Many of you have asked us about the differences between plastic optical fiber and Ethernet cables.
What are the differences?
Is one better than the other?
Why is it better to install plastic optical fiber?
What are the advantages of plastic optical fiber vs. Ethernet cables?
And what about normal optical fiber? Is plastic optical fiber different from normal optical fiber?
Well, if these are questions you're asking yourself, stick with us because we're going to explain everything to clear up any doubts. Let's go...
Although it seems that today we live in the wireless era, the reason we have Internet at home is due to the 1 billion meters of submarine cable that different companies have installed to transport data between continents.
Although satellite communication seems the most modern, cables have begun to win the game due to their greater reliability, and this is how communications continue to function.
But what about the cables we have at home? Let's see what types of cable we are talking about...
Ethernet Cables
Well, many of you have surely seen and know them well. Be careful, many are similar but not all are the same. These are the cables we commonly call Ethernet cables. In 90% of cases, our router will be connected to the Internet via an Ethernet-type cable.
These are twisted pair cables because they have two insulated and intertwined electrical conductors.
There are several categories that we abbreviate as Cat. so we have cat 5, 6, 7...
The higher the category, the higher the speed they transmit, reaching up to 40 Gbps, but only at short distances and in well-protected environments.
The problem with these cables is that they are not completely immune to noise, unlike fiber optic cables.
UTP cables do not have shielding, which is why, to improve their transmission, they are shielded with aluminum to insulate them and reduce interference.
Thus, from least to most isolation, we have FTP, STP, or SSTP cables, with better connectivity as isolation increases.
But of course, the problem with increasing shielding is that we add more and more layers of material between the cables, and this makes them much thicker and much less flexible, and when it comes to moving them and pulling them through conduits, the job becomes complicated.
Notice how difficult it is to bend a category cable.
Shielded Ethernet cable is very rigid and not very malleable, making it impossible to introduce and manipulate through existing conduits not adapted for telecommunications.
This is where Plastic Optical Fiber offers a huge advantage.
By the way, notice that as the cable category increases, we also have to pay attention to the connectors it uses, whether they are RJ 45, 49… which are different for each cable.
How does plastic optical fiber compare to Ethernet options?
The main difference or advantage between Plastic Fiber and Ethernet cables is that POF allows sharing conduits with the electrical network.
- It has a reduced diameter and occupied area.
- It does not require connectors or tools for installation.
- It does not emit radiation, crosstalk, or the possibility of electrical derivations.
- It is easy to solve problems that arise; if there is light, there is transmission.
- No construction work or aesthetic problems (ducts, staples, grooves, etc.).
- Installation times.
- Snap Data type kits are DIY.
Plastic fiber also has some disadvantages:
- It needs electrical power to function.
- Its bandwidth and distance are limited.
- Currently, the maximum speed is 1 Gbps, although this is already very high and is expected to increase further.
Now let's look at the most common optical fiber cables...
GOF Optical Fiber Cables
Spain is one of Europe's leaders in terms of fiber optic deployment. According to Movistar, its network of almost 16 million wired homes is the largest on the continent.
Traditional glass optical fiber is essentially a silicon (glass) hair that is not very resistant to tension and very sensitive to impacts. For this reason, optical fibers are coated, grouped, and protected, forming different types of cables.
Here we show you the two most common types of cable: single-mode and multimode.
The main problems with optical fiber in a domestic installation are its high fragility, which makes it very susceptible to possible breakage, especially when trying to insert it into conduits.
There is also difficulty in making fusion splices or in the different polishes and connectors to ensure a good connection (careful adhesion of the fibers, precise alignment of the fiber cores, and coupling of these aligned cores).
That is, glass optical fiber offers conductivity advantages but is much more complicated to manipulate and splice.
For example, one of the main difficulties in its installation is the need to use specialized machinery such as fusion splicers.
How do normal optical fiber and plastic optical fiber differ?
- Glass optical fiber is more difficult to bend compared to POF.
- Plastic optical fiber offers robustness, tensile strength, and very sharp turning radii.
- Plastic fiber does not require connectors or fusion splicers.
- The diameter and occupied area of Plastic Fiber are smaller as it has no connectors.
- Plastic Fiber installation times are shorter.
Is it always better to use Plastic Optical Fiber?
Well, the idea is that by knowing the characteristics of each case, you can now make your own decisions.
From our point of view, for the vast majority of broadband internet installations in homes, if there isn't a specific telecommunications installation, the recommendation is to use POF.
Due to its performance, simplicity, ease, and speed of installation, it is the way to provide highly reliable internet in most cases.
Try it yourselves. We have nothing more to add in this video.
We hope to have clarified some of the questions you have sent us.
If you have questions, suggestions, or any other query, you can contact us through our website.
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