Tag: fiber optic cable

MDI vs MDIX And Auto MDI/MDIX Basics

MDI/MDIX are types of Ethernet interface (both physical and electrical/optical) in a computer network used to carry transmission. They must be connected using the right twisted pair cable so that the transmission pair on one end is linked to the receiving pair on the other end, and vice versa. So what exactly are MDI vs MDIX ports? How do you choose the right Ethernet cabling when connecting MDI to MDIX or MDIX to MDIX? This post will address these issues and offer some insights into auto MDI/MDIX technology.

MDI vs MDIX: What Is the Difference?

MDI (Medium dependent interface), also known as an uplink port, is an Ethernet port connection typically used on the NIC (Network Interface Card) or Integrated NIC port on a PC. The transmission signals on a NIC must go to receiving signals on the hub or network switch, so the latter devices have their transmission and receiving signals switched in a configuration known as MDIX – the “X” here represents “crossover”, indicating the reverse of input and output signals.

MDI to MDI using crossover cable

MDIX (Medium Dependent Interface Crossover) is an 8P8C port connection often found on a computer, router, hub, or network switch. Since MDIX is the crossover version of the MDI port, the pins 1 & 2 (transmitting) on an MDI device go to pins 1 & 2 (receiving) on an MDIX device via a straight through cable. Similarly, pins 3 & 6 (receiving) on an MDI device go to pins 3 & 6 (transmitting) on an MDIX device. In this case, the MDIX port eliminates the need for a crossover twisted pair cabling.

MDI to MDIX using straight through cable

MDI vs MDIX: How to Choose the Right Cabling?

In general, end stations like PCs or workstations use an MDI interface, whereas hubs and network switches use MDIX interfaces. On other network devices like routers, multiple MDIX ports and a single MDI port often co-exist. The MDI port on the router is designed to connect a cable modem. Both ports are labeled MDI or MDIX to help you choose the right type of cable. As a rule, MDI ports connect to MDIX ports via straight-through twisted pair cabling. As for MDI-to-MDI or MDIX-to-MDIX connections, crossover twisted pair cables are deployed. In some cases, network hubs or switches are built with an MDI port (often switchable) in order to connect to other hubs or switches without a crossover Ethernet cable.

What About Ethernet Auto-MDI/MDIX?

As aforementioned, an Ethernet crossover cable is adopted to connect two ports of the same configuration (i.e. MDI-to-MDI or MDIX-to-MDIX). However, it may generate some confusion and inconveniences when deploying two different kinds of Ethernet cables. The auto-MDI/MDIX technology is developed to fix this problem: It automatically switches between MDI and MDIX as required. Auto MDI/MDIX ports on newer device interfaces detect if the connection requires a crossover, then automatically choose the MDI or MDIX configuration to properly match the other end of the link. In this case, it doesn’t matter if you using straight through or crossover cables. The chart below shows cable types for MDI/MDIX and auto-MDIX.

FS.com Gigabit PoE Switch With Auto MDI/MDIX

The latest routers, hubs and switches (including some 10/100, and all 1GB or 10GB Ethernet switch) use auto MDI/MDIX to automatically switch to the proper configuration once a cable is connected. FS.com 48 port switch S1600-48T4S is one of them. This Gigabit PoE+ managed switch comes with 48×10/100/1000Base-T RJ45 Ethernet ports and 4x 10G SFP+ slots, offering up to 180Gbps switching capacity, enterprise-class features and superior network security. The built-in auto-MDI/MDIX provides fast plug-and-play setup and eliminates the need for a crossover cable. It can also detect the link speed of the attached device and makes adjustments according to the compatibility and performance requirements, enabling the switch to be backwards compatible with legacy network devices.

gigabit poe switch with auto mdimdix

Conclusion

To sum it up, MDI is an Ethernet port on end stations like PCs and workstations, whereas MDIX on hubs and network switches is the crossover version of MDI. You should employ straight through Ethernet cable for an MDI-to-MDIX connection and crossover cable for either MDI-to-MDI or MDIX-to-MDIX configuration. The auto MDI/MDIX connection address the MDI vs MDIX issues by automatically switching between MDI and MDIX, so you can opt for the cable types that suit your needs. If you still have problems regarding MDI/MDIX and auto MDI/MDIX technology, feel free to contact us at sales@fs.com.

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What Is PoE and Power Over Ethernet Switch?

Article Source: MDI vs MDIX And Auto MDI/MDIX Basics

How to Avoid Overheating in PoE Cabling?

Power over Ethernet (PoE) technology, which combines power and data transmission together over a single cable, has made great advances over the last decades. Applications for PoE have extended from the VoIP phone and security camera to IoT devices including medical devices, access control systems for intelligent buildings, etc. Every evolution in PoE technology has witnessed the transition to higher power level, however, the overheating issue along with higher power in PoE cabling becomes an essential issue. This post will discuss the heat rise with high power PoE as well as exploring solutions to avoid overheating problems.

Evolution of PoE Standards

As the PoE market continues to grow, PoE standards go through several generations of versions from the primary IEEE 802.3af standard to the latest IEEE 802.3bt standard to accommodate the market needs. In the following chart, we will take a closer look at the four PoE standard types.

Type 1Type 2Type 3Type 4
NamePoEPoE+PoE++, UPoEHigh-Power PoE
NamePoEPoE+PoE++, UPoEHigh-Power PoE
PoE StandardIEEE 802.3afIEEE 802.3atIEEE 802.3btIEEE 802.3bt
Max. Power per Port15.4 W30 W60 W100 W
Power to PD12.95 W25.5 W51 W71.3 W
Twisted Pair Used2-Pair2-Pair4-Pair4-Pair
Supported CablesCat5eCat5eCat5eCat5e
Typical ApplicationIP phoneVideo phoneMGMT deviceLED lighting

The PoE standard IEEE 802.3af, also called PoE type 1 is an early standard designed for the low power needed devices such as traditional IP phones and the security camera. Nevertheless, with the appliance of high power devices, 12.95W is not enough for their needs, which hence becomes a limitation of PoE. Later, the early standard was followed by the IEEE 802.3at which expanded the range of PoE applications such as video telephone and dual-band desktop access, and then came the latest IEEE 802.3bt standard. Along with the increased PoE power level, it causes a temperature rise within a PoE cable. Especially when the PoE power output reaches as high as 100 W, the heat rise of PoE cable will become more obvious.

Heat Rise—The Concern Emerging With High Power PoE

In the previous IEEE 802.3af and IEEE 802.3at PoE standards, the maximum power provided by PSE is 15.4W and 30W accordingly. It is not likely to overheat at this level of power unless under extreme ambient temperatures or cable bundles are too large. Two pairs of the four pairs in an Ethernet cable is enough to carry the current. However, as the power to the end devices is increasing, PoE cabling is bound to improve to deliver higher power. The effective means to improve the cable efficiency is to increase the number of wires carrying the power—Type 3 and type 4 PoE standard uses all four pairs to inject power rather than 2 pairs used in the early standards.

Figure 1: 2-pair PoE vs 4-pair PoE

The 4-pair PoE doubled the amount of available power, enabling PoE expanding to support higher-powered devices instead of being limited to the devices needing low power such as 15W or 30W. However, high power is not the only thing requiring attention in PoE cabling. Heat rise is another one. Manufacturers and technical consortiums have worked to evaluate the thermal impact of delivering 100 Watts of power over 4-pair PoE. Apparently the increasing power increases current flow, which significantly results in an increase in cable heating.

Why Is Heat Rise a Key Issue?

Why do we consider heat rise in PoE cabling so seriously? It is all because of the negative effects of heat rise on the link stability, and cabling lifespan.

Overheat in PoE cabling can result in an increase in insertion loss. To maintain the signal quality, administrators have to shorten the cable length to compensate for the loss in the link. Heat rise will lead to the premature aging of jacketing materials. If operated under the high-temperature circumstances for a long time, the outer jacket may get broken and impact the inner construction, breaking the balance of the twisted pair cable and causing the decline of electric performance. Furthermore, since the influence of heat rise in high power PoE is irresistible, careful evaluation before the PoE cabling deployment is required in the event of subsequent disposal. Better cabling cool will help to reap the benefit of excellent transmission performance.

Common Types of High Power PoE Applications

As has been mentioned in the front section, heat rise occurs with high power PoE cabling. Driven by the need for higher power all around the world, new PoE technology is expected to progress to enable new PoE markets and widen PoE’s scope to the existing markets requiring high power. Applications that take advantage of high power PoE technology include:

  • Intelligent buildings with enterprise IoT (connected LED lighting)
  • Safe cities (high definition pan-tilt-zoom security cameras)
  • Retail POS systems and digital signage
  • High-performance wireless access points
  • Kiosks
  • Small cells

Precautions to Minimize Heat Rise in PoE Cabling

Ultimately, the overheating problem can be attributed to the cable/conductor construction and specific installation situations. The following suggestion to minimize heat rise in PoE cabling will be listed from these aspects in an exhaustive way.

1. Use higher category cabling

In general, the higher the cable category is, the lower the heat will rise. According to the testing results from Leviton engineers, the higher category cabling correlated with lower amounts of temperatures after they tested several different category types of fiber cables. For new PoE installations, TIA suggests Cat6A for use.

Figure 2: Current per category cable

2. Select cabling with a larger conductor (i.e., lower gauge number)

Heat rise can be the result of the conductor resistance in PoE applications. The larger the conductor is, the more it can reduce conductor resistance, the easier current flow it will allow for and the less heat it will generate.

3. Cable connectors should feature a solid metal body

Consider using connectors with an all-metal-body construction, instead of plastic. Compared with thermoplastic jacketing materials, mental has a higher conductivity and does better in heat dissipation.

4. Choose cables with smaller bundle size

By measuring the temperature of a large cable bundle and the smaller bundles separated from the big one, TIA identified that the core of the large cable bundle experienced higher temperature in comparison to smaller bundles. TSB-184-A developed by the TIA subcommittee recommended leaving cables unbundled to facilitate better heat dissipation. If not possible, smaller bundle sizes are recommended.

5. Install shielded cabling

It has been affirmed that the existence of a metallic shield or foil helps dissipate heat. If the cable utilizes a foil shield around each pair, it will deliver better heat-dissipating qualities than the unshielded twisted pair cables. Therefore, S/FTP or F/UTP cables are more applicable than UTP cabling systems in PoE applications.

Figure 3: Cable heat dissipation effect UTP vs F/UTP

6. Plan your PoE cable management

Group your cables as loosely as possible instead of bundling all of them as a whole. Distribute your cable or cable bundles as dispersed as possible in an available area. High cable density will contribute to more heat within the cable or cable bundles. You are suggested to use cable management tools that allow for better airflow around cables and cable bundles.

Related Articles：

How to Lower Cabling Temperature for PoE?

Powering PoE Switch From A PoE Switch: Is It Possible?

Article Source: How to Avoid Overheating in PoE Cabling?

How FS 400G MTP/MPO Cables Enable Efficient Connectivity

400G

The demand for 400G transmission rates by major data centers and telecom carrier continues to grow and cabling solutions are constantly being updated. In order to achieve 400G data rates and save cabling costs, breakthroughs, higher connection density, and simplified network design approaches must be considered, so 400G MTP/MPO cables are becoming more and more common. FS offers MTP/MPO cabling solutions to meet the needs of high-performance 400G networks. This article will describe specific cabling application scenarios.

A Glance at FS 400G MTP/MPO Cables and Transceivers

MTP/MPO cables with multi-core connector are used for optical transceiver connection. There are 4 different types of application scenarios for 400G MTP/MPO cables.

Common MTP/MPO patch cables include 8-fiber, 12-core, and 16-core. 8-core or 12-core MTP/MPO single-mode fiber patch cable is usually used to complete the direct connection of two 400G-DR4 optical transceivers. 16-core MTP/MPO fiber patch cable can be used to connect 400G-SR8 optical transceivers to 200G QSFP56 SR4 optical transceivers, and can also be used to connect 400G-8x50G to 400G-4x100G transceivers. The 8-core MTP to 4-core LC duplex fiber patch cable is used to connect the 400G-DR4 optical transceiver with a 100G-DR optical transceiver.

SR8-vs-DR4-vs-DR8.jpg

Figure 1: SR8-vs-DR4-vs-DR8

FS 400G MTP/MPO Cabling Solutions for Typical 400G Network Applications

As the network upgrades and data centers migrate to 400G rates, how to transition from existing 50G/100G/200G devices to 400G, here are FS MTP/MPO cabling solutions.

400G-400G Direct Connection

500m span with 8-fiber/12-fiber MTP/MPO cable

400G short and medium distance direct connection usually consists of 8-core/12-core MTP patch cable with 400G-DR4 OSFP/QSFP-DD modules. The term “DR4″—”DR” stands for 500m reach using single-mode fiber and “4” implies there are 4 x 100 Gbps optical channels. Since one optical channel requires two fibers, an 8-fiber or a 12-core MTP/MPO cable can be used for the 400G-DR4 module to achieve direct connection. In the 8-fiber MTP cabling, the fiber utilization is 100%, while in the 12-core MTP cabling, four fibers remain unused. Take 400G QSFP-DD module as an example, the following picture is presenting the MTP cabling for 400G DR4 direct connection.

400G-400G Direct Connection Scenario 1.jpg

Figure 2: 400G-400G Direct Connection Scenario 1

PRODUCTSDESCRIPTION
400G DR4 QSFP-DDGeneric Compatible 400G DR4 QSFP-DD PAM4 1310nm 500m DOM Transceiver Module
MTP®-12 (Female) 12 Fibers OS2 Single ModeOS2 Single Mode Elite Trunk Cable, 12 Fibers, Type B, Plenum (OFNP)

100m span with 16-fiber MTP/MPO cable

The 400G-SR8 transceivers require the use of a 16-core MTP cable. The term “SR8” – “SR” stands for a distance of 100 meters using multimode fiber, and “8” implies there exist 8 optical channels with each operating at 50Gbps. In this direct connection, the 16-core MTP cable has 100% fiber utilization. The primary adopters of these 400G-SR8 fiber transceivers are expected to be certain hyperscale cloud service providers in North America and China.

400G-400G Direct Connection Scenario 2.jpg

Figure 3: 400G-400G Direct Connection Scenario 2

PRODUCTSDESCRIPTION
400GBASE-SR8 QSFP-DDGeneric Compatible 400GBASE-SR8 QSFP-DD PAM4 850nm 100m DOM Transceiver Module
MTP®-16 APC (Female) OM4 CableOM4 Multimode Elite Trunk Cable, 16 Fibers, Plenum (OFNP), Magenta, 850/1300nm

400G-2x200G Direct Connection

100m span with 16-fiber MTP conversion cable

In the backbone and some more complex metropolitan area networks, the dual-carrier technology (2x200G) will be adopted to compress the channel spacing compared to a single-carrier 400G technology. Extending the transmission distance and improving the spectral efficiency, 400G-2x200G direct connection can help to deploy 400G backbone networks with minimum bandwidth resources.

In this case, 16-core MTP conversion cables terminated with MTP/MPO connectors on both ends are needed. With this type of cable, one 400G OFSP/QSFP-DD module and two 200G QSFP56 modules can be directly connected.

400G-2x200G Direct Connection Scenario.jpg

Figure 4: 400G-2x200G Direct Connection Scenario 3

PRODUCTSDESCRIPTION
400GBASE-SR8 QSFP-DDGeneric Compatible 400GBASE-SR8 QSFP-DD PAM4 850nm 100m DOM Transceiver Module
200GBASE-SR4 QSFP56FS for Mellanox MMA1T00-VS Compatible 200GBASE-SR4 QSFP56 850nm 100m DOM Transceiver Module
MTP®-16 APC (Female) OM4 CableOM4 Multimode Elite Trunk Cable, 16 Fibers, Plenum (OFNP), Magenta, 850/1300nm

400G-4x100G Direct Connection

500m span with 8-fiber MTP/MPO trunk cable and 4-LC duplex patch cable

In the 400G to 4x100G migration scenario, an 8-core MTP-LC cassette that packaged in the fiber rackmount enclosure is adopted to realize the transmission from MTP to LC, and then an 8-core MTP/MPO trunk and 4-LC duplex patch cables are used to connect at both ports.

The 400G-4x100G architecture uses four optical modules with 100Gbps wavelengths. However, the current 100G technology is based on a 4x25G design and unable to scale to 400G. 100Gbps per channel can be achieved using PAM4 technology and then aggregated to achieve an overall 400Gbps speed with 4x100G. MTP/MPO cables allow splitting 400G bandwidth into multiple 100G or 40G data streams.

400G-4x100G Direct Connection Scenario.jpg

Figure 5: 400G-4x100G Direct Connection Scenario 4

PRODUCTSDESCRIPTION
400G DR4 QSFP-DDGeneric Compatible 400G DR4 QSFP-DD PAM4 1310nm 500m DOM Transceiver Module
100GBASE-DR QSFP28 Single LambdaGeneric Compatible 100GBASE-DR QSFP28 Single Lambda 1310nm 500m DOM Transceiver Module
MTP® Female to 4 LC UPC Duplex 8 FibersMTP Type B Plenum (OFNP) OS2 9/125 Single Mode Elite Breakout Cable 1310/1550nm
FHD MTP®-8 Cassette to 4x LC Duplex (Blue)8 Fibers OS2 Single Mode, Universal Polarity, MTP® to 4x LC Duplex (Blue), 0.35dB max
Customized 8-144 Fibers MTP®-12OS2 Single Mode Elite Breakout Cable
FHD 144 Fibers (LC) EnclosureFHD High Density 1U Rack Mount Enclosure Unloaded, Tool-less Removable Top Cover, Holds up to 4x FHD Cassettes or Panels

400G-8x50G Direct Connection

500m span with 16-fiber MTP conversion cable and LC duplex patch cable

The rapid growth of 400G has contributed in part to the less popular 50G market, and MTP/MPO cables provide the technology to scale 50GbE to accommodate 400G (8x50G) network. For this scenario example, the MTP cassette is in the middle to connect the 16-core MTP conversion cable and the LC duplex patch cords together to realize the 400G-8x50G direct connection. Eight 50G lanes can support the optical link of 40Gbps aggregation via PAN modulation.

400G-8x50G Direct Connection Scenario.jpg

Figure 6: 400G-8x50G Direct Connection Scenario 5

PRODUCTSDESCRIPTION
400G DR4 QSFP-DDGeneric Compatible 400G DR4 QSFP-DD PAM4 1310nm 500m DOM Transceiver Module
MTP®-16 APC (Female) OM4 CableOM4 Multimode Elite Trunk Cable, 16 Fibers, Plenum (OFNP), Magenta, 850/1300nm
FHD MTP®-24 Cassette to 12x LC Duplex (Aqua)24 Fibers OM4 Multimode, Type A, MTP® to 12x LC Duplex (Aqua), 0.35dB max
MTP®-16 APC (Female) to 8 LC UPC Duplex CableOM4 Multimode Elite Breakout Cable, 16 Fibers, Plenum (OFNP), Magenta,850/1300nm
FHD 144 Fibers (LC) EnclosureFHD High Density 1U Rack Mount Enclosure Unloaded, Tool-less Removable Top Cover, Holds up to 4x FHD Cassettes or Panels

Scaling to FS 400G MTP/MPO Cabling System for 400G Networks

400G is increasingly becoming ubiquitous in many high-performance and high-density networking environments. 400G MTP/MPO cables have been widely used as cabling solutions for 400G network transmission rates due to their unique cabling simplicity and cost reduction benefits. FS offers a wide range of related 400G MTP/MPO cabling products and solutions to smoothly achieve high-speed data transmission.

Original Source: How FS 400G MTP/MPO Cables Enable Efficient Connectivity

5 Types of Optical Fibers for 5G Networks

Optical fiber cables have become one of the key points in the 5G competition. It’s known that 5G networks will offer consumers high-speed and low-latency services with more reliable and stronger connections. But to make this happen, more 5G base stations have to be built due to the higher 5G frequency band and limited network coverage. And it’s estimated that by 2025, the total number of global 5G base stations will reach 6.5 million, which puts forward higher requirements for the optical fiber cable performance and production.

Currently, there are still some uncertainties in 5G network architectures and the selection of technical solutions. But in the basic physical layer, the 5G fiber cables should meet both current application and future development needs. The following are five types of optical fiber cables that address problems in 5G networks built to some degree.

1. Bend Insensitive Optical Fiber for Easy 5G Indoor Micro Base Stations

The dense fiber connections between massive 5G new macro base stations and indoor micro base stations are the main challenge in the 5G access network constructions. The complex cabling environments, especially the indoor fiber cabling, and the limited space and bend request high requirements for the fiber bend performance. Optical fiber compliant ITU G.657.A2/B2/B3 has great bend-improved performance, which can be stapled and bent around corners without sacrificing performance.

Many fiber manufacturers have announced bend-insensitive fiber (BIF) cables with low loss to address such problems in 5G indoor applications.

CompanyProduct NameITU StandardsBend Radius
(1 turn around a mandrel)		Induced Attenuation
(dB)
CorningClearCurve LBL fiberG.652.D, G.657.A2/B27.5 mm≤ 0.4
YOFCEasyBand® Ultra BIFG.652.D, G.657.B35 mm≤ 0.15
Prysmian GroupBendBright XS fiberG.652.D, G.657.A2/B27.5 mm≤ 0.5

Note: The induced attenuation is caused due to fiber wrapped around a mandrel of a specific radius.

2. OM5 Multimode Fiber Applied to 5G Core Networks

5G service providers also have to focus on the fiber optic network build of the data centers where the content is stored. At present, the transmission speed of data centers is evolving from 10G/25G, 40G/I00G to 25G/I00G, 200G/400G, which put forward new requirements for the multimode optical fibers used for interconnection inside the data centers. Multimode optical fibers need to compatible with the existing Ethernet standard, cover the future upgrades to higher speed like 400G and 800G, support multi-wavelength multiplexing technologies like SWDM and BiDi, and also need to provide excellent bending resistance to adjust to dense data centers cabling scenarios.

5g optical fiber cables.jpg

Figure 1: OM5 fiber in 100G BiDi and 100G SWDM applications

Under such conditions, the new broadband OM5 multimode fiber becomes the hotspot option for data center constructions. OM5 fiber allows multiple wavelengths to be transmitted simultaneously in the vicinity of 850 nm to 950 nm. By adopting the PAM4 modulation and WDM technology, OM5 optical fiber is able to support 150 meters in 100Gb/s, 200Gb/s, and 400Gb/s transmission systems, and ensure the ability of future short-distance and high-speed transmission networks, making it the optimal choice for intra-data center connections under the 5G environment.

Fiber TypeEffective Bandwidth (MHz.km)Full injection Bandwidth (MHz.km)
Fiber Type850nm953nm850nm953nm1310nm
OM3>2000/>1500/>500
OM4>4700/>3500/>500
OM5>4700/>35001850>500

Here is a comparison of the link length of OM5 and other multimode fiber over 850nm wavelength.

Link Length (M) @850nm wavelength
Fiber Type10GBASE-SR25GBASE-SR40GBASE-SR4100GBASE-SR4400GBASE-SR16400GBASE-SR8400GBASE-SR4.2
OM330070100701007070
OM4550100150100150100100
OM5550100150100150100150

3. Micron Diameter Optical Fibers Enable Higher Fiber Density

Due to the complex deployment environments of the access layer or aggregation layer of 5G bearer networks, it’s easy to encounter problems like the limited existing cable pipeline resources. To ensure the limited space can hold more optical fibers, cable manufacturers are working hard to reduce the size and diameter of cable bundles. For example, recently the Prysmian Group has introduced the BendBright XS 180µm single-mode fiber to meet the 5G technology demands. This innovative optical fiber enables cable designers to offer strongly reduced cable dimensions while still keeping the 125µm glass diameter.

5G fiber cable.jpg

Figure 2: Prysmian’s BendBright XS 180µm fiber

Similarly, with the same principles, Corning has introduced the SMF-28 Ultra 200 fiber that allows fiber cable manufacturers to shave 45 microns off previous cable coating thicknesses, going from 245 microns down to 200 microns, to achieve a smaller overall outer diameter. And YOFC, another optical fiber manufacturer, also provides EasyBand plus-Mini 200μm reduced diameter bending insensitive fiber for 5G networks, which can reduce the cable diameter by 50% and significantly increase the fiber density in pipelines when compared with common optical fibers.

4. ULL Fiber with Large Effective Area Can Extend 5G Link Length

5G fiber manufacturers are actively exploring ultra low-loss (ULL) optical fiber technologies to extend the fiber reach as long as possible. The G.654.E optical fiber is such a type of innovative 5G fiber. Different from the common G.652.D fiber often used in 10G, 25G, and 100G, the G.652.E fiber comes with a larger effective area and ultra-low loss features, which can significantly reduce the nonlinear effect of optical fiber and improve the OSNR that are easily affected by higher signal modulation format in 200G and 400G connections.

Speed (bps)40G100G400G400G
Fiber Typecommon G.652low-loss G.652low-loss G.652innovative G.654.E
Maximum Capacity (Tbs)3.282020
Limit Relay Distance (km)60003200<800<2000
Typical Link Attenuation (dB/km)0.210.200.200.18
Fiber Effective Area (µm²)808080130

With the continuous increase of the transmission speed and capacity of the 5G core network and the clouded data center, fiber optic cables like this will be needed more. It’s said that the latest Corning’s TXF fiber, a type of G.654.E fiber, comes with high-data-rate capabilities and exceptional reach, able to help network operators deal with growing bandwidth demands while lowering their overall network costs. Recently, Infinera and Corning have achieved 800G across 800km using this TXF fiber, which shows this fiber is expected to offer excellent long-haul transmission solutions for 5G network deployment.

5. Optical Fiber Cable for Faster 5G Network Installation

5G network deployment covers both indoor and outdoor scenarios, the installation speed is a factor needed to consider. Full-dry optical cable using dry water-blocking technology is able to improve fiber splicing speed during cable installation. Air-blown micro cables are compact and lightweight and contain high fiber density to maximize the fiber count. This type of cable is easy to be installed in longer ducts with multiple bends and undulations, and it can save in manpower & installation time and improved installation efficiency via the blowing installation methods. For the outdoor fiber cable deployment, some anti-rodent and anti-bird optical cables also need to be used.

Get Ready for 5G Networks

Currently, optical fiber is the optimal medium capable of scaling to the 5G demands. 5G networks’ enhanced bandwidth capacity, lower latency requirements and complicated outdoor deployments bring challenges as well as unlimited possibilities for optical fiber manufacturers, but our optical networks must quickly adapt to meet such new demands. Except for the optical fiber mentioned above, it remains to be seen if the 5G fiber manufacturers will put forward other innovative fiber for the market as quickly as possible.

Article source: 5 Types of Optical Fibers for 5G Networks

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The Truth About Single Mode Fiber Types

OS1 and OS2 single mode fibers are the essential communication medium that works by delivering optical signals in extremely pure glass or plastic fiber. However, for the layperson, all fiber cables look like the same, with differences hidden in their dimensions. But if you study deeper, there are countless changes between them, such as the performance, cost and so on. And choosing the right fiber optic cable is also critical. In this post, I’d like to focus on single mode fiber types.

What Is Single Mode Fiber?

Single mode fiber optic cable is a type of fiber optic cable, which features a core diameter of nominally 9µm. This is the most basic difference between single mode and multimode fibers. Due to its small diameter, there’s only one transmission mode of light. Thus, compared with the multimode fiber, single mode fiber prohibits light reflection so that attenuation of signal could be reduced and offers the highest transmission speed. As a result, light in single mode fiber can go further, which means its transmission distance is longer. In addition, the core number of single mode fiber includes 24, 48, 72, 96 and so on. And you can customize the fiber product with the specific core number.

single mode fiber types on patch panel

Figure: Single mode fibers are connected in a patch panel.

Single Mode Fiber Types: OS1 VS OS2

OS1 and OS2 fiber are the two single mode fiber types that are generally well known today.

What Is OS1?

OS1 is an indoor cable that uses the tight buffered cable construction. And this single mode fiber is compliant with all ITU-T G.652 standards including ITU-T G.652A, ITU-T G.652B, ITU-T G.652C, ITU-T G.652D. In general, the maximum attenuation of OS1 can achieve 1.0 dB/km.

What Is OS2?

OS2 is an outdoor loose tube fiber optic cable. It’s widely used in outdoor applications where the cabling process applies no stress to the optical cables. Unlike OS1, OS2 cables just meet the ITU-T G.652C or ITU-T G.652D standards. And the maximum attenuation of OS2 is 0.4 dB/km. Therefore, the maximum transmission distance of OS2 is much longer than that of OS1, and OS2 fiber optic cable price is higher than OS1.

OS1 VS OS2: Differences

The difference between OS1 and OS2 are quite clear. They have different construction, standards, attenuation and transmission distance. As a result, OS1 and OS2 are applied in different applications. OS1 is commonly used in a campus or data center, whereas OS2 is applied in outdoor constructions like the street etc.

How to Choose Single Mode Fiber Types

Knowing single mode fiber types can help us to choose the suitable fiber cable. Transmission distance is always the most important part when buying the cable. Besides, fiber optic cables price is also very critical when making the final choice. When you need fibers for indoors application, choose OS1. And choose OS2 for outdoors uses. However, considering that there’s not a big difference between OS1 and OS2 price and future’s network upgrade, I recommend you choose the OS2 fiber which has better performance. The following is single mode fiber optic cable price comparison between FS.COM and another vendor.

OS2 Types
FS Price(USD)
C2G(USD)
LC to LC Duplex (1m)
2.8
42.99
LC to SC Duplex (1m)
2.8
32.99
SC to SC Duplex (1m)
2.8
38.99
LC to LC Simplex (1m)
1.4
39.99
LC to SC Simplex (1m)
1.4
21.99
SC to SC Simplex (1m)
1.4
21.99

We can see, FS.COM offers OS2 fibers with reasonable price and good quality.

Conclusion

OS1 and OS2 are the two single mode fiber types used in telecommunication infrastructure. When you decide to buy single mode fiber cables, consider the transmission distance and price based on your actual need. FS.COM offers you fiber products with good quality and favorable price. For further information on optical fiber products, please contact us via sales@fs.com.