Introduction to SFP

Nowadays, fiber optic communication becomes the main part of the modern information network. And the fiber optic transceiver plays an important role in the optical communication. As the core of the optical communication devices, it consists of a transmitter and a receiver in a single module. The transmitter takes an electrical signal and converts it to an optical signal from a laser diode or LED. And the receiver receives the optical signal and converts the light into an electrical signal by taking use of a detector. This article will introduce one of the fiber optic transceivers — SFP transceiver.

SFP Transceiver Overview

SFP transceiver, also called small form-factor pluggable transceiver, is specified by multi-source agreement (MSA). It is a hot-pluggable transceiver which is used for both telecommunication and data communications applications. Usually, we can think of it as a mini GBIC, because it is smaller than GBIC (Giga Bitrate Interface Converter) but it has the similar functions as GBIC. When you pick up a SFP transceiver, you can see that it contains a receive optical bore, a transmit optical bore, a bail clasp and a dust plug.

Types of SFP Transceivers

Transceivers can be classified into different types according to the patch cables used on them. Generally, there are single-mode SFP and multimode SFP. And they have different transmission distances and work on different wavelengths. So it is important to make clear the types of SFP transceivers before choosing the appropriate one for your device. Following lists the categories of SFP transceivers.

• 1000BASE-T SFP：Copper RJ-45 100m Transceiver
• 1000BASE-ZX SFP：work on 1550nm wavelength with 80km transmission distance
• 1000BASE-SX SFP：work on 850nm wavelength with 550m transmission distance
• 1000BASE-LX/LH SFP：work on 1310nm wavelength with 10km transmission distance
• 1000BASE-EX SFP：work on 1310nm wavelength with 40km transmission distance
• 1000BASE-EZX SFP：work on 1550nm wavelength with 160km transmission distance

Besides these, there are also other commonly used SFP transceivers, such as BiDi SFP and CWDM SFP, DWDM SFP, etc. And each of them have different features. You should know clearly about the features of every type before making the final decision.

Advantages of SFP Transceivers

The SFP transceivers can accommodate different connector interfaces. And it has the capability to transfer rates up to 1.25 Gpbs. Also, the SFP transceiver is more space saving than GBIC, because the SFP transceiver is only half the size of the GBIC, besides, it eliminates extra manufacturing steps and reduces costs. What’s more, the SFP transceivers have a higher optical reliability which ensure proper data transmission and they can permit higher soldering temperatures. Meanwhile, the SFP transceivers can work at distances ranging between 500 meters to hundreds of kilometers.

Applications of SFP Transceivers

SFP transceivers are used in network switches, firewalls, routers, and network interface cards. Also, they are applied to storage interface cards or fiber channel storage switches, which support different speeds such as 2G, 4G, and 8G. In fact, there are many SFP transceivers applied to popular networking systems such as wide area networks (WANs), metro access network, and metro core network.

Summary

In a word, the SFP transceiver, also known as mini GBIC, is one of the most popular fiber optic transceivers, which attracts more attention among other transceivers. Compared with other types of transceivers such as GBIC, SFP transceiver has its advantages of saving space and reducing cost. In FS.COM, there are a variety of SFP transceivers for selection, and each of SFP transceiver we provide is cost-effective and of high quality. Welcome to FS.COM!