It’s been 30 years since fiber optic cables ushered in a new networking era that fueled the rise of the internet and our modern digital world.
Fiber optic cables, with their ability to transmit more data at a higher speed, became the backbone of the internet, and during the COVID-19 pandemic became a lifeline with work, school and social life shifting online. Fiber optic connections were no longer a luxury but a necessity.
“This is an essential item at this point. The pandemic has taught us that the internet is the backbone of business, and it’s the backbone of education, and it’s the backbone of the community. And as a result, that fiber optic connection or high-speed internet connection shouldn’t be seen as a luxury item,” Ted Rockwell past chair of the board of directors for the Boulder Chamber told the Daily Camera.
It helps to have a basic understanding of how fiber optic cables work to transmit information. While legacy copper cables used electric pulses to transmit data, fiber optic cables use light pulses.
Fiber optical cables are constructed of glass strands, each as small as a human hair, with an outer layer of cladding all wrapped inside an insulated jacket. In simplest terms, the “one bits” and “zero bits” of digital transmission are sent via a laser that generates light inside the cable.
The light signals travel through a glass tube in the optical core in the center of the fiber optic cables. This fiber optic light signal can travel as far as 60 miles before needing regeneration. The optical core size plays an important factor in the distance and quality of signal as the smaller the core, the farther the light pulse can travel on its own.
There are three main types of fiber optical cables:
“You will most likely come across the single mode and multimode type, instead of the plastic fiber type because of application and popularity,” writes Greg Martinez in Long Range Signal.
The difference between single mode and multimode fiber optic cables are all in the name:
POF does not use glass to transmit signals but is made of a polymer with a core 10 times larger than multimode fiber optic at 1 millimeter.
Here is a closer look at each of the three types of fiber optic cables.
Single mode fiber optical cable is the choice for carrying high data rates and/or long-distance hauls. A single path, also called mode, is used to carry light through small cores, typically 8-9 microns. Since there is just one light wave in a tight space, there is less signal attenuation, or reduction in strength, and less external interference.
Single mode, typically with a yellow jacket color but can come in a variety of colors, comes in two main categories:
Multimode fiber optical cables, with its multiple light paths, allows for higher bandwidth over short to medium distances.
While the increased number of light reflections increases multimode fiber optic cables ability to transmit more data, it also can lead to a higher rate of attenuation and dispersion, which leads to a loss of signal quality over long distances.
Multimode fiber optic cables, ideal for data centers, can be identified by their optical mode (OM) designation governed by ISO/IEC 11801 standard.
The five categories of multimode fiber optic cables are:
Multimode fiber optic cables may be manufactured with either graded or step-indexed profiles:
Plastic Optical Fiber (POF)
POF does not offer the same type of reach as single mode and multimode with data rate transmission at 150 Mbps over 164 feet.
This cable can be more durable than glass as it is quite resistant to bending and stretching. Can be used for short distances often in the automotive, aircraft and industrial industries.
At DCS the highest-quality fiber assemblies are Made in America in a facility in Dallas including:
Contact DCS today to find out how we can manufacture and install the right connectivity solution for your data center.