The fight between fiber optical and copper cables has always been intense. But, in the current scenario, things are a bit sorted as most people have inclined to fiber optic cables. You will find only a small number of people using copper cables. The main reason for this is that they are not very aware of fiber optic cables.
In this post, we will discuss the fiber optic cable’s purpose and its other important details and specifications.
Fiber optic cable is based on fiber optics, which transmits information as light pulses along a glass or plastic fiber. It contains a varying number of glass fibers, ranging from a few to a couple hundred. There is another glass layer called cladding, surrounding the glass fiber core. The cladding is protected by a buffer tube layer and a jacket layer acts as the final protective layer. The final or protective layer is for the individual strand.
How does fiber optic cable work?
The data is transmitted in the form of light particles or photons from fiber optics pulses through a fiber optic cable. Every glass fiber and cladding in the cable bends the incoming light at a certain angle as they have a different refractive index.
Light signals sent through the fiber optic cable reflect off the core and cladding in a series of zig-zag bounces. This process is called total internal reflection. As the glass layers are denser, the light signals don’t travel at the speed of light. The traveling speed of the light signals is about 30% slower than the speed of light.
The fiber optic cable supports up to 10Gbps signals. The thing is that the cost of cable increases if its bandwidth increases.
Is there a way to boost the signal journey?
Yes, there is a way to boost the signal throughout its journey using repeaters at distant intervals. Used for fiber optics transmission, the repeaters regenerate the optical signal by converting it to an electrical signal. Then, the repeaters process the electrical signal and retransmit the optical signal.
What are the types of fiber optic cables?
Single-mode fiber
Due to the smaller diameter of the glass fiber core, the single-mode fiber is used for longer distances. It’s because a smaller diameter lessens the possibility of attenuation. The attenuation is defined as a reduction in signal strength.
The single-mode fiber has a smaller opening as well. This opening isolates the light into a single beam, which offers a more direct route and enables the signal to travel a longer distance.
Other than this, the single-mode fiber has considerably higher bandwidth, so it’s expensive. Another reason for its high cost is that it requires precise calculations to produce the laser light in a smaller opening. The laser is the light source used for single-mode fiber.
Multimode fiber
Due to the larger core opening, the multimode fiber is used for shorter distances. The core opening of the multimode fiber enables light signals to bounce and reflect more along the way. Also, the diameter is large, which permits multiple light pulses to be sent through the cable at one time. This results in more data transmission.
Unlike single-mode fiber, the multimode fiber uses an LED to create the light pulse. People don’t consider multimode fiber cable because there is more possibility for signal loss, reduction, and interference.
What’s the purpose of fiber optic cables?
The advantages of fiber optic cables of supporting higher bandwidth capacities, further light traveling without needing as much of a signal boost, being less susceptible to interference, being submerged in water, being stronger, thinner, and lighter than copper cables, and not requiring frequent maintenance or replacement make them highly purposeful. The cables can be used for different reasons and in different industries.
Computer networking and broadcasting
The fiber optic cable’s ability to transmit data and provide high bandwidth makes it an important element in computer networking. This is a very common use case of cable. For the same reasons, cable is frequently used in broadcasting and electronics, providing better connections and performance.
Internet and cable television
Both internet and cable television require long-distance connections. Sometimes, the connection requirement is between two computer networks in different locations. To establish this connection seamlessly, the fiber optic cable is used. No other cables can provide such strong data transmission over a long distance.
Undersea environments
As already mentioned, the advantage of fiber optic cable is that it can be submerged in water. Based on this, the cable can be used in undersea environments and other at-risk situations. The best thing is that fiber optic cable doesn’t require frequent replacement even if it is submerged in water.
Military and space
Other than the communication and signal transfer, the fiber optic cable provides temperature sensing. This is what makes the cable suitable for military and space industries. Other reasons that make fiber optic cable suitable for military and space industries are its lightweight and small size.
Medical
In the medical industry, fiber optic cable is used in a variety of medical instruments to provide precise illumination. As the cable enables biomedical sensors, it helps in minimally invasive medical procedures. Other than this, you will find the use of cable in various tests like MRI scans because it is not subject to electromagnetic interference.
The purpose of a fiber optic cable is very strong. It simplifies the work in different industries. So, choose it over a copper cable.
Author: TechBlonHub
As a passionate blogger, I'm thrilled to share my expertise, insights, and enthusiasm with you. I believe that technical knowledge should be shared, not hoarded. That's why I take the time to craft detailed, well-researched content that's easy to follow, even for non-tech. I love hearing from you, answering your questions, and learning from your experiences. Your feedback helps me create content that's tailored to your needs and interests
