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The Future of Network Cabling: Fiber & Copper Together

Though fiber cables have replaced the traditional ways the copper cables used to work, there is a way they can co-exist. Find out how? https://www.sfcable.com/blog/future-network-cabling-fiber-copper-together/<br>

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The Future of Network Cabling: Fiber & Copper Together

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  1. The Future of Network Cabling:  Fiber & Copper Together    With the technological advancements & increasing internet               speed raises a question as to whether to use traditional copper                       as the physical interconnector or upgrade to fiber to support                     these higher speeds.    In this blog post, we are going to see the main difference and                           consequences of using both on the same platform.  Size And Space:  The main difference will be fluctuation in size and weight.                     Everyone has seen a traditional Cat5/Cat6 and a fiber cable.                     The clear difference here is that a duplex fiber optic cable                       provides 25 percent space savings and 50 percent weight         savings over shielded ​bulk cat5e cable​. Moreover, optical fiber                             1​​

  2. cables are lighter, thinner, and more efficient than their                   copper counterparts. However, it is important to note that                   fiber cables are a bit more fragile and require special tools to                         terminate connections.    2​

  3.   Transmission Speed:  Traditional   Cat5   twisted   pair   copper cables support a         transmission rate of 100 Megabits per second. On the same                     side, Cat 6 supports an impressive rate of 10 Gigabits per                       second up to a distance of 300 feet.    Whereas new fiber cables and new transmission protocols are                   booming each and every day. For mobile military platforms,                   fiber can support anywhere from 100Mbps up 10 Gbps.                   However, in data centers and service provider interconnects,                 fiber support the speed of 40, 50, 75, and 100 Gbps. And you                           can even see 400Gbps speed tested and implemented.    Signal Loss:  One of the major disadvantages of copper bulk ethernet cable                     is that they experience mass signal loss over long distances. If                       we look at the effective limit of a copper run, that is about 100                             3​

  4. meters. Other distances longer than that require ethernet                 switch, ethernet extender or media converter that can                 basically link two runs of copper together. Another way is to                       terminate the copper run and add a link to a fiber connection                         for the additional distance.    On the other hand, ​fiber optic cables can run without significant signal loss over                             longer   distances.   As   new   technologies are constantly coming ahead, a single mode fiber                   can support up to 100 Gbps up to 10km without any significant                         signal loss.    4​

  5. EMI And Cross Talk:  Copper cabling is responsive to crosstalk and both radio         frequency and EMI as it transfers an electrical signal. ​Cat6 Ethernet cables lessen the interference, but it does not escape                                                   it. The interference can be controlled with several measures                   which include an internal spline to separate the twisted pairs.    As the fiber optic cable doesn’t carry electricity but light, it is                         immune to the interference problem which can plague copper                   cabling.    You can find here more Ethernet cables:  Cat 5E Cables  Cat 7 Shielded Booted Cables  Cat 8 Shielded Booted Cables  5​

  6. Environmental Concerns:  Copper cables can potentially be a fire hazard in the long run.                         Because there is an electrical current passing through a plug                     which can wear over time. Whereas there is no electricity                     involved in the transmission of fiber optic signals, there is no                       concern of fire. Many users believe that fiber’s size and weight                       make it less resistant to the installation. But the fact is fiber is                           more durable with a higher tension limit than copper and                     stands up to environmental changes.    But why till date many of the platforms still use traditional                       bulk cat5e cable/cat 5 cables?    ● Till the date, fiber was an expensive cable. The overall                     economics of fiber has changed globally over the years;                   hence, the cost is becoming a less mitigation factor.  ● Fiber is sensitive metal. It reacts on twisting and kinking.                     It is a complex install. It changes rapidly with newer                     fibers, connectors and installation tools.  6​

  7. ● There is a huge installed base of copper, which is here to                         stay. Hence, many of them feel that the change of copper                       cables to fiber is optional.  ● A huge number of devices which need to connect still                     have only copper connector interfaces.    In the meantime, there are various ways to handle this           situation. Many ​bulk ethernet cables and switches support the connection of copper as well as fiber. This way, devices                                                 connected with either physical medium will be able to                   communicate with each other. In such a scenario, physical                   media converters can act as a bridge between the two media                       offering a range of configurations which support fiber                 in/copper   out   or copper in/fiber out or many other               configurations.    When it comes to big enterprises and data service providers,                     they have the way to replace copper with fiber in almost every                         new deployment. However, mobile and airborne platforms lag                 behind this evolution for many reasons. Speed requirements                 are   not   that   much   in   demand,   but   field repairs and       7​

  8. deployments are often harder. And finally, there comes the                   cost factor. We can expect to see the continued evolution                     from copper to fiber, but at a controlled pace. In the                       meantime, we can continue seeing the physical intermediary                 technologies that co-exist for many years to come.    Though fiber cables have replaced the traditional ways the                   copper cables used to work, there is a way they can co-exist.           Find out how​?                   If you found this Blog post useful, here are some other Blog             posts that may be of interest.                Fiber Optic Cables Vs Ethernet Cables: What Is the Difference?  Selecting The Right Bulk Network Cables - How to Go About It?  Everything You Need to Know About Ethernet Cables  CAT 5E, CAT 6 and 6A: Choosing the Right Cable  8​

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