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Optical-Fiber Cable
Apr 30,2007 00:00
by
admin
Optical-Fiber Cable If you need a very high degree of noise immunity or information security, consider the use of optical fiber instead of UTP. Optical fiber is a medium that uses changes in light intensity to carry information from one point to another. An optical-fiber system consists of a light source, optical fiber, and a light detector. A light source changes digital electrical signals into light (that is, on for a logic 1 and off for a logic 0), the optical fiber transports the light to the destination, and a light detector transforms the light into an electrical signal. The main advantages of optical fiber are very high bandwidth (megabits per second and gigabits per second), information security, immunity to electromagnetic interference, lightweight construction, and long-distance operation without signal regeneration. As a result, optical fiber is superior for bandwidth-demanding applications and protocols, operation in classified areas and between buildings, and installation in airplanes and ships. IEEE 802.3’s 10Base-F and 100Base-F specifications identify the use of optical fiber as the physical medium. Of course, FDDI identifies the use of optical fiber as well. |