Understanding Fiber Optic Cables

Understanding Fiber Optic Cables

Although, fiber optic cables have been around for a long time, many people still don't know much about them. To help you out, here is some information about them:

The fibers aren't fragile

While the units are as thin as the human hair and made from a little bit of glass, they aren't fragile. In fact, they are stronger than copper. The units are designed to tolerate high temperatures, resist the roughest installations, and withstand up to 200 pounds of pulling tension. When you look at the fiber, you might think that you can't bend it without breaking. This isn't the case. The modern fiber optics are made from an insensitive type of fiber that can't break even if you bend it. This makes it possible to use the optics even in hard to reach places without compromising on the performance.

The cables aren't complicated to install

Due to the large amounts of tasks that they handle, you might think that the optics require a lot of specialized knowledge to install, but this isn't the case. Years ago, the installation of the units involved a lot of polishing, and the terminations had to be done by hand. This meant that you needed a contractor with specialized knowledge to install them.

Nowadays, the cables come in ready to install format. In fact, most of them come with manuals that guide you on how to professionally install them even if you have never done it before. For small projects, you can install the units on your own, but when it comes to large projects, you should hire a professional to help you out.

The units support wireless connections

For years, the units have been used in transferring information over long distances. Since you had to install the cables in the ground, most of the people have the impression that the cables don't support wireless connections. This isn't the case. The units have a large bandwidth capacity and are compatible with the wireless networking hardware. These features make them an ideal choice for telecommunication companies.

The units are cheaper than copper

Before the fiber optics hit the market, people used to use copper. Due to the convenience and better performance of the cables, many people think that they are expensive than copper which has a lower performance. Far from this. The units are not only cheaper to buy, but they also require less equipment thus consume less power. This means that they cost you less over the long run to maintain them.