A fiber optic converter, or fiber optic media converter, is a device that converts a network connection from a normal UTP or FTP network cable into a fiber glass connection. A fiber optic converter is easy to use: it is connected to a network switch or router via a UTP or FTP patch cable, so that your electrical network signal is converted into the correct signal.
Best Fiber Optic Converters:
- THE STARTECH.COM ADVANTAGE: StarTech.com offers a 2-year warranty and free lifetime technical support on this converter and has been the choice of IT...
- ✅Fiber Port: 1.25G, SC, 850-nm
- Auto negotiation of 10/100Mbps and auto MDI/MDIX for TX port
- Toslink 1 to 2 Audio Fiber Adapter,Connect one toslink optical digital audio source and split into two different receiving devices such as a A/V...
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- ✅Fiber Port: 1.25G, SC, 1310-nm
- Fiber Optic Splitter 1 in 2 Out,This Firber Optic Splitter Adapter can spits into 2 female Toslink, Compatible with Male Toslink cables.
- Seamless Conversion of LC Fiber to Copper – This fiber optic to ethernet media converter kit includes a multimode 1000BASE-SX SFP module(850nm),...
- Seamless Conversion of LC Fiber to Copper – This fiber optic to ethernet media converter kit includes a single mode 1000BASE-LX SFP module(1310nm),...
- Optical port: 1.25 Gb / s SFP, extends distances up to 3 km.1310/1510nm wavelength; RJ45 port: 10M/100M/1000M, supports Full/Half Duplex...
What is a Fiber Optic Converter and when do you need it?
Fiberglass consists of a thin transparent core wrapped in a sheath and a protective sleeve. A light signal can be sent through this core through a laser diode that shines into the fiber. On the other side of the cable is a light-sensitive diode or transistor, which translates the pulses into electrical signals.
A standard network cable contains four wire pairs that are used to make a duplex data connection, whereby the data can be transported both ways simultaneously. Some cables are used to transfer data in one direction, but two cables are required for a reciprocal connection. Therefore, they are often supplied as a double cable as standard.
It is an ideal transport medium for transporting computer data over a long distance. With a normal copper network cable, the maximum guaranteed distance is 100 meters. With a fiberglass cable, simple distances of many kilometers can be bridged, due to the smaller susceptibility to failure. Before use, connect a double fiber optic cable to the fiber optic converter. Connect the other end of this cable to another fiber optic converter and connect it to a switch, router or computer with a UTP or FTP cable. The network connection now runs via the fiber optic cable.
How does Fiber Optic Converter work?
This device converts an electrical network signal into a fiber optic signal. Modern routers often have their own fiber optic connection or a modular SFP fiber optic interface. But if you want to connect a single computer, a small router or switch to a fiber optic cable, a converter is an ideal choice. With this device you can easily convert a duplex connection to a standard Ethernet connection.
You can connect this Ethernet connection to the network port of a computer, small router or access point via a patch cable. Then connect both incoming fibers to the converter, which is powered with the included power adapter. Plug the adapter into a free socket and into the fiber optic converter. With a number of types you can set a number of functions via dip switches. You can set the properties of the Ethernet port, choosing between 10 Mb / s, 100 Mb / s, or 1 Gb / s and whether the port works in half or full duplex modes. You will then have the option to enable the Link Fault Pass Through protocol, which will disable the network connection in the event of a link error.
How to Choose a Fiber Optic Converter?
It is important to pay attention to a number of properties when selecting a fiber optic converter. The first selection criterion is the desired transfer rate. If you only need a data rate of 100 Mb / s, for example for connecting a remote webcam, you can opt for the affordable Fast Ethernet fiber optic converter.
Do you need a high data rate because large files are regularly transferred and does the rest of your network also have 1 Gb / s connections? Then choose the faster Gigabit fiber optic converter.
The second selection criterion is the distance you want to bridge. If you want to bridge large distances of more than two kilometers, choose a single mode fiber converter and the corresponding single mode fiber. If you want to bridge distances of up to two kilometers, you can opt for a multimode version with the corresponding multimode fiber.
The third selection criterion is how you connect the fiber to the converter. This can be done with the square SC connector, where the two connectors of both fiber cables can be mechanically coupled into a block, with the round ST connectors with bayonet locking, or with an SFP transceiver.
Mode Converter
An SPF (“Small form-factor pluggable transceiver”) module is a plug-in module, which contains the laser and photo element to convert electrical data signals into light pulses and convert light pulses into electrical data. So it contains a transmitter and a receiver. In technical terms, this is called a transceiver. On the side that is inserted into an SPF router lock are the electrical contacts that transmit the data signal.
There are two fiber optic connectors on the front. These modules are widely used in routers and make the choice for a specific type of fiber, for example single mode or multimode, very flexible. If a choice has been made for a specific type of fiber, it is easy to select the right SFP module and slide it into the SFP router slot. A special fiber optic converter is the version with two SPF locks. It can be equipped with two SPF modules, each with their own specifications. One SPF module can be a multimode model and the other can be an SPF single mode module. In this way, single mode is easy to convert to multimode fiber.
