Fiber optic cable

What is fiber optics?

Fiber optics refers to the technology that transmits information as light pulses along a glass or plastic fiber.

A fiber optic cable can contain a varying number of glass fibers, from a few up to a couple hundred. Another glass layer called cladding surrounds the glass fiber core. The buffer tube layer protects the cladding, and a jacket layer acts as the final protective layer for the individual strand.

Fiber optic cables are used because of their advantages over copper cables. Some of those benefits include higher bandwidth and transmit speeds.


Fiber optics is used for long-distance and high-performance data networking. It is also commonly used in telecommunication services, such as internet, television and telephones.

Advantages and disadvantages of fiber optics

Advantages-

  1. They support higher bandwidth capacities.
  2. Light can travel further without needing as much of a signal boost.
  3. They are less susceptible to interference, such as electromagnetic interference.
  4. They can be submerged in water.
  5. Fiber optic cables are stronger, thinner and lighter than copper wire cables.
  6. They do not need to be maintained or replaced as frequently.

Disadvantages-

However, it is important to note that fiber optics do have disadvantages. These disadvantages include the following:

  1. Fiber optics is often more expensive than copper wire.
  2. Glass fiber requires more protection within an outer cable than copper.
  3. Installing new cabling is labor intensive.
  4. Fiber optic cables are often more fragile. For example, the fibers can be broken, or a signal can be lost if the cable is bent or curved around a radius of a few centimeters.

Uses of fiber optic cable

A range of industries use fiber optic cables for reliable and fast connectivity.

1- Computer networking and broadcasting

Computer networking is a common fiber optics use case due to optical fiber's ability to transmit data and provide high bandwidth. Similarly, fiber optics is frequently used in broadcasting and electronics to provide better connections and performance.

2- Internet and cable television

Internet and cable television are two of the more common use cases for fiber optics. Fiber optics can be installed to support long-distance connections between computer networks in different locations.

3- Military and space

Military and space industries also make use of optical fiber as a means of communication and signal transfer in addition to its ability to provide temperature sensing. Fiber optic cables can be beneficial due to their lighter weight and smaller size.

4-Medical

Fiber optics is frequently used in a variety of medical instruments to provide precise illumination. It also increasingly enables biomedical sensors that aid in minimally invasive medical procedures. Because optical fiber is not subject to electromagnetic interference, it is ideal for various tests like MRI scans. Other medical applications for fiber optics include X-ray imaging, endoscopy, light therapy and surgical microscopy.

5-Undersea environments

Fiber optic cables are used in more at-risk environments, like undersea cables, as they can be submerged in water and don't need to be frequently replaced.



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