KNOW THE
CHARACTERISTICS AND HOW OPTICAL FIBER WORKS
The
term optical fiber has often been milling about in everyday life, especially
the leading telecommunication company in Indonesia is now launching an internet
network program using fiber optics. What is fiber optics and why is it
important for telecommunication networks? Optical fibers generally have a sense
of a cable network made using glass fiber materials. Specifically, when
connected to the world of networking, optical fiber is a cable used for
directional transmission media (wireline) for the benefit of moving data in a computer
network.
The
main character of fiber optic cable is its core part is made of glass fiber
with several layers each layer has its own function. In addition to the core,
the characteristic of optical fiber is that there is an insulator or coating
with various colors in one cable. For more details, here are the components
that make up the characteristics of fiber optic cable or fiber optic:
1. Core
Depending
on the type, the glass fiber core on the fiber optic cable has an intermediate
diameter 2 μm - 50 μm. The larger the
diameter of the core or cores on the optical fiber, the better the ability and
quality of the optical fiber.
2.Jacket
or cladding
The
layer that protects the core is called a jacket or cladding made of glass. The
diameter of this jacket ranges from 5 μm - 250 μm which serves as the protector
of the core as well as emit light from the outside to the core.
3.Coat
After
cladding, the next layer is a coat or coating that is not made of glass but
made of plastic. The function of the mantle is to protect the cable from the
outside such as cable arches or air humidity so that the cable is not damaged.
To simplify the ordering of cores, different colors are given on each coat.
4.Strength
member and outer jacket
The
outermost layer of the optical fiber is the first protective layer that
protects against damage to the core of a fiber cable.
Fiber
optic function
The
development of increasingly advanced technology demands connectivity or
networking that guaranteed its power to stay in tandem with the flow without
trivial obstacles. Thus optical fiber is widely used in large companies and
agencies that require network access is strong, fast, and stable to maintain
the performance of companies that depend on the network structure fast and
reliable. In its current development, the network with fiber optic cable is not
only used for medium to high network but has begun to be applied to downward
level network like household.
The
function of fiber optic cable network is to protect ordinary network such as
LAN (Local Area Network), WAN (Wide Area Network), or MAN. Because it is made
of glass fiber and is protected by a strong coating that is not easily damaged,
fiber optic cable is very good for maintaining network stability in agencies or
companies with high rise buildings, even already widely used as submarine
network cable that ensures the relationship between one country with other
countries .
How
fiber optic works
Optical
fiber has its own way of working that distinguishes it with twisted pair or
coaxial cable. Fiber optic cables made of glass fibers and coated with glass
are not without cause because these cables convert electrical signals into
light waves with mirror function in the cable. With the ability to convert
electrical signals, optical fibers have the advantage of reducing the effects
on electrical frequency wave interference. Therefore, optical fiber is very
suitable to be placed in areas with high electric waves.
Using
light waves by fiber optics can also transmit more information and distribute
it to longer distances. compared to cables that use electrical signal
transmission. This is because the light reflecting on the fiber optic cable is
reflected into the cable network and produces a total internal reflection in
which light is reflected to a fiber with a low angle. Thus the use of fiber
optic cable will be very beneficial for your company or agency, or even home
connection if you need a more stable and reliable connection