1310nm, 1550nm, Expansion and Monitor Ports on CWDM MUX/DEMUX

CWDM technologies have been widely accepted low cost and fast solutions to increase capacity of the existing fiber optic network without adding new fibers. To add more beneficial to CWDM networks, CWDM MUX/DEMUX, which is used to multiplexing and demultiplexing optical signals, is being added with special ports like expansion port, monitor port, 1310nm port and 1550nm port. What’s the function of these special port? Do you really need them on your CWDM MUX/DEMUX? This post will offer details about these special ports for your references.

Special 1310nm Port and 1550nm Port on CWDM MUX/DEMUX

CWDM utilizes usually wavelength range from 1270nm to 1610nm with a channel space of 20nm, which means the 1310nm and 1550nm are also the CWDM wavelengths. A full channel CWDM MUX/DEMUX can have 18 channels using 1310nm and 1550nm as channel ports. Actually, in most cases, 1310nm and 1550nm are used as channel port in CWDM MUX/DEMUX. They should be connected to the corresponding colored CWDM fiber optic transceiver, like CWDM 1310nm SFP and CWDM 1550nm SFP+.

As 1310nm and 1550nm are usually used for long distance transmission in normal fiber optic network. Most long distance fiber optic transceivers are designed to work over 1310nm and 1550nm. For example, 10G SFP+ LR transceiver is working over 1310nm and 10G SFP+ ZR is working over 1550nm. The Special 1310nm port and 1550nm port on CWDM MUX/DEMUX can be directly connected to these transceivers to expand the capacity of CWDM network. This is the main function of the 1310nm and 1550nm ports on CWDM MUX/DEMUX.

However, the special 1310nm and 155nm ports can affect the transmission of the wavelengths near it. The two port cannot be added freely. If you want to add 1310nm or 1550nm ports on your CWDM MUX/DEMUX, wavelengths which are 0-40 nm higher or lower than 1310 nm or 1550 nm cannot be added to the MUX. The following shows the ports that you can add on your CWDM MUX/DEMUX in different cases.

• If you add 1310nm port, the following ports can be added: 1370nm, 1390nm, 1410nm, 1430nm, 1450nm, 1470nm, 1490nm, 1510nm, 1530nm, 1550nm, 1570nm, 1590nm, 1610nm
• If you add 1550nm port, the following ports can be added: 1270nm, 1290nm, 1310nm, 1330nn, 1350nm, 1370nm, 1390nm, 1410nm, 1450nm, 1470nm, 1490nm
• If you add both 1310nm port and 1550 port, the following ports can be added: 1270nm, 1290nm, 1310nm, 1350nm, 1510nm, 1530nm, 1550nm, 1570nm, 1590nm

Expansion Port on CWDM MUX/DEMUX

Although CWDM has 18 channels that can be used for transmission, in many cases, not all these channels are needed at one time or when the CWDM network deployed. But once you want to add more wavelengths to the existing CWDM network, the expansion port on CWDM MUX/DEMUX will play an important role, which can combine two individual CWDM MUX/DEMUXs with different wavelengths as one CWDM MUX/DEMUX.

Here takes this 16-channel FS.COM FMU CWDM MUX/DEMUX as an example. There are two half-U plug-in CWDM MUX/DEMUXs deployed in a 1U rack. The module on the left side has an additional expansion ports. If you connect the expansion port with the line port on CWDM MUX/DEMUX on the right side. The two CWDM MUX/DEMUXs can work as one. This is the magic of the expansion port. If your network hasn’t used all the CWDM channel and you can to add more in the future, you can buy add an expansion port on your MUX/DEMUX or add the expansion port on the new CWDM MUX/DEMUX in the future.

Monitor Port on the CWDM MUX/DEMUX

Unlike the above mentioned three special ports which can increase the capacity of the CWDM network, the monitor port literally is used for monitoring the CWDM network. In many cases, the monitor port is necessary which can simplify turn-up operations of CWDM networks, and can be used for in-service monitoring of the CWDM signals by connecting an optical spectrum analyzer or a power meter.

Conclusion

The 1310nm port, 1550nm port and expansion port are designed to increase the capacity of CWDM network. The Monitoring port is added for better network management and operation. Except the 1550nm port, all these port can also be added on the DWDM Mux/DEMUX and play the same function. Kindly visit WDM page for full series of CWDM and DWDM solutions, if you are interested.

Source: http://www.fiber-optic-tutorial.com/1310nm-1550nm-expansion-monitor-ports-cwdm-muxdemux.html

Which Fiber Patch Enclosure Fits Your Data Center Application?

Fiber patch enclosure, providing solid fiber optic links protection and easy & fast cable management, is becoming a must-have component in data center and server room fiber cabling. As data center cabling requirements are various, fiber patch enclosures also have a lot of designs. Selecting the right fiber patch enclosures can largely increase the working efficiency and decrease the costs for labor and time. Which fiber patch enclosure knows fits your data center requirements best? Here will introduce several most commonly used and affordable fiber patch enclosures that are used for data center cabling.

Fiber Patch Enclosure Divided Overall Design

There are two widely used designs of fiber patch enclosures in general: wall mount fiber patch enclosure and rack mount fiber patch enclosure. The functions of the two types fiber patch enclosures can be literally understood. Usually, a wall mount enclosure can be installed directly on wall for fiber cabling. A rack mount fiber patch enclosure usually has a industry standard 19 inch wide rack unit (RU) design and can be installed on a rack for fiber cabling. For higher fiber count, the rack mount fiber enclosure could be 2/4/6/12RU or more.

The rack mount fiber patch enclosure also has two versions in general. One is a fixed one with a lid which can be removed from the enclosure for fiber cabling, the other one is a slide-out fiber patch enclosure. Currently, the most popular rack mount fiber patch enclosure is usually has a slide-out design, which allows customers to remove the whole enclosure from the rack and provides easier internal fiber connection access.

Fiber Patch Enclosures With Different Front Panel

The front panel of a fiber patch enclosure is also very important which can directly affects the fiber count that an enclosure can provide and the cabling methods. To fit various fiber cabling environments and network applications, the fiber patch enclosure front panels come in a variety of types. Here will introduces several most popular fiber enclosures with different front panel designs.

Fiber Patch Enclosure With Fixed Front Adapter Panel

A fixed front adapter panel is usually a 19 inch wide fiber adapter panel which can be installed on the fiber patch enclosure to accommodate various fiber optic connectors. The port number and fiber adapter type will determine the fiber count and connector types that can be installed with the fiber patch enclosures. The following picture shows a 1U fiber adapter panel loaded with 24 duplex LC adapters which can provide up to 48 fiber optic connections. This fiber adapter panel can be installed on fiber patch enclosure working as the front panel.

Fiber Patch Enclosure With Removable Adapter Panels

Driven by the requirement for higher cabling density and flexible cabling methods, the front panel of a fiber patch enclosure could be composed by several individual fiber adapter panels which could be loaded with the same or different types of fiber optic adapters. Meanwhile, these individual fiber adapter panels can provide various types of adapters and higher cabling density. Generally, up to three 12 duplex LC port fiber adapter panels with industry standards can be installed on a 1U rack mount fiber enclosure. However, a smaller version of fiber adapter panel is also provided. Up to four 12 duplex port fiber adapter panels can be installed on a 1U rack mount fiber enclosure.

Fiber Patch Enclosure With Removable MTP/MPO Cassettes

The fiber adapter panel that installed on the fiber enclosures required additional internal fiber cabling, which usually uses fiber pigtails. As 40G/100G fiber networks which use MTP/MPO interfaces are gradually being deployed in today’s data center, the cabling methods become more complex. To simplify the cabling methods, MTP/MPO cassettes are being introduced to the market. Up to three LGX MTP/MPO cassettes can be installed on a 1U fiber panel enclosure. With these cassettes, the internal cabling of a fiber patch enclosure could be eliminated. For higher cabling density, there is also a high density cassette. Up to four of the HD MTP/MPO cassettes can be installed on a 1U fiber panel.

Conclusion

The above mentioned fiber patch enclosures are the most commonly used ones in today’s applications. The cabling environments of every data center are different. Finding the right fiber patch enclosures means a lot. Excepted standard fiber enclosures, there are also a lot of customized fiber enclosures that are provided in FS.COM. Customer can design their own fiber patch enclosures in FS.COM according to their own applications.

Source: http://www.fiber-optic-tutorial.com/fiber-patch-enclosure-fits-data-center-application.html

How to Build 10G CWDM Network

As a passive technology, CWDM allows for any protocol to be transported over fiber optic link at specific wavelengths. CWDM technology is a cost-effective and simple method to increase the capacities of fiber optic network, by using different wavelengths to carry different signals over a single optical fiber. The wide deployment of CWDM network is greatly driven by its affordable cost.

What Is Need for A 10G CWDM Network?

The deployment of a 10G CWDM network is relaying on the exiting fiber optic network. Adding some components on the existing network can largely increase its capacity for data transmission. Here will introduce the key component and an important step during 10G CWDM network deployment.

A Key Component—CWDM Mux/Demux

A key component should be deployed is CWDM Mux/Demux, which combines different wavelength signals from different optical fibers into a single optical fiber, or separates different wavelength signals coming from a single optical fiber to separate optical fibers. The Channel number of a CWDM Mux/Demux is an important factor to divide this device. Standards have identified 18 CWDM Channels. Most of the CWDM Mux/Demux are provided with Channel number range from 2 to 16. However, FS.COM provides a 18-Channel CWDM Mux/Demux which can increase capacity of CWDM network to the most. CWDM Mux/Demuxs also come into a variety of package form factors. The most commonly used are LGX design, rack design and pigtail design.

An Important Step—Connecting CWDM Mux/Demux With 10G Switch

Connecting CWDM Mux/Demux with a 10G switch, is the most important step to build a 10G CWDM network. In simple, to add more devices on the fiber optic network by CWDM technology is to connect the CWDM Mux/Demux with the 10G switches which are linked to the end users. To link CWDM Mux/Demux with the switches, fiber patch cable and 10G CWDM SFP+ transceiver are needed. 10G CWDM SFP+ transceiver should be installed on the switch SFP+ port (some switches use XFP port, then 10G CWDM XFP transceiver is required). Then a length of fiber patch cable should be used to link the transceiver and CWDM Mux/Demux.

How to Select to Right 10G CWDM SFP+ Transceivers?

Choose the Right Working Wavelength: To ensure the right connection, the specific wavelength port should be connected to the same wavelength CWDM SFP+ transceivers. For example, the port on the CWDM Mux/Demux marked with 1270 nm, should be connected to a CWDM SFP+ transceiver that working over wavelength of 1270 nm. As there are 18 different CWDM wavelengths, 10G CWDM SFP+ transceivers that are provided in the market also can 18 different versions for these wavelengths.

Choose the Compatible CWDM SFP+: It is common sense that the fiber optic transceiver should be compatible with the switch which it works on. For instance, if you are using a Cisco switch, the fiber optic transceivers that you used with this switch should be original Cisco transceivers or Cisco compatible transceivers which are provided by third party vendors. The latter is usually the choice of many companies, this is because third party transceivers are usually more cheap than the original brand transceivers. Fiber optic transceivers provided by third party vendor like FS.COM are all fully tested on original brand switch to ensure their compatibility and quality. What’s more, most of FS.COM fiber optic transceivers support same day shipping. Select the right SFP do not only cut your cost and time, but also provide high network performance.

Choose the Transmission Distance According to Your Needs: CWDM network is usually deployed for long distance transmission. Thus the 10G CWDM SFP+ transceiver that are provided in the market usually support transmission distance longer than 20 km, some can support link length up to 80 km or more. You can select the 10G CWDM SFP+ according to your requirements.

Here list the generic whole band 10G CWDM SFP+ fiber optic transceivers that support link length of 20km, 40km and 60km. If you need the brand compatible CWDM SFP+, kindly contact sales@fs.com or visit FS.COM for more details.

Wavelength	20km CWDM SFP+	40km CWDM SFP+	60km CWDM SFP+
1270 nm	44170	44363	44743
1290 nm	44171	44364	44744
1310 nm	44172	44365	44745
1330 nm	44173	44366	44746
1350 nm	44269	44367	44747
1370 nm	44270	44368	44748
1390 nm	44271	44369	44749
1410 nm	44272	44370	44750
1430 nm	44273	44371	44751
1450 nm	44274	44372	44752
1470 nm	44299	44550	44827
1490 nm	44300	44551	44828
1510 nm	44301	44552	44829
1530 nm	44302	44553	44830
1550 nm	44303	44554	44831
1570 nm	44304	44555	44832
1590 nm	44305	44556	44833
1610 nm	44306	44557	44834

Conclusion

With the improvement of technology and market, the cost of CWDM network has decrease a lot. To build a 10G CWDM network is affordable to most companies. For full series of CWDM network Solutions, please visit the following link: WDM Solution

Source: http://www.fiber-optic-tutorial.com/build-10g-cwdm-network.html

Fiber Patch Panels for Ultra High Density Cabling

How to build a flexible and manageable cabling system in high density cabling environment is becoming an issue which has attracted increasing attention of many data centers. Cable management components like fiber patch panels have kept upgrading to meet the increasing needs for high density cabling. Proper using of fiber patch panels does not only provide well management for fiber patch cables in data center, but also protects the fiber patch cables and reduces the risks of faults cause by problems like bend loss, dusts and wrong connections. For ultra high density cabling like 40G and 100G connections, things would be more complex. Luckily, with clever design of fiber patch panels, customers won’t worry about fiber cable mess and faults caused by bad cable management.

Larger Fiber Count Means More Space Requirements

For 40G network, the backbone core signals are generally distributed into 4 strands of 10G signals in first. This process usually employs fanout MTP to LC fiber patch cables. For example, a 8-fiber MTP to 4 LC duplex fiber harness cable provides 8 fibers for 4 ways of duplex transmission. It means a fanout cable with a MTP connector and 8 legs terminated with LC connector added in data center for a single duplex way of 40G transmission. In data center, a lot of 40G network should be built, which means the fiber cable count will be largely increased. Not to mention the 100G applications, which will increase at least 10 fibers for every 100G signal distribution.

Using Modular Design to Reduce the Space Requirements

To solve this problem, a series of fiber patch panels have been invented for 40G and 100G signal distribution applications. Here introduce two versions of ultra high density fiber patch panels which are designed for 40G and 100G applications separately: 1U 96-fiber MTP to LC breakout fiber patch panel and 2U 160-fiber MTP to LC breakout fiber patch panel. Both of them use the industry standard rack unit design, which can be installed on any standard rack.

1U 96-Fibers MTP-LC Fiber Patch Panel for 40G Applications

The above picture shows the details of this 96-fiber breakout patch panel. On the back panel of this unit, there are 12 8-fiber MTP adapters which are separately linked 12 groups of LC duplex adapters on the front panel. Each of the 12 groups has 4 duplex LC adapters which can support 4 ways of 10G duplex transmission. Thus, the whole fiber patch panel can support up to 12*40G transmission in duplex ways. To decrease the error connections, each port has been clearly identified by numbers and groups.

160-Fiber MTP-LC Fiber Patch Panel for 100G Applications

A 160 fibers MTP to LC fiber patch panel uses a standard 2U rack design, which uses the same theory of the above mentions 96-fiber 40G fiber patch panel. The distribution of the 100G signals is generally achieved in 10*10G. There are 8 20-fiber MTP adapters on the back panel of this 100G fiber patch panel. Each of them connects a 20-fiber MTP adapter on the back panel to a group of 10 duplex LC adapters on the front panel. Thus, 8*100G duplex transmissions can be achieved with this 2U rack.

Conclusion

The above mentioned 1U 96-fibers MTP-LC fiber patch panel for 40G and 160-fiber MTP-LC fiber patch panel for 100G applications do not only decrease the space requirement for ultra high density cabling environment, but also decrease the faults caused by cable clutter, connection, disconnecting or bend loss by protecting the optical fiber in side a strong and reliable box. Kindly visit FS.COM or contact sales@fs.com for more details about ultra high density patch panels, if you are interested.

Source: http://www.fiber-optic-tutorial.com/fiber-patch-panels-ultra-high-density-cabling.html

How Many Choices Do You Still Have for Fiber Patch Cable?

Fiber patch cable, also known as fiber jumper, is a key component in today’s fiber optic network. They play the role of veins in the whole fiber optic network bringing fiber optic signals between devices.

How to Select Standard Fiber Patch Cable?

During the selection of standard fiber patch cables, several questions are usually take into consideration:

• What’s the fiber type of the patch cable? The available selection are Multimode (OM1, OM2, OM3, OM4) and single-mode (OS1 and OS2).
• What’s the connector type and connector polishing type on the two ends of fiber patch cable? Currently the most commonly used fiber patch cables are usually terminated with LC, SC and MPO connectors.
• What’s the fiber count of the patch cable? Simplex (one fiber) and duplex (2 fibers) fiber patch cable are very common. For fiber patch cables terminated with MTP/MPO connector or breakout fiber patch cables. Their fiber count would be larger, sometime up to 24 fibers or more.
• What’s the material of the fiber patch cable jacket? PVC, LSZH, Armored, and OFNP are the choice of most situations.

Not All Fiber Patch Cable Are Created Equal

Now with the fiber optic cable being widely used in a variety of industries and places, the requests for fiber patch are being refined. Fiber patch cable are being required to be improved and provide more possibilities to satisfy various application environments. Actually, many specially fiber patch cable have been created to answer the market call. Here will introduce several unique but useful fiber patch cable for your references.

Bend Insensitive Fiber Patch Cable for Lower Signal Loss

Bend loss issues are always a headache problem for most fiber optic network designers and installers. Why? Cause signal loss caused by bend loss issues are really hard to handle. In addition the bend loss issues are difficult to locate. That’s why bend insensitive fiber patch cables are created. Literally, it tells us that this type of fiber patch cable is not as sensitive as other fiber patch cables. The secrets is lays on the fibers which is made of bend insensitive glass. More and more data centers and FTTH systems are tend to use these bend insensitive fiber patch cables, because they do not provide lower signal loss, but also provide a much more durable and easy to maintain networking environment. Fiber optic installer is able to save installation cost with faster installation due to easier fiber optic cable handling.

Keyed LC Fiber Patch Cable for Data Security

Keyed LC fiber patch cable, is also called secured LC fiber patch cable. This is because, the fiber optic connectors on the two end of the patch cable are specially designed LC connectors, which can ensure the data security at the mechanic level. Keyed LC fiber patch cable is identifies by the connector color. Keyed LC fiber patch cable is just a part of the Keyed LC connectivity product family. It should be used with the same colored fiber adapters or fiber adapter panels. Each color of a set of keyed LC connectivity products represents a unique keying pattern that only allows matched color mating. This is how keyed LC fiber patch cable can provide data security for fiber optic network. A previous article (Secure Fiber Optic Link With Keyed LC Connectivity Products) of my has introduce keyed LC connectivity in details, kindly follow the link on the article title if you need more information about them.

Uniboot LC Fiber Patch Cable for Easier Cable Management

Uniboot LC fiber patch cable is a fiber patch cable with two fibers wrapped in the same strand of cable. A duplex LC fiber optic connector which can provide easy polarity reversal is terminated on each end of the uniboot LC fiber patch cable. The following picture show the polarity reversal of a typical uniboot LC fiber patch cable. With less cabling space are require, better cooling is available. With easier polarity reversal, no additional tools are required. And easier cable management can be enjoyed.

HD TAB Fiber Patch Cable for Space Saving

HD (high density) TAB fiber patch cable is a fiber patch cable with its connectors attached with a push pull tab, which can provide easier finger access and cable locating. Today’s fiber optic network is increasing depended on high density which results in difficult finger access and difficult cable management. With a push-pull tab attached on the connector, problem are solved easily. The connecting and disconnection of fiber patch cables will be easier without affecting other surrounding links. Currently most HD TAB fiber patch cables available the market are terminated with LC and MTP/MPO connectors. For more information about this type of patch cable kindly visit my article: Cabling With High Density Push-Pull Tab Patch Cords.

HD Uniboot LC Fiber Patch Cable—Space Saving to the Extreme

HD uniboot LC fiber patch cable combine the advantages of uniboot LC fiber patch cable and HD TAB fiber patch cable. Combining two optical fibers in a single cable strand and attaching a push-pull tab on the connectors, HD uniboot LC fiber patch cable can minimize the required cabling spaces to extreme. It is an ideal solution for high density cabling environment.

Except the standard fiber patch cable, there are still a lot of choices which can meet the requirements of various networking environment. All the above mentioned fiber patch cable are all available in FS.COM. Kindly visit FS.COM or contact sales@fs.com for more details.

Cable Tie Is Not as Easy as You Think

When think of cable ties, most people would firstly thought of a bunch of self-locking throwaway plastic strips. One might think a cable tie is just a cable tie. There are many uses for cable ties. And there are also a wide variety of cable ties which are designed for different applications. The plastic self-locking cable ties are the most commonly used ones. However, even these simple plastic loops come into various types according to their color, length, width, and serrations. Proper cable ties do not only provide long-life and dependable services but also better cable management, especially in data centers and server rooms which are the worlds of various cables. To choose the right cable tie for your applications, this post would like to offer some suggestions when making your decisions.

Locking Design of Cable Tie

Self Locking Cable Tie: The most important thing of a cable tie is its locking technology. With a good locking design, cable tie can provide firm locking for the cables. The most commonly used cable tie is also called zip tie, which is one-piece design with a lot of serration on the cable tie to lock the cables firmly. The following picture shows the structure of this cable tie. This design allows the cable tie to perform to the published minimum tensile strength.

Reusable Self-Locking Cable Tie: The zip tie is easy to use and affordable. However, this type of cable tie cannot be reused, cause once the cable tie is locked it would be really hard to unlock or release it. You have to cut them down if you don’t need them. To improve this design, a little latch is added on the tongue of the cable tie, which makes the cable ties reusable. As shown in the following picture, the reusable self-locking cable tie can be easily released by pressing the latch on the tongue, which can perfectly ignore the affection of the serrations on the cable tie.

Magic Velcro Cable Tie: This type of cable tie is also reusable. The hooks and hairs on the cable tie can provide firm locking for the cables (shown in the following pictures). And it can make cable management safer and more convenient. It is also widely used in household applications to organize wires. This Velcro cable tie is usually sold in rolls.

Identification Cable Tie: the above mention cable ties are all available in different colors. Color is a useful feature for identification. Thus, customers can use cable tie in different colors for identification. However, it happens that the color is not enough for cable identification if there are too many cables or too much information. Then, an improved cable tie with a marker or label attached on the cable tie is offered (shown in the following picture).

Materials of Cable Tie

The function and performance are also largely depended on the materials of the cable ties. The above mentioned cable type are the most commonly used ones, which are usually made of plastic, Nylon and Velcro. However, for some harsh environment, elements like temperature and strength should be considered during cable tie selection. There is a type of cable tie which is made of stainless steel, usually known as heavy duty stainless steel cable tie(as shown in the following picture). It is commonly used in outdoor applications.

Other Factors to Consider During Cable Tie Selection

The length of cable ties available in market ranges from 4 to 52 inches. The cable tie length should be longer than the diameter of the cable bundle. It cannot be too long or too short. The proper width of a cable tie will also help a lot. Both the length and width of the cable ties should be depended on the applications.

Cable Ties Solutions

The above mention cable ties are all listed in the following table for your reference. You can Click HERE or contact sales@fs.com for more details about cable tie.

Products	Description
Nylon cable ties	available size: 2.5*12mm, 3.6*150mm, 4.5*120mm, 5.5*200mm; available in various colors
Velco cable tie	available size:50*100mm, 10*100mm, 30*100mm, 100*100mm, 15*100mm; available in various color
Identification cable tie	available size: 1*5/16Inch, 11/8*5/8Inch, 11/8*5/8Inch; available in various color
Reusable cable ties	available size: 8*0.19Inch, 8*0.19Inch, 10*0.19Inch, 12*0.19Inch; available in various color
Stainless steel cable tie	available size: 8Inch, 10Inch, 12Inch

Which Fiber Media Converter Is Perfect for Your Project?

Fiber media converter is a simple but useful devices that can provide conversion between fiber optic and other types of media. The most common use of fiber media converter is transmission between fiber and copper to extend the network or introduce fiber optic cabling to a copper based network. As these devices can be installed almost everywhere in the network and it is affordable, they are also being designated for many other applications. Various types of fiber media converters are provided in the market, people easily get confused during selecting the best ones for their projects. In this post, the fiber media converter selecting guide will be offered for your references.

Factors to Consider During Fiber Media Converters

To select the right fiber media converters for your project, many elements should be considered. You should firstly consider where you want to use fiber media converters and how to use them. Then, You should know the functions and characters of fiber media converters. The following will list some important factors that should be considered during fiber media converters selection.

Data Rate: the speed of the devices that fiber media converter is to connect to should be firstly considered. The most commonly used are 10/100Mpbs, 10/100/1000Mpbs, 1000Mpbs.

Fiber Type: which two different types of transmission medias should be converted between each other? For example, fiber optic to copper, single-mode fiber optic to multimode fiber optic, dual strand or single strand, etc.

Wavelength: to add the fiber media converters to a fiber optic network, the wavelength that the signal should be specified to the network and the devices.

Port Type and Port Number: fiber media converter also have various port type. The most commonly used types for fiber optic on the fiber media converters are ST, SC and SFP. The number of the power should depend on the applications.

Transmission Distance: the transmission distances of a pair of fiber media converter are also various and can satisfy various requirements from 2km to 15km or more.

PoE Function: PoE fiber media converter can fully satisfy the need to be powered in physical locations where main power is not available or difficult to deliver.

Power Requirement: the most commonly used are AC power supply, DC power supply,, internal power supply, and external power supply.

Fiber Media Converters According to Applications

The above mentioned are the basic factors that should be considered during selection. However, as mentioned the applications are also very important. To offer a more simple and direct way for fiber media selection. Here collected the different fiber media converters and divided them according to their applications. Click the fiber media type in the following table, you can find the fiber media converters belong to this catalog, with their specifications and prices in details.

Fiber to RJ45 Converters	SFP Ethernet Converters
OEO Converters	Mode Converters
Managed Ethernet Converters	Power over Ethernet Products
Fiber Video Converters	PDH E1 & Serial Converters

Understand 100G Ethernet Standards

People want 100G Ethernet, meanwhile, they want to reduce the cost and increase the port density to the most. Driven by the combination of elements like that, 100G Ethernet standards and related optical transceivers have improved a lot in the past few years. As so many 100G Ethernet standards and package form factors are used, people might be confused by them easily. This post offers a detailed introduction about 100G Ethernet standards.

The first 100G Ethernet standard was approved in 2010. After that tremendous changes have happened in 100G technology in many aspects. The first generation of the 100G standards use the 10x10G lane in electrical signaling. For media signaling, some use 10x10G and some use 4x10G. The second generation 100G Ethernet standards apply 4x10G signaling for both electrical and media. In terms of transmission distances, different standards can support different transmission distance. Now there are more choices for transmission distances ranging from 1 meter to 40 kilometers. Meanwhile, the package form factors also changed a lot. The first 100G transceivers CFP is much larger than that of the new one QSFP28. To offer an intuitive way to illustrate these 100G Ethernet standards, I will list them in the following table.

Name	Distance	Media Type	Module Type	Media Signaling	Electrical Signaling	Standard
100GBASE-KP4	1m	Backplane	Backplane	4x25	4x25	June 2014 IEEE 802.3bj
100GBASE-KR4	1m	Backplane	Backplane	4x25	4x25	June 2014 IEEE 802.3bj
100GBASE-CR4	5m	Twinax Copper	CFP2, CFP4 QSFP28	4x25	10x10	June 2014 IEEE 802.3bj
100GBASE-CR10	7m	Twinax Copper	CXP, CFP2 CFP4, QSFP28	10x10	4x25	June 2010 IEEE 802.3ba
100GBASE-SR4	OM3: 70m OM4: 100m	Parallel MMF	CFP2, CFP4 CPAK, QSFP28	4x25	10x10	March 2015 IEEE 802.3bm
100GBASE-SR10	OM3: 100m OM4: 150m	Parallel MMF	CFP, CFP2, CFP4 CPAK, CXP	10x10	10x10	June 2010 IEEE 802.3ba
10x10-2km	2km	Duplex SMF	CFP	10x10	10x10	March 2011 10x10 MSA
10x10-10km	10km	Duplex SMF	CFP	10x10	10x10	August 2011 10x10 MSA
100GBASE-LR4	10km	Duplex SMF	CFP, CFP2, CFP4 CPAK, QSFP28	4x25	10x10	June 2010 IEEE 802.3ba
10x10-40km	40km	Duplex SMF	CFP	10x10	10x10	August 2011 10x10 MSA
100GBASE-ER4	40km	Duplex SMF	CFP, CFP2	4x25	10x10	June 2010 IEEE 802.3ba

The above table contains the 100G standards that published by IEEE and MSA, which are listed by the transmission distance from the top to the bottom. According to reports from many marketing reports, 100G optical component market will surge in 2016. FS.COM provide 100G solutions including transceivers, patch cable, cable management products, etc. Kindly contact sales@fs.com or visit FS.COM for more details about 100G Ethernet and products, if you are interested.

This post is originally published at: http://www.fiber-optic-tutorial.com/understand-100g-ethernet-standards.html

How to Connect Fiber Media Converter to Network

Fiber media converter is a device which can connect two types of medias, like copper to fiber optic and single-mode fiber to multimode fiber. As a cost-effective device that can connect two dissimilar cable media, it has been widely used in today’s network, especially FTTH systems. Although fiber media converters come into various types according to the parameters like data rate, interfaces, form factors, power options and Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP), the purposes to use fiber media converters in networks are usually simple. They are often used in pairs to extend a network over fiber by inserting a fiber segment into a copper network, or be used individually to accomplish the conversion between two different cable types. This post will introduce the connection guide of fiber media converters.

Interface Types of Fiber Media Converters

Before connecting fiber media converters, the interface of them should be firstly acknowledged. The following picture shows the most commonly used connectors that a fiber media converters may use. The ST connector is designed for fiber using a bayonet locking system. SC connector and LC connector are the most popular small-form-factor fiber connectors. The MT-RJ connector is a RJ-style connector which has a molded body. The RJ45 is the familiar to most people, which is designed for copper cable and can be found on most of our devices that need to be connected to the Ethernet. The above mentioned interfaces of the fiber media converters can be connected to the target devices directly by patch cords. However, for SFP, SFP+ and XFP transceivers, there are two methods for connecting the media converters to the network. The connection methods will be introduced in the following.

Connecting Fiber Media Converters to Network

There is one of the most important things about fiber media converters, which is they are often used in pairs. The two fiber media converters should be connected to each other for single transmission and conversion.

The above picture shows an application example of fiber media converters. For fiber media converters with fiber optic interface of LC/ST/SC/MT-RJ, the interfaces on the two media converters can be connected directly by a length of fiber optic patch cable that has the corresponding connector type. The RJ45 port of each media converter is connected to 10/100Base-TX HUB and computer server separately. The two fiber media converters should be supported by electricity.

For fiber media converter that has a SFP/SFP+ or XFP transceiver interface. The connection between the two media converters is a little bit different from the others. Two optical transceivers are needed. Additional optical transceiver should be inserted to the port firstly and then the two media converter should be connected via ports of the two optical transceivers. If the port support 10G and the transmission distance between the two converters is less than 100 meters, then a length of SFP+ to SFP+ AOC can be used.

Conclusion

The above mentioned fiber media converters connections are just the most basic methods. As there are a variety of media converters and their functions are different from each other. Connecting the fiber media converters largely depends on the practical using. Kindly visit FS.COM or contact sales@fs.com for more details. Our professional sales and technical support are willing to solve your problems about media converters.

Source: http://www.fiber-optic-tutorial.com/how-to-connect-fiber-media-converter-to-network.html

Commonly Used Fiber Optic Cleaners

As cleanliness of the interfaces in fiber optic networks can directly affect the transmission quality, fiber optic cleaning is a must-have process during fiber optic network installation, testing and maintenance. You should always keep it in mind. You need to clean the fiber optic interface on the test equipment and fiber optic connectors before you actually doing the test. You need to clean the fiber optic connector or interfaces regularly in your daily maintenance. Various fiber optic cleaning methods are created. No matter you use dry cleaning or wet cleaning, basic tools are needed. However, we might be confused during the selecting of the fiber optic cleaning tools, cause there are so many different kinds of fiber optic connectors, interfaces and working environments. This post is to introduce the most commonly used fiber optic cleaners for different kinds fiber optic connectors.

One-Click Fiber Optic Cleaner

One-click fiber optic cleaner is one of the most popular fiber optic cleaner which eliminate the use of alcohol or solvents. Thus, it can save time efficiently with excellent performance. I would like to call it “Click and Cleaned”. Here I will introduce how to used one click fiber optic cleaner firstly.

The following picture is the top of an one-click connector, the cleaning tip of the cleaner is covered with a guide cap for fiber optic connectors. A cover is on the top of the guide cap, which can provide protection to the cleaning tip combining with the guide cap.

If you need to clean a fiber optic connector, the guide cap plays the function of a fiber optic adapter. Insert the cleaning tip into the connector with the guide cap as shown in the following picture, and press the cleaner until you hear a click. Then a cleaning is done by fiber optic cleaner.

If you need to clean a fiber optic adapter, you should firstly remove the whole guide cap on the one-click cleaner. Then insert the cleaning tip into the adapter as shown in the following picture. Just by simple pressing, until you hear the click, a cleaning for a fiber optic adapter is done. It is very useful during test, cause the test equipment usually have an interface of adapter.

Different types of connectors might have ferrules of different sizes. Thus, there are also accordance fiber optic cleaners for various connectors. Introduces several popular one-click fiber optic cleaners for different connectors.

One-Click Cleaner for LC/MU 1.25mm Ferrules

• Price: $19.00
• Item Part Number: FS-CLK-1.25
• Package Form: One-click cleaner
• Target Use: LC, MU
• Cleaning Times: Over 800 times per unit

One-Click Cleaner for SC/ST/FC 2.5mm Ferrules

• Price: $19.00
• Item Part Number: FS-CLK-2.5
• Package Form: One-click cleaner
• Target Use: SC, ST, FC
• Cleaning Times: Over 800 times per unit

One-Click Cleaner for MTP/MPO Connector  

• Price: $48.00
• Item Part Number: CLE-MPO-600
• Package Form: One-click cleaner
• Target Use: MPO/MTP
• Cleaning Times: Over 600 times per unit

Reel-Type Fiber Optic Cleaner

Reel-type fiber optic cleaner contains a refillable lint free reel of cloth that is moved after each cleaning, always presenting a clean surface. Reel-type fiber optic cleaners come in different package forms, but most of them are cassette form.

This type of fiber optic cleaner is able to clean a wide rage of fiber optic connectors, which also avoid the using of alcohol or solvents. The following shows the basic structure of a reel-type fiber optic cleaner and its replacement tape. The cleaning with this cleaner is also very simple. Firstly depress lever to expose cleaning slot and cloth. Second, slide the connector end face gently. Third, keep connector perpendicular to cleaning surface. Then a cleaning is done.

CLE-BOX Fiber Optic Cassette Cleaner for LC/MU/SC/FC/ST/MPO/MTRJ

• Price: $21.00
• Item Part Number: FS-CLE-BOX
• Package Form: Cassette cleaner
• Target Use: LC, MU, SC, FC, ST, MPO, MTRJ
• Cleaning Times: Over 500 times per unit

Replacement Tape for CLE-BOX Fiber Optic Cassette Cleaner

• Price: $16.00
• Item Part Number: CLE-BOX-RT
• Package Form: Cassette cleaner
• Target Use: Replace tape for cassette cleaner
• Cleaning Times: Over 500 times per unit

The above mentioned fiber optic cleaners are just a small part of the cleaning product family and are generally for dry cleaning. Kindly visit FS.COM or contact sales@fs.com for more details about the wet cleaning for other fiber optic cleaning products.

Source: http://www.fiber-optic-tutorial.com/commonly-used-fiber-optic-cleaners.html

Double Density QSFP (QSFP-DD) Is Coming

Recently the building of QSFP-DD (Multi Source Agreement) Group has excited optical communication industry. This group, including 13 members which are all the leading vendors in the industry, like Cisco, Brocade and Finisar, aims to create a upgraded version of QSFP transceiver, which is called QSFP-DD ( double density QSFP) and will be able to support 200G/400G Ethernet.

Introduction

The QSFP-DD is similar to the current QSFP. But there are many differences between the current QSFP. The reason why the new transceiver is called "double density" is related to the current 100G QSFP28 transceivers. The "double density" means the doubling of the number of high-speed electrical interfaces that the module supports compare to regular QSFP28 module.

QSFP-DD and QSFP28

We can understand the QSFP-DD better by comparing it with the current 100G QSFP28 module. QSFP28 transceiver is a four-channel transceiver which is able to transmit and receive 100G per second simultaneously. With the advantages of high speed and low power, QSFP28 transceiver is becoming more popular than other 100G transceivers like CFP2 and CFP4. The 100G QSFP28 transceiver is implemented with four lanes with each supporting data rate of 25G.

The working principle of QSFP-DD is similar with 100G QSFP28 transceiver. The QSFP-DD MSA group will increase the lane to eight. There will be a row of contacts providing for an eight lane electrical interface in QSFP-DD. If modulated by NEZ, each lane of the QSFP-DD can support data rate up to 25G, thus, it can support a total data rate of 200G. If modulated by PAM4, QSFP-DD transceiver can support data rate up to 400G with each lane supporting data rate of 50G. The MSA group also announced that the QSFP-DD can enable up to 14.4Tbps aggregate bandwidth in a single switch slot, which can definitely satisfy the increasing need for higher bandwidth.

Another great feature of QSFP-DD is that its system will be backwards compatible, allowing them to support existing QSFP modules and provide flexibility for end users and system designer. This means the data center could save a considerable sum of money in the future upgrading.

Future and Present

The appearance of QSFP28 transceiver has changed the regular development road map of Ethernet. The regular upgrade road is 10G to 40G and then 100G. While the QSFP28 transceiver has changed it from 25G directly to 100G. The road map of this QSFP-DD is also drawing our attention. It is predicted that QSFP-DD will become a useful family of modules for the industry with application at greater than 400G. Meanwhile, there is no efforts underway to define these new speeds but it is expected that QSFP-DD will have a roadmap that supports.

Any way, no matter where the QSFP-DD lead our Ethernet to, it is good news for our future networking system. The creating of this new module will still need some time. For now, many data centers are considering about upgrading their data center with 100G QSFP28 transceivers. And there are a variety of switches which support QSFP28 interfaces on the market. However, 100G QSFP28 transceiver is still not cheap in the current market. For example, the price of a 100GBASE-SR4 QSFP28 transceiver is generally more than $2000.00. However, in FS.COM, supported by OEM, the price is much more favorable. A 100GBASE-SR4 QSFP28 transceiver only cost $650.00 in FS.COM. The following chart is detailed information of 100G QSFP28 transceivers in FS.COM.

FS P/N	Form Type	Data Rate	Wavelength	Max Cable Distance	Interface	Cable Type	DOM Support
100G QSFP28-SR4	QSFP28	103.1 Gbps	850 nm	100 m	MPO (MTP12)	MMF	Yes
100G QSFP28-LR4	QSFP28	103.1 Gbps	1310 nm	10 km	LC Duplex	SMF	Yes

For more details, please contact us at sales@fs.com or visit FS.COM.

Source: http://www.fiber-optic-tutorial.com/double-density-qsfp-qsfp-dd-is-coming.html