What is Fiber Optic Switch?
Fiber optic switch is a kind of communication
control equipment used in different applications in different industries, but
it is best known for fiber optic networks. Compared with copper cables, data
transmission is faster and more efficient. A fiber optic switch or optical
fiber network switch is a device that transmits signals and data through
optical cables and optical modules. The fiber optic network switch receives the
message from any device connected to it, and then transmits the message to the
device targeted by the message. Check out the rest of this article to learn
more about fiber optic switches.
8GE SFP+2GE manageable Gigabit Ethernet Switch
Types of Fiber Optic Switch
Speeds
Fiber optic switches have various speeds; the specific names are as follows:
Fast
Ethernet switch with a speed of 10/100 Mbps
Gigabit
Ethernet switch with a speed of 10/100/100 Mbps
Ten Gigabit Ethernet switch with a speed of 10/100/1000/10000 Mbps
Ports
Generally, fiber optic switches have 5, 8, 12,
24, 32, 48, and 54 port configurations. Usually, these ports are a combination
of fiber optic and copper wire connections. And there are several SFP/SFP+ slots
for fiber optic connections, and there are more RJ-45 connectors on the front
for copper connections in Gigabit Ethernet switches and 10 Gigabit Ethernet
switches. For 25, 40, or 100G fiber switches, there are various ports, such asSFP28, QSFP+, QSFP28, and so on. The optical fiber connection allows data
transmission of up to 120 kilometers, while the copper cable connection only
allows a distance of 100 meters.
PoE and Non-PoE
Today, fiber optic Ethernet switches can
implement Power over Ethernet (PoE); thereby avoiding the need for separate
power supplies for additional devices (such as VoIP phones, IP cameras,
wireless access points, etc.). This kind of fiber optic switch is called a PoE
switch, and it can supply power to the device through the existing Ethernet
cable.
Why Do We Use it?
Advantages
Compared with traditional copper switch, the use
of fiber optic switch has many advantages. The fiber layer used for optical
switches is mostly static. This means that the optical switch wiring only needs
to be completed once and can be reconfigured remotely without patching or
manual intervention. Optical switches can reduce cost, power consumption, and
electrical conversion delay, thereby creating a transparent path with almost
zero delay. In addition, since the fiber switch uses management software, it
maintains a list of cross-connect routes.
Disadvantages
The expertise and resources required to install
fiber optic cabling are not yet widely available. As a result, fiber optic
cabling is indeed expensive. This is a complex project because it covers a wide
range of expertise, tools and complex processes. It seems easy to make network
connections with fiber optic switches, but it is not so easy to install.
Installation is a time-consuming and laborious task, although communication can
be improved.
Conclusion
After an overview of the definition and
characteristics of fiber optic switches, you may have a general understanding
of all things involved in fiber optic switches. All in all, the advantages
outweigh the disadvantages. It has greatly changed our lives and we have
benefited from it, especially in the data communications industry.
Baudcom offers all
kinds of fiber optic switches. For more information, please visit Baudcom.
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