Characteristics of Optical Fiber

As countries continue to develop networks for global communication.Fiber optic offers a method of transmission that allows for clearer, faster, more efficient communication than copper.A number of characteristics make optical fiber well-suited to video transmission.This chapter discusses the basics behind optical fiber transmission.

Optical Cables

Usually, manufacturers construct optical cables to the customer's specific application.However, all types of fiber optic cables contain common elements: the fiber housing, number of fiber's per cable, cable strength elements, etc.The fiber housing construction techniques include loose-tube or tight-buffer configurations.

Types of Fiber Optic Cables

The simplex cable contains a single fiber in the center. Duplex Fiber Optic Cable may appear circular, oval, or arranged zip cord fashion like an electrical cable.
Complex cable assemblies include breakout cables, composite cables, and hybrid cables.Breakout cables contain single-fiber or emulsified substrates, allowing access to individual fiber without the need for terminating patch panels.The cable industry disagrees about the exact definitions of composite cables and industry disagree about the exact definitions of composite cables and hybrid cables.For the sake of this discussion,composite cables mix both single-mode and multimode optical fiber in a single cable assembly,while hybrid cable describes a hybrid fiber cable that includes both optical fiber and copper cable in one cable assembly.
Both composite cables and Hybrid Cables offer the advantage of installation time and cost savings.However,these cables require application specific custom manufacturing.Still,the increase in demand for the convergence of video, audio, and data transmission makes these types of cable very attractive.Hybrid cables can also carry electrical signals, gaining them wide use in broadband CATV networks.

Fiber To The Home

The technological benefits of fiber to the home (FTTH) include its well-known capacity for transmitting incredibly high bandwidths at relatively negligible losses.This "future-proofs" the resulting network against demands for rising bandwidths,which shows will indeed be done only once because on electronics are installed in the outside plant between office a home.Upgrades are held on the premises of the service provider and the customer.Nearer-term benefits of fiber include its small size and weight compared with metallic cable,especially coaxial cable;its total immunity to both inward and outward leakage of electromagnetic interference,and its resistance to corrosion systems with active components at only the ends of the network ensure high validity.As important and practical as these advantages are more practical benefits may help drive fiber to the home now.These include solving the high costs of Ftth Drop Cable maintenance and electrical powering.
Clearly,optical fiber offers a number of characteristics that make it naturally suitable to fiber optic video transmissions.But as bandwidth and data rates continue to climb,some of fiber shortcoming become notice able.The next chapter describes the effects that limit optical fiber performance.