Optical fiber is a type of technology data transmission that generates pulses of light through a very thin thread of transparent material that can be made of glass or plastic. It is widely used today and has as its main advantage the speed at which these pulses of light travel, generating a very fast Internet connection.
It is one of the most important advances in the technology that occurred in the last decade . With this system the signals they emit can travel long distances and can transmit data along their path. Its fibers can be single mode or multimode.
Through our study we made of this topic we want to show you all the aspects that you have to take into account when choosing this technology for your communication with the Internet.
Index:
What are the main advantages of the FTTH before the other connections to Internet? Is it the best?
FTTH ( Fiber To The Home ”) is a technology that is based on the use of fiber optic cable and systems adapted for this technology that They contribute to the distribution of advanced services. For example, triple play is nothing more than high speed broadband Internet with fixed telephony and television on the same cable.
These features allow you to get very high speeds of navigation without interruption or variations that result in a multimedia service without alterations.
Another point that we can highlight as a great advantage of fiber optic is that several electronic devices can be used at the same time without losing the intensity and quality of the Internet signal or other service provided the provider.
If we compare it with another Internet system we will realize that its installation is much easier , it has a direct connection to the centrals of the supplier companies, the fiber optic cable is more thinner than coaxial cable and provide 24-hour services without congestion.
Many people choose this technology because the videos and sound are more in real time, has great compatibility with real technology and has a high resistance to heat, cold and corrosion .
Based on all these advantages it offers, we can say that fiber optic technology is the most suitable for all people who want to work from home and for those companies in which a connection is needed no variations.
Fiber optic types What rates can be contracted and at what are they different?
It is essential that you know the different types of fiber, since each one has its own particularity. We explain some technical details below:
Symmetric fiber
It is that technology in which upload and download speeds are equalized predict these two parameters will always have the same download and data upload speed.
Many people think that symmetric fiber is faster, but in reality it has nothing to do one thing with another many times depending on the cable operator and, they give more speed for having a marketing interest and not for a technical limitation .
Always we have to analyze this situation according to the real needs that we have in our homes or in the company in which we use similar technology.
Asymmetric fiber
This fiber optic technology also refers to each of the data transmission connections of upload and download, being the download speed greater than the speed we have to load .
This type of service provided by suppliers has a significant difficulty since they are often slower than symmetric fiber optics.
Dark Fiber
The term dark refers to those optical fibers in which the totality that was deployed is not being used, that is, it refers to the part that is not illuminated .
It is estimated that in Spain there are about 2.5 million km of fiber deployed throughout the country, with approximately 30% being dark.
Fiber prices
Once we have analyzed each type of optical fiber that exists, we want to mention the best prices of symmetric fiber that we have found in the market so you can decide which one best suits your convenience ( in in the previous table we show you the average speed that Spain has with respect to other countries )
How to clarify we want to tell you that we do not mention or analyze the asymmetric type since they would not suit you economically. Check out the following approximate price list:
- “MÁSMÓVIL” offers a speed of 600 Mb with unlimited calls at a price of € 29.99 during the first three months.
- The company “Yoigo” offers a speed of 100Mb at € 32 per month with fixed telephony included.
- While the company “ Jazztel” has a wide range of products a 50 Mb fiber optic service plus fixed telephony for € 40 during the first three months.
- Another interesting offer is “ Orange” , offering € 30.95 a 100 Mb fiber optic speed, but if you want more speed, it can offer you its 500 Mb product at just € 45.10 per month.
- “Movistar” For € 32.30 per month a 100 Mb service.
- The company “Vodafone” provides a service of 100 MB to € 32.50 per month, including telephony.
FTTH connectors What types are there and how much do they influence the connection performance?
The connectors of a fiber optic arose with the need to connect and decouple the cables quickly and efficiently so that if they had been made with a splice . I have a great advantage that is that it does not lose quality of the data transmission service.
There are four types of connectors that we can find in the market. Next we’ll talk about each one of them:
Subscriber Connector
Commonly called SC , it is primarily aimed at single-mode fiber optics and has a push-pull coupling, providing greater advantages for those analog CATV, GBIC and GPON cables.
Lucent Connector
You will find this type of push-pull connector with the name of LC , this element has a small format and is used with a 1.25 mm splint, which is half the size of the above mentioned . It is very required to those connections in which a high density is needed.
Straight Tip
This type of connector refers to the so-called ST in the market of technological elements. It can be confused with FC (which we will talk about next) but it has a bayonet mount that is used instead of a thread.
Ferrule Connector
Known as FC , it is similar to ST, it is used for single-mode fiber optics while maintaining polarization, a screw-like appearance with a 2.5 mm splint, can be used with ceramic splints.
The importance of the description of these connectors is necessary to distinguish them and thus place the correct one so as not to have problems in the future with variations of the Internet connection.
What is a “polishing” in the fiber connectors optics and how many exist?
The polishing process of installing an optical fiber is necessary as a requirement for good performance in data transmission trying to make the insertion loss as low as possible. To assess the quality that exists in the fiber optic connection is necessary to measure the parameters once the polishing has already been done.
There are four types of polishing that are performed on fiber optic connectors, they are:
Flat polishing
Which is done manually and is used in multimode fibers . Its connection is based on a flat surface and when faced with each other a small air space is formed which presents small imperfections generating return losses, with this kind of polishing we avoid the smallest imperfect surface.
Polished PC
Its name refers to Phisical Contact is used for both fibers, single mode and multimode . The ferrule comes with a pre-polished concave spherical deforma, the most common connection with the PC connector which finds the two fibers the same as the flat way but the surface will be slightly polished in the curves which thus eliminates the space of air.
Polished UPC
This ultra PC polish, has the same characteristics as the PC but is used for single-mode fibers where their surfaces are polished with a better finish.
Polished APC
This class of Polishing comes from the abbreviations of angled physical contact in which the surfaces with the connector are curved and also have an angle of 8 ° , thus making the reflections you have The transition of light does not return to the core that has the fiber. Then increases the loss of return to values greater than 60 db for this kind of polishing you need to work with those fibers where its core is small.
FTTH cables: What types are there and how do they influence the connection performance?
While so far we have been talking about two kinds of cables the single mode and multimode . We can add one more variety, plastic optical fiber (POF) but we will not discuss it in this article.
Next, we will detail more prominent specifications of each of the first two cables:
Single-mode cable
This type of cable is a fiberglass that has a diameter of 8.3 to 10 microns providing a single mode of transmission. It usually has a narrow diameter which propagates 1,310 or 1,550 nm.
Although its load is greater the multimode fiber but requires a light source that has a narrower width goes crazy with respect to its spectral appearance. The data is usually sent as multifrequency.
Multimode Cable
The multimode fiber optic cable has a broadband with more speed ranging from 10 to 100 Mb . The light waves that the transmission possesses are dispersed by several paths or what we call mode normally travel at 850 or 1,300 nm.
List of the main fiber operators to the home in Spain and your rates
Movistar
The Internet provider par excellence offers its services of € 32.30 per month for fixed telephony and 100Mb of transmission.
Orange
If you want to pay for a good service that doesn’t collapse at any time, Orange presents you with 2 alternatives so you can choose the one you like best. One of its alternatives is € 30.95 for a 100 Mb fiber optic service per month and if this amount of Mb does not reach you they have to offer you 500Mb at just € 45.10 monthly.
Jazztel
Jazztel was launched in the communications market with really good Internet and fixed-line telephony products, offering 50Mb for € 40 .
Vodafone
This company has one of the best Internet services for the home, offers 100 Mb to € 32.50 .