 Advantages of fiber optic cable. In the majority of structured cabling installations, there will always be a copper data cabling element. Furthermore, in the majority of installations, there will also be fiber cabling requirements. In addition, there are cases where a choice needs to be made whether to install an element is fiber or copper. For example with backbones and links to elements further away from the nearest data switch. There are certain advantages of fiber optic cable that make it the preferred choice in certain situations. What is fiber optic cable? Fiber cable is constructed of multiple strands of glass or plastic, which are then added. Each cable contains multiple cores and always in even numbers for transmission and receiving. These cores are then wrapped in a protective casing. Finally, the cables are completed with an outer jacket. Transmission down the cable is via pulses of light. These are converted from electricity or either end by media converters. Thus, they differ from copper cables in that copper using electricity only to send signals. A further video comparing copper and fiber cables can be found by searching our earlier videos. What are the types of fiber optic cables? Fiber cables are designated as either. 1. Single mode fiber. 2. Multimode fiber. The cable types are then further categorized as. Single mode, OS1, OS2. Multimode, OM1, OM2, OM3, OM4, OM5. The different categories signify the transmission capabilities of the cables. Thus his technology designs a newer, faster and better cable type. It is ratified to a certain standard and therefore given a category. 8 advantages of fiber optic cable. The following are some of the advantages of fiber optic cable. 1. Ability for longer distances. Copper cables have a regulation limit of 100 meters for transmission. Multimode cables can transmit the same speeds over several hundred meters and single mode over several kilometers. Therefore, in situations where connectivity is required over long distances, fiber cable is the cable of choice. 2. Faster speeds. Due to having cores that use light for transmission, fiber cables can transmit data at much faster speeds than their copper equivalent. There is also less loss and corruption to the transmission. 3. Less interference from outside elements. Copper cables have the disadvantage that signals from other cables and outside influences, such as power cables, lights and noise, corrupt their signal. This results in lost signal and data. However, as fiber uses light for transmission, it doesn't have the same problem of interference, as light isn't influenced by these factors. 4. Increased bandwidth. In a like-for-like size of a cable, the fiber cable will carry a greater bandwidth compared to the copper equivalent. Furthermore, single mode will have twice the throughput of multimode cables. 5. Smaller cable size. The actual cores of the fiber cables are small, and the majority of the cable size is due to the protective sheath and coating. Therefore, as core sizes increase, the cable doesn't increase in overall size as much. For example, the difference in size between a 4-core and 8-core fiber cable is far from double the size. However, with copper cables, you need one cable per link, so it's always double the size. For example, for a 24-way link, you would need 24 copper cables or one single 48-core fiber. Furthermore, the 48-core fiber cable would be the same size as one CAT 6A cable. 6. Sturdier cable construction. The fiber cable is wrapped in a kevlar coating. Although the inner cores are very fragile, the overall cable is very strong. It can be installed and takes a lot more to damage it than a copper cable. Any slight damage to a copper cable usually renders it unsuitable for use. 7. Scalability for future technology. As with all technology, there is a shelf life where certain fiber cable categories are not suitable for certain applications. However, their suitability lasts a lot longer than copper equivalents. As fiber components have changed, i.e. the termination type, there has always been a simple solution, such as a bespoke patch lead to change the connection from panel to switch. Furthermore, as technology grows, the newer media converters can send more information down existing fiber. 8. Future cost savings. As previously mentioned, optical cables don't increase in size much as their cores increase. Therefore, neither does the cost. Thus, doubling the core size doesn't double the cost of cable as it would with copper. In this instance, future considerations can be installed during initial project times and be in place. For example, 8 cores are only currently required, but a 24 core cable is installed to allow for future growth. The cost increase is small compared to it almost tripling with copper links. For further assistance or a free survey please email or call on the details below, and click like and subscribe if you have enjoyed this video.