Fiber optic cables are essential for today's digital communications. With the ability to support superior transmission speeds over longer distances compared to copper cabling, fiber optic cables have become the de facto media for data center links and high-speed connections between spaces, buildings, cities, and regions. But how exactly do fiber optic cables transmit data, and …
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Media converters are fairly simple networking devices for connecting dissimilar media, and most people think of them as being used for transitioning from electrical signals transmitted over copper to optical signals transmitted over fiber. But did you know that media converters can be used for converting other signal types in different environments? Let’s take …
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  In data center environments, fiber connections between equipment such as switches, servers, and storage devices are achieved via cable assemblies, which is a generic term that refers to any collection of fiber strands grouped together within a cable and terminated to connectors. MTP/MPO trunk cables and breakout cables are two of the most common types of cable assemblie …
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Fiber optic patch cables are vital to every optical network, establishing connections to servers, switches, storage devices, and other equipment and devices in data centers, telecommunications rooms, and other network spaces. Patch cables terminate to various fiber connector types to maintain compatibility with equipment input/output (I/O) connectors and support multiple optic …
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Fiber optic cable is a vital component of every network—whether it’s an outside plant (OSP) service provider network, data center, or LAN. Knowing how much fiber optic cable costs, which factors can impact cost, and key cost considerations can help you avoid unnecessary expense and get the most out of your budget.Fiber type, construction, and application matters Several …
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Every network today includes fiber optic cable and connectivity—whether it’s an all-fiber outside plant (OSP) infrastructure, thousands of fiber links between equipment in the data center, or the fiber backbone in a LAN. While fiber provides greater reach and bandwidth than copper, you may be surprised to learn that fiber is also more durable than copper—even though it’s …
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Multi-fiber push-on (MPO) connectors are a mainstay in the data center for parallel optics applications that transmit and receive data over multiple fibers to support high-speed applications. MPO connectors are typically available with 8, 12, 16, 24, or 32 fibers to support 40 to 800 Gigabit parallel optic applications, where each fiber transmits and receives at 10, 25, 50, or …
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Everyone knows that Category 6A twisted-pair cabling offers augmented performance over Category 6—hence the "A" for augmented. But understanding technically how Cat 6A compares to Cat 6 can help you determine which is best for your specific application needs and budget. Cat 6 Cabling Cat 6 cabling was ratified by TIA industry standards in 2002, just a year after Cat 5e. …
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Over the past four decades, fiber optic cabling has advanced considerably to keep up with increasing bandwidth and performance demands. Specifically, multimode fiber cables deployed throughout data centers, backbone LAN infrastructure, and for fiber-to-the-desk applications have evolved significantly since they were first introduced in the 1970s, advancing from OS1 to OS2, O …
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Copper category cables feature four twisted pairs of insulated conductors that range from 22 to 30 AWG. They can be shielded or unshielded construction. Shielding protects against noise that can disturb signals, such as crosstalk and external electromagnetic interference (EMI) and radiofrequency interference (RFI) caused by magnetic and electric fields from a variety of sources …
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Every data center project is different, and business needs are fluid and ever-changing. Sometimes an upgrade or expansion is planned well in advance, giving you ample time to effectively determine your equipment, space, power, and connectivity. Other times you may be faced with an urgent project and faster-than-average timing that leaves you scrambling and needing qu …
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Innerduct has long been used to protect and segregate fiber optic cables installed in conduit outside-plant and premise environments. It also protects and segregates fiber cables in cable tray throughout telecommunications spaces and pathways. But did you know that there are multiple types of innerduct available? Where, how, and to what distance you plan to deploy fiber cables …
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Whether it’s outside plant (OSP) infrastructure, links between equipment in the data center, or the backbone in a LAN, a light source and power meter (LSPM) test set is the most vital of all tools for testing an installed fiber plant. Most specifications require Tier 1 testing per TIA and ISO standards using an LSPM to calculate total insertion loss and length. And even if a sp …
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When we think about today’s networks, all of the advanced technology enabling high-speed, low-latency transmission for the latest applications is pretty darn exciting. While racks and cabinets may not be the sexiest infrastructure component in your telecom spaces, they are an absolute necessity for housing and protecting the equipment that makes our digital world fun …
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      When deploying fiber links in data centers, LANs, or even in outside plant networks, fiber is pulled between equipment and spaces through pathways, cable managers, cable tray, risers, or conduit. While it may seem like a routine task, failure to pull properly can damage the cable in a way that prevents data transmission or impacts network performance over …
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                         Every network today includes fiber optic connectivity—whether it's an all-fiber outside plant (OSP) infrastructure, thousands of fiber links between equipment in the data center, or the fiber backbone in a LAN. However, sometime …
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                        Twisted-pair copper cabling continues to be the predominant media in the horizontal LAN infrastructure for connecting and powering devices at the edge of the network—for everything from Wi-Fi access points and surveillance cameras to LED …
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                         As we discussed in a previous blog , multi-fiber MPO connectors have become the connector of choice for high-speed parallel optics applications that transmit and receive over multiple fibers. These include 8-fiber and 16 …
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                        If you’re new to the industry or just happen to work in an area of IT that doesn’t deal with the cabling infrastructure, you might be wondering exactly what a fiber patch panel is and how it’s used. In reality, a fiber patch panel is n …
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There is no doubt that fiber connectivity has improved over the years with advancements like superior insertion loss, better alignment, gender and polarity field changes, shutters, and smaller form factors. But despite these advancements, contaminated fiber end faces remain the #1 cause of performance issues in fiber links. As the number of devices and amount of data reaches a …
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