Month: March 2013

Fiber media converter, also known as fiber transceiver or Ethernet media converter, is a simple networking device which receives data signals, sents via one media, converts the signals and then transmits the signals into another kind of media. A fiber optic media converter makes it possible to connect two dissimilar media types with fiber optic cabling, can transform between different media, different cable types and different equipment interfaces. They were introduced to the industry nearly two decades ago, and are important in interconnecting fiber optic cabling-based systems with existing copper-based and structured cabling systems.

Key Features
Fiber media converters support many different data communication protocols including Ethernet, Fast Ethernet, Gigabit Ethernet, T1/E1/J1, DS3/E3, as well as multiple cabling types such as coax, twisted pair, multi-mode and single-mode fiber optics. Fiber media converters can connect different local area network (LAN) media, modifying duplex and speed settings. Switching media converters can connect legacy 10BASE-T network segments to more recent 100BASE-TX or 100BASE-FX Fast Ethernet infrastructure. For example, existing half-duplex hubs can be connected to 100BASE-TX Fast Ethernet network segments over 100BASE-FX fiber.

Fiber media converters are also used in metropolitan area network (MAN) access and data transport services to enterprise customers. When expanding the reach of the LAN to span multiple locations, fiber transceivers are useful in connecting multiple LANs to form one large campus area network that spans over a wide geographic area.

Types
Media converter types range from small standalone devices and PC card converters to high port-density chassis systems that offer many advanced features for network management.

There are singlemode converters (also called WDM fiber optic converters) and multimode converters. For singlemode converters, there are dual fiber type and single fiber type which the fiber cable functions both as transmitting media and receiving media. While for multimode converters, there are only dual fiber types. Working distance is also different. For typical multimode fiber optic converters, their working distance max is about 2km, for single mode fiber media converters, their working distance can be 20km, 40km, 60km, 80km and up to 120km.

Some fiber optic converters will work with any type of Ethernet cable while others only have ports for either the 100 Megabit or the 10 Gigabit speed Ethernet cables. Different brands and models of converters have different speed caps.

Benefits
Fiber media converter protects your investment in existing copper Ethernet-based network, is an economical solution to achieve long distance transmission based on current status. With the rapid development of society, the transmission of different types of information, like audio, video and data, has become more and more important and Ethernet has been a good way to deal with this need. Traditional Ethernet fiber converter has its disadvantages because it use copper wires and its working distance is very short (about 100meters). Fiber media converter is the solution of this problem, it could extend the Ethernet working distance to max 100km or more, what is more ,the fiber optical converter used today is cheap and reliable.

CWDM technology involves the applications of CWDM products such as CWDM MUX/DEMUX, CWDM SFP, CWDM add-drop multiplexer and other related products. This article is about what is CWDM stand for, the advantages of CWDM and what devices or products needed for the CWDM solutions.

As we know, broadband has unveiled a new world for subscribers, full of advanced capabilities and faster speeds. Fiber optic connections typically require two strands of fiber – one for transmitting and one for receiving signals. But, what happens when you need to add services or customers, there are three options, 1) installing more cables, 2) increasing system bitrate to multiplex more signals or 3) wavelength division multiplexing. Obviously, the first two selections are all need more investment on the existing systems, which are all not the cost-effective ones. Only the third alternative, WDM (wavelength division multiplexing), allows using current electronics and current fibers and simply shares fibers by transmitting different channels at different color (wavelengths) of the light.

There is Coarse Wavelength Division Multiplexing and Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing for WDM technology, Coarse Wave Division Multiplexing (CWDM) technology is the most effective solution for expanding bandwidth and has many advantages over DWDM technology in terms of system costs, set-up, maintenance, and scalability.

Coarse wavelength division multiplexing are realized by the used of CWDM modules, which combines or split up to 18 optical signals over one single fiber optic link. Each signal carried can be at a different rate and in a different format. CWDM technology uses an ITU standard 20nm spacing between the wavelengths, from 1310nm to 1610nm. CWDM is coarse wavelength multiplexing technology for city and access networks.

CWDM Modules utilize thin-film coating and micro optics package technology which is available in two main configurations: CWDM Mux/Demux modules and CWDM OADM modules. The CWDM solution we offer has the ability to multiplex up to9 (8+1) different fiber links over the same physical circuit. The operation range can reach up to120Km, depending on optical modules used.The total maximum capacity is 1.25G x 9 =11.25G.

Benefits of CWDM
Passive equipment that uses no electrical power
Much lower cost per channel than DWDM
Scalability to grow the fiber capacity as needed
With little or no increased cost
Protocol transparent
CWDM can provide connectivity for multiple Wireless Carriers using virtually any protocol to the cell tower over a single strand of fiber.

Ingellen provides CWDM modules with various kinds of connectors and cable length and optional stainless tube package or standard box package and to meet your requirement. We offer 2 channel CWDM Mux/Demux, 4 channel CWDM Mux/Demux …up to 18 channel CWDM Mux/Demux modules and 1-16 channels CWDM OADM. Our CWDM modules are configured by number of channels for any customer-specify channel plan, and can be integrated with taps and detectors for a complete CWDM solution. All of these CWDM modules come with compact size, Low Insertion Loss, Bi-directional and Environmentally Independent features.

A multiplexer, sometimes referred to a multiplexor or simply a mux, is an electronic device that selects from several input signals and transmits to one or more output signals, can be considered as a multiple-input, single-output switch. A Phone Optical Multiplexer is an example of a very large virtual multiplexer that is built from many smaller, discrete ones. An electronic multiplexer makes it possible for multiple signals to share one device or resource, for example, one A/D converter or one communication line, instead of having one device per input signal.

Multiplexers connect or control, multiple input lines called “channels” consisting of either 2, 4, 8 or 16 individual inputs, one at a time to an output. A multiplexer is often used with a complementary demultiplexer on the receiving end. A demultiplexer (or demux) is a single-input, multiple-output switch. At the receiving end, a demux, chooses the correct destination from the many possible destinations by applying the same principle in reverse.

Generally, multiplexers are used as one method of reducing the number of logic gates required in a circuit or when a single data line is required to carry two or more different digital signals. It selects one of many analog or digital input signals and forwards the selected input into a single line. A multiplexer of 2n inputs has n select lines, which are used to select which input line to send to the output.

Multiplexers also are used in building digital semiconductors such as central processing units (CPUs) and graphics controllers. In these applications, the number of inputs is generally a multiple of two, the number of outputs is either one or relatively small multiple of two, and the number of control signals is related to the combined number of inputs and outputs.

Types of multiplexers are used in communications. In its simplest form, a multiplexer will have two signal inputs, one control input and one output. One example of an analog multiplexer is the source control on a home stereo unit that allows the user to choose between the audio from a compact disc (CD) player, digital versatile disc (DVD) player and cable television line.

There are some more complex forms of multiplexers. Time-division multiplexers(or TDM), for example, have the same input/output characteristics as other multiplexers, but instead of having control signals, they alternate between all possible inputs at precise time intervals. Alternatively, a digital TDM multiplexer may combine a limited number of constant bit rate digital data streams into one data stream of a higher data rate, by forming data frames consisting of one timeslot per channel. Time-division multiplexers generally are built as semiconductor devices, or chips, but they also can be built as optical devices for fiber optic applications.

PDH Multiplexer designs for highly integrated structure and provides 16 standard E1 interfaces together with one channel of order wire, with self-contained alarm and NM functions, as well as self-testing and E1 loop-back testing functions. While, digital multiplexer is constructed from individual analogue switches encased in a single IC package as opposed to the “mechanical” type selectors such as normal conventional switches and relays.

A fiber splitter is a very important passive component that used in the optical network system to achieve the optical singles’ coupling, branching, and distributing, just the same with the coacial cable transmission system does. An optical splitter is fiber optical tandem device with multiple import or output terminals. Generally we often use M x N to indicate a splitter with M import and N output numbers. The optical splitters that used in the CATV system, are generally 1 x 2, 1 x 3 or the 1 x N fiber splitters that composed by them.

Fiber optic splitter is the passive components for FTTH PON (passive optical network). Gigabit Ethernet Passive Optical Network (GPON) splitters play an important role in Fiber to the Home (FTTH) networks by allowing a single PON network interface to be shared among many subscribers. Networks implementing BPON, GPON, EPON, 10G EPON, and 10G GPON technologies all use these simple optical splitters.

Every passive optical network, no matter GPON, EPON systems are comprised by the Optical Line Termination (OLT), the Optical Network Unit (ONU) and Optical Distribution Network (ODN). The ODN is the most important component is the FTTx systems which is the physical channel of the optical transmission between the OLT and ONU. It is composed by fiber optic cables, optical connectors, and most importantly, the fiber splitters as well as ancillary equipment connecting these devices.

 

There are two basic splitter technologies for the passive optical network: Fused Biconical Taper (FBT) and Planar Lightwave Circuit (PLC), which correspond with to types of fiber splitters, FBT splitter, also know as FBT coupler, and PLC splitter. Fused Biconical Taper is the older technology and generally introduces more loss than the newer PLC splitters.

The PLC Splitter contains no electronics and use no power. both PLC and FBT splitters are used in PON networks. A PON network may be designed with a single optical splitter, or it can have two or more splitters cascaded together. Since each optical connection will add the optical attenuation, a single splitter is superior to multiple cascaded splitters. One net additional coupling (and source of attenuation) is introduced in connecting two splitters together.

With the accessing network construction boom and the increasing subscribers trend in the market. PLC splitter will no double to become the main force in the market, the PLC optical splitters has the features of digitization, networking, broadband, miniaturization and easy maintenance, etc.