Basic Cablling
What is fiber-optic cable and how does it work?
Fiber-optic cable uses optical rather than electrical pulses to transmit signals.
Fiber-optic cable consists of pure silicon glass cylinders or strands surrounded by cladding. Each strand can pass a signal in only one direction so fiber-optic cable on a network typically consists of at least two strands: one for sending and one for receiving. Electronic signals generated by the computer are converted to optical signals in the form of photons which are transmitted (flashed) down the cable by a laser or light-emitting diode. A photo-detector on the other end collects the optical signals and they are converted back to electrical signals.
Unlike copper cable, the signals on fiber-optic cable are not subject to the problems of attenuation, capacitance, or crosstalk. This greatly increases the potential transmission distance. In addition fiber-optic cable is more secure than copper cable. It does not generate electromagnetic signals and any external tap is easily detected by a reduction in signal strength. Fiber-optic cable is generally more expense than copper cable.