Tuesday 21 January 2014

The Advantages And Disadvantages Of Fiber Optics

By Amanda Bean


Ever since long ago, talks about the wonders of optical fibers have made its round across the globe. Despite the fact that it has been talked about ever since long ago, getting an all-optical network remains a dream. Only a few places are making use of fiber optics as a part of their network for Internet connections.

An all-optical network is still far off. However, people should thoroughly be made aware about this. It is better to inform the public about the possibility of this dream. Before anything else, let the public know about the pros and cons that are available to them. Here are some important pros and cons the public should know about.

For the pro side, people should be able to take advantage of the bandwidth capacity of this option. The optical signals can carry more information compared to electrical ones. The theoretical capacity of the optical fibers is considered to be hundred times bigger and faster than the copper cables. If it is turned into reality, the most common benefit that a person can feel is the instant page load.

It is also a good thing in terms of signal reliability. The optical option is not open to electromagnetic interferences, unlike the electrical option. This means that the system for the optical fibers will not suffer signal loss. If there is less to zero signal loss, then the person can expect a small bit error rate.

The weight and size of this product will also prove to be advantageous. It is not as heavy nor as bulky as the coaxial cables. For the optical fibers, the size of it will measure to only ten micrometers in the least. This is just a fifth of the diameter of a person hair. The weight of these optical fibers measures to at least six kilograms per one kilometer.

If there are pros, there are surely cons to the said option. Since this is the case, it is better to have a look at the disadvantages of this option too. First of all, there is a problem with how much this product cost. There is a reason why only big enterprises can afford to get optical fibers as backbone for their network. If this is deployed to homes, then the cost will be exorbitant for one subscriber.

There are physical constraints that people has to suffer from too. The optical fibers should never be bended too much or else it will lose its light reflecting property. It is also a known fact that this is more easily damaged compared to copper cables. The complexity and cost of the repairs is higher as well.

Traffic switching is still not a good feature for the optical fibers. It is still better to use the electrical switching solution. After all, the cost-efficiency and flexibility of the latter is better than the optical fibers.

These are just some of the pros and cons that people will have to take into account when they are trying to install the fiber optics into their house or their business. There should be other pros and cons that people can reap aside from the mentioned ones. Better know more of these pros and cons through proper research so that one can make an informed decision in the end.




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