Fiber optics FAQs: the advantages, bend radius explained and more
Today, all it takes is a seventh of a second to carry telephone calls and emails around the world – and that’s thanks to fiber optic cabling. Sending light beams via thin strands of plastic or glass, fiber optics allows them to bounce continuously off the walls.
Designed for long-distance and high-performance telecommunications and data networking, fiber optic cables provide a much higher bandwidth than wired cables. Supporting the world’s cable TV, telephone systems and Internet usage, they’re a vital component in the smooth running of our day-to-day tasks, including searching Google and tuning into our favorite shows.
To help you better understand the unique application of fiber optic cabling, here are the answers to seven common questions:
1. How does fiber optic cabling work?
Since we’re all used to the idea of information travelling in a host of ways, the concept and application of fiber optic cabling shouldn’t seem too surprising, owing to ever-evolving advancements in technology.
As we know, when we chat to someone through a landline phone, a wire cable carries the sounds from our voice into a wall socket; another cable then takes it to the local telephone exchange – and a perfectly audible phone conversation is made possible.
Mobile phones work differently. By sending and receiving information via invisible radio waves, they allow us to enjoy a wireless conversation on a device we can easily fit in our outstretched palm.
What about fiber optics? They work in a different way. Sending information coded in a beam light down a glass or plastic pipe, the technology was initially developed back in the 1950s, for use in endoscopes. The benefit of fiber optic cables is that – owing to them being made up of many strands of thin data – a greater number of wires can be merged into a single cable. This allows for much more efficient cabling.
Transporting communication signals via pulses of light generated by small lasers more commonly known as light-emitting diodes (LEDs), fiber optic cables are a modern-day phenomenon. To the center of each strand of fiber optic glass is the ‘core’, which is the pathway on which the light travels. Surrounded by ‘cladding’ – a layer of glass which reflects the light inward to ensure loss of signal doesn’t occur – the light is able to freely pass through the cable’s bends.
2. How is fiber-optic cabling assembled?
Put together in a similar way to regular electric cabling, the fiber optic counterpart comes with its own unique management requirements – and that’s due to the fact the optic fibers carry light, as opposed to electricity.
Prior to investing in a fiber optic cable assembly, manufacturers should consider the unique application of the fiber optics system.
Alongside its intended application, manufacturers should also ascertain the amount of data to be transmitted, as well as the potential future growth of the organisation. Other considerations include the existing fiber optic cable assemblies in use, as well as the financial resources available.
3. Why should I install fiber optic cable?
There are many reasons for laying fiber optic cable, with key advantages as follows:
- With a higher capacity, fiber optic cables can carry a much larger bandwidth than a copper cable which similar thickness.
- Reducing the need for signal boosters, light can travel for much longer, too, via a fiber cable – and it won’t lose its strength.
- Less susceptible to interference, fiber cable is a preferable option. This is due to the fact that a standard network cable requires special shielding, which works to protect it from electromagnetic interference. Glass and fiber, however, manage to avoid these issues, thanks to their unique physical properties.
4. How many different varieties of fiber optic cable exist?
Singlemode, multimode and plastic optical fiber (POF) are the three types of fiber optic cable available, with each offering slightly different benefits. Singlemode optical fiber offers increased bandwidth capacity and a fast transmission speed, alongside limited external interference. Plus, the single input mode allows SMF to limit light scattering. This can reduce light weight, as well as increase transmission data.
Multimode fiber, like singlemode, offers high bandwidth at high speeds but is limited to shorter distances than singlemode.
Finally, plastic optical fiber performs at its best when used alongside visible red status indicator light services. What’s more, it tends to be more cost-effective than glass fiber cables, which means it’s more suitable for applications which require a consistent flexing of the fiber.
5. What is bend radius?
Bend radius is how sharply a cable can safely bend without causing damage by creating micro cracks on the glass fibers. Bending a fiber cable excessively can also cause the optical signal to refract and escape through the cladding. By interfering with light transmission, attenuation increases and compromises the integrity of the data being transmitted. Every cable will have a minimum radius, but this will vary according to the type being used.
Bend insensitive fiber can be either singlemode or multimode and is designed for better performance in reduced cable bend radius applications. Examples include residential or office buildings, or any space where tight bends and flexibility are needed, such a data center server cabinet. Bend insensitive fiber has a refractive index trench, or a ring index of refraction material. This reflects the lost light caused by the bend so that it comes back into the fiber’s core, minimising data loss.
6. How do I calculate bend radius?
The manufacturer should specify the minimum radius that your cable may safely be bent.
When the manufacturer has failed to do this, you can go by this general rule of thumb:
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The optical minimum bend radius is equal to ten times the outer jacket diameter of that cable. |
7. What are my options for fiber optic cable protection?
Ensuring the correct fiber optic cable bend radius is just one form of protection. Consider, too, these solutions:
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Suggestions |
Why |
| Maintain your cable’s strength and environmental stability | |
| Help with reeling your cable and maintaining a bending radius through a 90° turn | |
| Secure your fiber optic cables while protecting them from damage | |
| Protects cables from crushing, kinking and microbending – also a self-managing solution to routing | |
| Fiber strain relief glands protect against damage caused by rough-edged holes | |
| Strain relief for micron fibers while also providing protection during routing through holes |
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