In recent years it has become apparent that fiber optics are steadily replacing copper wire as an appropriate means of communication signal transmission. The ability to span longer distances than traditional copper wire opens up opportunities which were once unavailable or too expensive. Fiber optics provide a cost effective backbone for many network systems such as local phone systems, university campuses, industrial plants, electric utility companies as well as cable television service stations. Whether it is for a small business location or for a large corporate enterprise, fiber optics have the advantages needed to keep up with advancing technologies.

Fiber optic systems have many basic similarities to the copper wire systems they are gradually replacing. The main difference is that fiber optics use light pulses to transmit information down fiber lines instead of using electronic pulses to transmit information down copper lines. Fiber optics are also thinner, more flexible and less expensive than the copper alternative.

• SPEED: Fiber optic networks operate at high speeds - up into the gigabits

• BANDWIDTH: Larger carrying capacity

• DISTANCE: Signals can be transmitted further without needing to be "refreshed" or strengthened

• RESISTANCE: Greater resistance to electromagnetic noise such as radios, motors or other nearby cables

• MAINTENANCE: Fiber optic cables cost much less to maintain

How it Works

At one end of the system is a transmitter. This is where information is transferred onto fiber optic lines. The transmitter accepts coded electronic pulse information coming from copper wire. It then processes and translates that information into equivalently coded light pulses. A light-emitting diode (LED) or an injection-laser diode (ILD) can be used for generating the light pulses. Using a lens, the light pulses are funneled into the fiber optic medium where they transmit down the line.

The light in a fiber optic cable travels through the core by constantly bouncing from the cladding (mirror-lined walls), a principle called total internal reflection. Think of a fiber cable in terms of a very long bending cardboard paper towel roll that is coated in mirrors. If you where to shine a flashlight in one end of the roll you could see light at the far end, even if the roll is bent around a corner due to the mirrored walls. This principle states that when the angle of incidence exceeds a critical value, light cannot get out of the glass; instead, the light bounces back in. When this principle is applied to the construction of the fiber optic strand it is possible to easily transmit information down fiber lines in the form of light pulses.

WIRED OR WIRELESS can design, install, and provide solutions for all of your fiber optics needs. We can build an entire network based on high data transfer between different buildings, locations, and radios.

Please contact us at 509-892-2482 or 1-866-969-8351 for a quote or visit our contact page for additional information.