Wednesday 15 January 2014

The Pros And Cons 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.

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.

There is also the advantage of signal reliability. Electrical signals are easily exposed to electromagnetic interference. The bit error rate of the electrical systems when there is an electromagnetic interference will god up then. For the optical signals, it does not suffer from electromagnetic interference. Since there is no signal loss, the bit error rate is smaller.

The person can also consider the size and weight of the optical fibers. When it comes to the size, the optical wires have a size of ten to 50 micrometers. This is comparable to a fifth of a human hair's diameter. When it comes to the weight, one kilometer of this wire can be weighed as much as six kilograms.

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.

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 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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