Thursday, January 16, 2014

The Advantages And Disadvantages Of Fiber Optics

By Amanda Bean


The talk about the use of optical fibers have progressed from being a mere dream into a reality. However, such a reality is still not up to the standard of a useful level. The all-optical network is yet to become a reality. There are only a select few that are using a fiber optics network as their option to connect to the Internet.

Even if the said network is still far from getting developed realistically, people should already be made aware of it. It will be beneficial for them if they have an idea on what the pros and cons are of this option. Here are the pros and cons that the people should know about when it comes to this kind of network.

In the advantageous side, there are a lot of people who will appreciate taking advantage of the available bandwidth capacity of the said network. Compared to electrical signals, the capacity for information of an optical signal is three hundred times higher. It makes the connection flow faster and more information are exchanged.

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 person has to think about the size and weight too. The optical fibers usually have a size of at least ten micrometers. This size can be compared to a fifth of the diameter of human hair. The weight of this option, when it has a length of one kilometer, will be approximately six kilograms. It is definitely smaller and lighter than the coaxial cables.

Of course, using the optical fibers also has its own disadvantages. One of them is the cost of the said product. The exorbitant amount of the said option makes it only available to big companies. They use it as an economic investment because they can use this to serve as a backbone for their processes. If it is used at home, the price will be too expensive.

The physical constraints of this product will also persuade people to think twice about buying the product. Just bending the optical fibers more than necessary will increase the risk of losing the light reflecting properties in it. The complexity and the fee of the repairs for the said product is too much for one person to handle too.

Traffic switching is also a troublesome issue when it comes to this matter. The switching technology for this option might be advancing fast nowadays but it still cannot match the cost-efficiency and flexibility of the electrical switching solutions.

The pros and cons are not limited to the aforementioned, though. People should take account all information about using fiber optics. This is so that they can make a more appropriate decision in the end. This way, they can enjoy the benefits and withstand the consequences of using the said network easily.




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