Fiber Optic Cabling

What is Fiber Optic Cabling

Since the 1980s, companies have used fiber-optic cabling for their core networks. Fiber-optic cabling offers several advantages over copper cabling and is known as the most cost-efficient and fastest method of communicating information. Installing fiber-optic cables requires professionals with certification.

This technology has sped up processes in science and business for decades. Fiber optics is the technology that transmits light down strands of transparent material, usually glass but sometimes plastic.

This technology transfers information at higher speeds than traditional copper wiring. It is used in communication, lighting, medicine, optics, and also to make sensors.This technology is widely used today for several different applications. It provides many significant advantages for speeding up information and data transfer.

Beginnings of Fiber Optics

The first use of Fiber optics was in England and America about 40 years ago.Fiber optics had replaced all of the tele-copper, microwave, and satellite links by the mid-1980s. In the 90s, transoceanic fiber optic cables replaced satellites between most continents. LANS or computer networks had fiber optics around the same time telecommunications began using them.

Since fiber optics have noise immunity and can travel long distances, its first applications were Industrial links because of how superior the technology was for factory floors.After these applications, the fiber storage area networks’ predecessors in data centers that we use today came out.Today, fiber optics is in most corporate LANs as backbones, connections to engineering and graphic workstations, desktops, and wireless access points.

How Does Fiber Optic Work?

Fiber optic cables pass signals in the form of light pulses through them. Network components use either LED or laser diodes to convert electrical signals into light pulses, which then travel through these fiber optic cables. Then, an optic detector covers the light pulses back into an electrical signal.

There are several components to a fiber optic cable. Fiber optic cables consist of a signal-carrying class core of 5 to 100 microns in diameter. For comparison, a sheet of paper is about 25 microns in diameter, and a human hair is about 75 microns. Cladding, which is pure silica, surrounds the signal-carrying core. The cladding prevents light from escaping the core. Around the cladding are layers of acrylic plastic or coating. There are Kevlar fibers for additional strength and then a PVC jacket. There are several varieties of connectors for fiber optic cabling. Among them are SC, ST, and SMA connectors. ST connectors have a wider install base, and SC connectors are versatile and are currently becoming more popular.

Types of Fiber Optic Cabling

There are two kinds of fiber optic cabling. The optimal between the two forms of cabling depends on the needs of the user. Both offer different strengths for different situations. Businesses should consider which form of Fiber optic cabling best suits their team’s needs.
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Single Mode Fiber Optic Cabling

Single Mode Fiber Optic Cabling uses a narrower core between 5-10 microns in diameter. This form of cabling allows one signal to be sent or received over a long distance. In Single Mode, laser-emitting diodes introduce signals to the fiber and transmit only one signal as a light beam at a time. The signal transmission is uninterrupted for about 30 miles before dispersions begin to distort signals. This form of Fiber Optic cabling is ideal for longer distances. It reaches up to 50 times longer than multimode fiber optic cabling.
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Multimode Fiber Optic Cabling

With Multimode Fiber Optic Cabling uses light-emitting diodes instead of laser-emitting diodes. It has a
clear signal transmission for about 3000 feet. Longer cable runs will then distort signals because of
modal dispersions. Multimode Fiber Optic cabling has thicker cores of 50, 62.5, or 100 microns. It has enough bandwidth for multiple signals for simultaneous sending and receiving. Each of the signals will follow a separate path through the fiber.

Two Types of Multimode Fibers

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Step Index Multimode Fiber

Step Index Multimode fiber is less costly. It uses a broader core with a uniform index of refraction. This causes the light beams to reflect, like in a mirror, off the core’s inside surface by the process called total internal reflection. Since light can pass through different paths down the cable, each different course takes a different amount of time for the light to travel down. Step Index Multimode Fiber is better for shorter line runs as using it can result in signal distortion.
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Graded Index Multimode Fiber

A more expensive form of Multimode Fiber is Graded-Index Multimode Fiber. Here, the core has many concentric layers of glass. Each of the layers has a lower index of refraction than the layer inside of it. With Graded Index, light beams will follow a curved path, and each ray of light will reach the end of the fiber at the same time. Since the light reaches the end of the fiber simultaneously, it reduces the signal distortion that would generally occur in Step Index Multimode Fiber.

Advantages Over Copper Cabling

Fiber optic cabling offers several advantages over copper cabling. First, they keep signals secure because electromagnetic induction cannot pick up signals in fiber optic cabling. The signals can only be accessed if they are physically opened or tapped to eavesdrop. The security from EMI also prevents crosstalk and noise from EMI. This is also why industrial environments use fiber optic cabling. Cables allow fast, undisturbed signal and information transfer, where machines often cause a lot of EMI.

Fiber optic cables are efficient, offering data transmission rates of 100 Gbps or higher. They also have lower attenuation, which allows signals to travel over distances that measure in kilometers. Often, fiber optic cabling is in campus-wide computer networks, as long cabling between buildings and local area connection LAN to highly populated servers or high-speed workstations.

Nationwide Communications Services

Contact Nationwide Communications Services to find out how we can help your business implement cutting edge fiber optic networks. We offer communication solutions to any size business. Our team of certified professionals is prepared to give you and your team the speed that you need to stay competitive in today's fast-paced environment.
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