Fiber Optic Communication system, Cable TV Systems, the Internet and more!
Fiber optic (or “optical fiber“) refers to the medium and the technology associated with the transmission of information as light impulses along a glass or plastic wire or fiber. Fiber optic wire carries much more information than conventional copper wire and is far less subject to electromagnetic interference.
https://searchnetworking.techtarget.com/definition/fiber-optic
If you take a look inside an optical cable, you can see it consists of the following:
- Core- Thin glass center of the fiber that allows the light to pass through.
- Cladding- outer material that surrounds the core and acts as a reflective surface for the light to bounce off.
- Buffer Coating- A plastic outer shell that prevents the fiber from being exposed to moisture that could damage the fiber.
- Jacket- outer covering
Just like anything, there are advantages and disadvantages to fiber optic in your communications system . Here is a comparison of Ethernet (copper) cable versus Fiber optic cable
Fiber Optic
- Substantially higher bandwidth than traditional copper cable over long distance.
- Resistance to electromagnetic interference since they work using transmission of light.
- Use significantly less energy
- Eliminates fire hazard because it does not use any electricity
- Easy to install due to their smaller size in diameter.
- Data sent over fiber optic is more difficult to intercept because light is not read in the same way as data sent via copper wire.
Ethernet
- Copper strands are wider in diameter so that means fewer wires can be bundled together in a 22 gauge cable than fiber.
- Since they use an electrical signal, Ethernet is more vulnerable to interference.
- The voltage in Ethernet cable is generally not enough to start a fire but there is electricity passing through all the time So this is using more energy than fiber .
- recent advances in copper wire allow them to have transfer speeds as fast as some fiber optic cables.
The Fiber optic Lines are strands of optically pure glass as thin as a strand of hair and can be found being used in many more ways than just data transferring- Automotive, Christmas lights, retail, military, oil wells, aerospace, art, video, drones and even children’s toys! Fiber optics are literally just about everywhere!
The process used to transfer this data can be easily demonstrated with a modified bucket with a window to allow light to pass through on one side and a window laser pointer. Check out this video below to see the process in action.
To learn more about how fiber optics can benefit your business communication, contact Midwest Telephone and let the experts help you find the right solution to optimize your business!