ADSL connections through the copper line are being left behind, giving way to fiber optic connections.
While electrical signals travel through the copper network, light signals travel through fiber optic cables.
As a result, much higher speeds can be offered at much further distances with minimal loss.
However, do you know what fiber-optic cables are made of in 2023?
The benefits that these installations create further drive deployment in areas that still do not have coverage since it far exceeds the capacity of its predecessor, copper.
So, no. Fiber optic cables are not the same as copper cables.
One or more fiberglass strands reinforce this cable, each fiberglass consists of:
Each of them is surrounded by a coating and reinforced to protect the fiber.
But not all of its entirety is made of glass…
Yes. There are Plastic Fiber Optic cables. Plastic optical fiber, POF, is a new, cheaper type of optical fiber that guarantees a speed of up to 1 Gbps with a coverage of 50 meters.
This type of fiber is immune to noise, so we can use it together with electrical cables, and instead of using glass, it has a plastic core, so it is cheaper and more difficult to break.
This type of fiber, although not yet widespread, is a superior solution to glass core fiber types, but only for very short distances, for example in offices and homes.
Optical fiber is a dielectric waveguide that operates at optical frequencies.
Each filament consists of a central core of plastic or glass (zinc silicon oxide) with a high refractive index, surrounded by a layer of similar material with a slightly lower refractive index (plastic).
When light reaches a surface that borders with a lower refractive index, it is reflected to a large extent, the greater the difference in indexes and the greater the angle of incidence, we speak of total internal reflection.
Inside an optical fiber, light is reflected against the walls at very wide angles, in such a way that it practically advances through its center. In this way, light signals can be guided without loss over long distances.
Also, a fiber cable consists mainly of two parts: the cable and the connector. And each of these parts has its subparts, or components, that give it shape.
Currently, there are 4 types of optical connectors that we can find in FTTH cables.
SC – Acronym for the square connector (in English, Square Connector). It is the most popular connector type. It offers a quick adjustment, is very easy to integrate into all types of network devices, and offers losses of about 0.25 dB.
LC – Follow the small connector (Little Connector). It is smaller than SC and offers a fit similar to RJ-45 cables. It is also more secure since it prevents unwanted disconnections by having a top tab. It offers losses of 0.10 dB.
FC – This connector was one of the first to appear on the market, although it is now almost out of use. In English, Ferrule Connector is a threaded fixing connector that is highly resistant to vibrations. It offers losses of up to 0.3 dB.
ST – This straight-tip connector (Straight Tip) is similar to coaxial cable BNC connectors. It is usually used, above all, in business environments where you want to fix the cables in the best possible way. It offers losses of 0.25 dB.
In addition, each type of connector consists of different parts. For example, the parts that make up an SC-type connector (the most common) are:
Is this your first time getting optic fiber installed in your home or company building?
Then, you’re swimming in questions about network cabling, connectivity speed, and stability, among many other elements surrounding this topic.
That’s why we want to help you determine if you need (or don’t) an optic fiber network.
The short answer: Yes, Fiber Optics are necessary for everyone in 2023.
The long answer: Nowadays, it does not matter what vertical in business you are in, you rely on internet-dependent operations to keep it running and growing.
Yes, you could live with a network that averages 10 Mbp/s, but the truth is, you’re staying behind in probably everything you do. On the other hand, you can save plenty of hours every week on both uploads and downloads and can gain an advantage in your daily life if either some important documents or movies and series are ready in a matter of seconds.
The most important thing to choosing the best Internet speed for your home is to determine, approximately, the speed that your activities demand, whether leisure or work when you connect to the Internet.
You should also consider the number of devices that will connect to Wi-Fi at the same time and, therefore, can affect the speed of uploading and downloading some tasks.
Next, we are going to show you the different aspects that you must take into account to know what is needed to install fiber optics in your home:
Fiber internet provides charges between $30/month to $300/month for their plans, with a minimum averaging 100 Mbp/s and going up to 3 Gbp/s of download speeds.
And it depends on the company or the rate you choose, you will have to pay for the installation of fiber optics.
Most of the rates where you have to pay for the router and/or installation do so as “security” so that you don’t unsubscribe later and they end up losing the money invested in the installation.
Some companies give you a double option: install fiber optic internet at no cost to you without signing a one-year contract or charge you an amount if you do not want to be tied to the company for a certain time.
When choosing between the different offers available on the market, we must take two factors into account above all: what we are going to use the connection for and how many devices will be connected to it simultaneously.
This will help you pay just enough and not more than you need.
And here’s a secret that many operators don’t tell you: In most cases, the speed of the internet plan you purchase is higher than what you needed.
So whether you download a thousand files a day, or just do two Google searches a week, there’s an internet connection that’s just right for you.
Fiber installation time varies greatly because it depends on many factors. It is noteworthy to say that fiber optics is more difficult to install than ADSL. The waiting period between the contracting and the installation of the fiber is increasingly shorter.
This may be because users are increasingly demanding. So companies need to hurry before they change their minds.
If you wonder how the fiber optic installation is step by step, stay tuned:
Once all this is done, it’s your turn to connect to the network with all the devices you want. Of course, as long as they are adapted for it. The start-up from the moment the technician enters the door until he gives you the freedom to connect the devices you want is usually two hours.
That being said… What are your thoughts after reading this checklist?
Do you need optic fiber internet installed at your home or office?
Get in touch with our LayerLogix team in case you have more questions and want further support on this decision!
Network cabling troubleshooting includes slow network speeds, weak Wi-Fi signals, damaged cabling, and so much more.
After all, enterprise networks are complex, and end users often complain about what appears to be poor application performance, and there can be many possible reasons for these hiccups.
Below are five common networking problems that we fix at LayerLogix.
In short, networks are complex, and problems happen… And these are just some of the most common types of network and cabling (network cabling).
When other types of network problems occur, search for help on the web or contact network service providers or professional teams such as LayerLogix.
Are you worried about fiber optic cable damage? You should be.
Because while they’re perceived as the best and safer option in their product line, fiber optic cables still are fragile and can cause data outages when installed or treated incorrectly.
Even worse, fiber optic repairs take weeks and require specialist equipment and skills.
So, let’s see what are the reason why fiber optic cables break and what you can do about it.
Optical fiber can break for a couple of reasons. Accidental breaks (especially cable damage surrounding new construction areas) are the most common and just as damaging as the other reasons we’ll mention below.
Newer companies have tried to solve it, avoiding this kind of incident by placing the cables inside conduits like gas pipelines, but besides pre-installation bad treatment, nothing harms fiber optic cabling as the force of nature.
Earthquakes, hurricanes, and tornados, among other natural disasters, can cut or destroy entire fiber optic cabling if it doesn’t just cripple connectivity.
And despite what people think, rain, cold and extreme heat can affect traditional electrical signals but do not have any effect on fiber optics.
Yes, it can be repaired, when it is in the hands of a skilled team of specialists who carry fiber-splicing and terminating equipment and of course, know how to use it.
In the case it’s not cut, the damaged section is removed. Then, the remaining fiber sections are spliced with caution. These are the two most frequent methods used to splice optical fiber cables:
Fiber cuts are costing big money companies (especially telecom).
According to the NTDPC, $75,000 per mile is how much fiber optic cable costs to bury in rural areas (on average). Fixing fiber optic cables of that longitude can cost as much. So far, $92,000 was the biggest reported amount spent by one telecom company on repairs of this kind. In that year alone, telecom companies paid an estimated $600 million in repair costs.
But the real financial weight comes from indirect costs (like business closures), representing an estimated loss of $18 billion that year, as well. That’s a 100x increment of an already painful sum.
The hard-earned lesson? Minor incidents with a relatively minor fallout can, unfortunately, lead to much bigger problems, due to how much it affects end-users. In the worst-case scenario, your business has impacts on public health and emergency services (police departments, fire stations, and EMTs) who force or even stop completely their operations.
But even if that’s not the case, the snowballing of minor fiber optic cable damage to the major issue could come from customers’ canceled services for failing to provide constant and reliable support.
What can you do about it?
To ask us questions you and/or your team have, make sure your current structured cabling is in good health. Or, let the experts handle it in the case of a first installation.
Fiber optic cabling supports most of today’s world’s internet, cable television, and telephone systems. But not many people know what are they and how do they work exactly.
This is why we decided to write this article.
We’re sure you understand inside these and how to make the best out of them after five minutes of reading.
First of all, fiber optic cabling contains strands of glass fibers, each slightly thicker than human hair, inside an insulated casing.
Each strand’s center is called core and works as the pathway for light to travel, with the help of cladding, a layer of glass that surrounds it and reflects light inward to avoid loss of signal.
There’s also the plastic/rubber boot (which starts the transition from the cable to the connector) to support bendability to the case to prevent strains on the cable, as well the connector, a plugin/ locking mechanism grabbed onto when installing or removing the cable.
Last but not least, the ceramic, plastic, or stainless-steel ferrule is the outgoing portion of a fiber connector used to house the end of the fiber to align with the transceiver or another fiber.
While single-mode fiber generates light through thin glass strands and lasers; multi-mode optical fiber cables use LEDs for the same purpose.
Maybe you’ve read or heard this already. Might even be the reason why you’re here today.
But compared to wired cables, fiber optic cabling is made for long-distance, and to provide high-performance data networking and telecommunications (higher bandwidth and transmit data).
Fiber optics support higher network bandwidth capacity (up to 100 Gbp/s) and strengthen the signal, also making it less susceptible to interference.
Now, the only downside is the fragility of its glass. This is why companies that distribute fiber optic cabling ship out the product in one piece with plenty of preparation. “Fragile” alerting stickers are the very least you’ll see on its packaging material
This is why, we also want to mention some of the best practices for handling fiber optic cables, because you’ll definitely need to handle these with care.
Will you or someone else take care of its installation? Doesn’t matter. You better leave the cables inside the box and boxes in a safe place until they’re ready to be used, to avoid potentially damaging situations.
Once that you take the fiber optic cables out of the package and start the installation, make sure to leave the end-caps that protect them until you will plug each cable into the transceiver or patch panel.
They’re built to protect the most sensitive part of the fiber, so once the glass runs through its center, it immediately gets exposed to the surrounding contaminants.
Have you been tempted to pinch or kink the fiber cable for some reason? You better don’t, because it will cause the glass to snap.
In the case you’re doing the installation yourself: don’t forget to follow the manufacturer’s recommendations.
But remember LayerLogix is here in the case that you can’t install the fiber optic cabling on your own.
We’ve been doing it for a long time now, with high success and customer satisfaction rate.
Serving The Woodlands, the Greater Houston Area, Austin, & Dallas. LayerLogix is a trusted business partner for Expert IT and structured cabling solutions based in The Woodlands, Texas.