How Fiber-to-Ethernet Converters Increase Usability of Copper Lines
With the introduction of blindingly fast fiber internet in recent years, old standbys like the copper wire-based DSL and cable internet types start to look positively slow in comparison. Why is fiber so much faster, and is there anything that can be done to increase the speed of older technology?
Fiber internet’s speed comes from a complete redesign of how the data stream is carried, as well as using different materials. Fiber cables are built with hundreds of filament-thin glass fibers at the center. Your internet signal is carried through by flashes of light approaching about 70% of the speed of light.
This new design is completely incompatible with the copper wires that serve as the basis for both DSL and cable internet, which still provide service to most customers. Obviously, businesses and organizations would like to take advantage of fiber’s improved performance, but there are a couple of issues.
• Fiber internet is only available to about 25% of internet users in the US
• They already have time and money sunk into their present internet type
So there you have the issue. The most popular types of internet are slower than the new kid on the block. If only there were some way to inject fiber’s speed into DSL and cable’s ubiquity. It turns out that there is — sort of.
We want to introduce the fiber-to-ethernet converter, a nifty little device that improves the usability of copper lines to provide improved internet connections. Wouldn’t you like to know how? Keep reading. We’ll tell you all about it.
Introducing Fiber-to-Ethernet Converters
Put simply, a fiber-to-ethernet converter is a doodad that converts an optical signal, such as that found in fiber internet, to an electrical signal, such as that found in DSL and cable internet.
Before going further, note that the copper wires inside traditional internet connections are called ethernet. The adapter we’re discussing allows an ethernet device to communicate with and be transferred over fiber optic cable. You can also reverse the process and translate optical signals into ones that can be used by an ethernet device.
The bottom line is that you now have taken two incompatible devices and taught them to communicate. That’s impressive. Even better, slower and less efficient internet types can be made to take advantage of a fiber network’s superior performance.
The ethernet converter allows data to be transferred faster, over longer distances, and with less signal degradation than before.
Types of Fiber-to-Ethernet Converters
Since nothing is ever simple in this world, you can expect that there are a variety of different types of fiber-to-ethernet converters, and each has a use for which it is best served. The ones we’re going to cover are standalone, managed, POE, and SFP.
Let’s talk about each in turn.
Standalone Converters
A standalone converter is compact, easy to install, and will save you time and money over most other types. If the work environment where it is intended to be used is short on physical space, this is a good option. This type of converter doesn’t need a web interface and is perfect for startups or small companies that are more concerned with simplicity than an assortment of bells and whistles.
Managed Converters
This type of converter comes with features that aren’t included in a standalone converter. For example, you can use one for network monitoring, remote configuration, and fault detection. Managed converters also support a variety of protocols like SNMP, SSH, Telnet, and HTTPS. This type of converter would be great for a more complex setup but might be too much for the kind of downsized environment mentioned for standalone converters.
PoE Converters
PoE stands for Power Over Ethernet. Traditionally, fiber converters only transmitted data, and that was it. A one-trick pony for sure. On the other hand, a PoE converter creates a solid ethernet-fiber link and can also provide power over the network to one or sometimes two devices. The only real drawback to a PoE unit is that the extremely high quality of the data stream makes the transmission distance somewhat shorter than other types of converters.
SFP Converters
SFP converters are an easy-to-use way to connect fiber to a variety of devices, networks, and cables. Connecting to copper lines is where it shines. A converter usually has either one or two slots, and it’s easy to mix and match a number of them in one deployment for maximum flexibility. SFP converters are made to allow engineers to scale their network by swapping out more units on the fly without having to replace the entire fiber media converter.
Media Converter vs. Media Converter Chassis
We’ve mentioned that a standalone media converter works best in a startup or small company environment where space is at a premium, and the emphasis is on the powerful but limited function that takes up a limited amount of physical space. With a media converter chassis, we’re talking about a high-powered device, not small, intended for deployment in industrial enterprise environments.
Single-Mode vs Multimode Converters
A single-mode converter (also called transverse mode) can transmit light signals in only one direction on an optical fiber. Smaller, at 9 to 10.5 microns, single-mode converters have a low attenuation. On the other hand, a multimode converter can carry light signals in two or more directions with high light dispersion and authentication. Single-mode can carry signals for a longer distance while a multimode converter has a shorter transmission distance, typically used in LAN construction.
