My TN Connection

There is no doubt that historically most premise networks that contain fiber have been composed of standard 62.5-micron (µm) cable. But, with the widespread implementation of Gigabit Ethernet and the move towards 10 Gig networks, the case for deploying 50/125µm fiber and laser optimized 50/125µm fiber has become much stronger. At the 1300nm window, the bandwidth and link distance for 50/125µm and 62.5/125µm are virtually the same. It is when we move to the 850nm window, were lasers are typically used as the light source, that 50/125µm fiber really differentiates itself. 50-micron offers 3 times the bandwidth (500MHz-km vs. 160MHz-km) and over twice the transmission distance (550m vs 220m) than 62.5/125µm at the 850nm wavelength.

So it seems like a no-brainer to run 50/125µm fiber, unfortunately it isn’t that easy. The one major challenge that has been created by this resurgence of 50/125µm fiber is the issue of mixing the two fibers within networks. We have this huge embedded pool of 62.5/125µm fiber in place, yet network managers are seeing the need to deploy 50/125µm fiber to run Gigabit and 10 Gig network speeds. Can both fiber types reside in the same network? Well if one connects a 50/125µm fiber to a 62.5/125µm, the smaller core of the 50/125µm fiber will easily couple to the 62.5/125µm fiber and is very insensitive to the misalignment of the cores. However if you look at the converse scenario, the larger core of the 62.5/125µm fiber will overfill the core of the 50/125µm fiber - creating excess loss and bit errors.

But wait, before you start making plans to pull all of your 62.5-micron fiber out and replace it with 50-micron, let me tell you that there are other options. Transition Networks’ multimode to multimode media converter products allow for the conversion between 50/125µm and 62.5/125µm fiber. Products like the SFMFF1313-220 are able to take a 62.5/125µm Gigabit signal in one port and convert it to a 50/125µm Gigabit signal in the second port.

Featured PDF Download:
Media Conversion Solutions for 62.5 to 50-Micron Multimode Fiber Conversion

This converter is just another example of how Transition Networks manufactures solutions that make networks perform better, faster, and more reliably while helping you leverage your existing network infrastructure.

You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.