandwidth requirements. In addition, fiber optic cables are not subject to electromagnetic interference, and their installation environment requirements are not as complicated as copper cables. Therefore, the optical fiber is easier to install.
However, it should be noted that although the price gap between optical fibers and copper cables has narrowed, the overall price of optical cables is higher than copper cables. Therefore, fiber is widely used in environments that require higher bandwidth, such as data centers.
On the other hand, copper cables are less expensive. Optical fiber is a special type of glass fiber that is more fragile than copper cables. Therefore, the daily maintenance cost of copper cable is much lower than that of optical fiber. It also provides backward compatibility with older 10 / 100Mbps legacy Ethernet devices.
Therefore, copper cables are still used in voice transmission and indoor network applications. In addition, horizontal cabling, Power over Ethernet (POE), or the Internet of Things applications are driving the use of copper cables. Therefore, fiber optic cables will not completely replace copper cables.
About the small knowledge of optical fiber, I will push here for everyone today. Fiber optic cables and copper cables can actually provide Internet connection services for homes and businesses. In fact, optical fiber and copper solutions will coexist in the foreseeable future, and each solution will be used where it makes most sense.