Fiber Optics – Secure Data at the Speed of Light … Almost
Steve Maurer, IME
Fun fact. Light travels at approximately 186,000 miles per second. Whoosh.
That’s kind of fast, right? Faster than my old Ford pickup, anyway.
Data through fiber optics travels a bit slower by about 31 percent. So it’s a slower than the speed of light. It only travels down the fiber at about 128,340 miles per second.
Still, that’s kind of a whoosh, too, don’t you think?
That’s just one of the advantages for using fiber optic cables instead of copper ethernet cables for data transmission. Along with data speed, there are also distance and bandwidth advantages to consider.
About two years ago, our electric utilities company partnered with an internet and TV supplier to provide cable TV and internet for their customers. I jumped right on board because I knew the benefits.
Our old cable TV and ISP couldn’t even come close to the data speeds for internet use. Not only that, but on the old copper system, it seemed like our connection slowed down when everybody in the neighborhood got home from work.
That’s because when everyone turned on their TVs or hopped on the internet, it put a strain on the bandwidth needs the old copper wires were able to handle.
Fiber optic cabling trunklines throughout the neighborhood and to the customers’ ONTs solved that issue. Once the fiber landed in my house, connected to the ONT (optical network terminal), it was copper or wireless throughout the home. But the connection was more reliable, with a significant increase in network speed.
And by significant, I mean huge!
As much as fiber helped our residential installation, you can be sure that fiber has and will continue to have a major impact on commercial and industrial installations, as well as upgrades to data centers. As a contractor, you’ll likely be involved in both new installations and retrofits or upgrades.
Copper ethernet connections have a defined distance limitation along with the slower speeds and bandwidth considerations. As factories, commercial buildings, and similar business facilities get larger, fiber optic networks are replacing older copper-based installations. And as buildings get “smarter” in control and operation, the increased bandwidth will definitely become a factor in networking installations and upgrades.
Some ethernet cabling is still necessary for most locations. Much of that has to do with the equipment connected to the network. For example, in my own home the ONT is the crossover point between the outside world and my connected devices, such as my computers. They still require ethernet cable.
It’s similar in most commercial and industrial networks.
Nonetheless, much of the networking infrastructure that has been traditionally ethernet connected is giving way to fiber optic network cabling. In the F&B plant that I retired from, more and more fiber was being run to remote locations of the facility to provide the bandwidth and connections for expansions.
That brings up another point to discuss with your customers, particularly if you’re involved in the planning process. It’s a good idea to take future expansions into account when planning for current upgrades, retrofits, and installations. As increased automation and equipment monitoring/management grows with Industry 4.0 and IIoT, the ability to adapt quickly to new manufacturing scenarios and playouts will become increasingly important.
Additionally, data security is more of an issue now than ever before. Fiber optic cabling is much harder to taper with for at least two reasons:
I certainly don’t know everything there is to know about fiber optic networking. I’m learning, but still realize that my lack of knowledge can be supplemented by consulting with top providers in the industry.
That may be where you find yourself too. Find and use a network equipment and cabling supplier that has staff knowledgeable in the field of fiber optic technology.
Then you can provide your customer with secure data that travels at the speed of light.
Well … almost that fast.
That’s kind of fast, right? Faster than my old Ford pickup, anyway.
Data through fiber optics travels a bit slower by about 31 percent. So it’s a slower than the speed of light. It only travels down the fiber at about 128,340 miles per second.
Still, that’s kind of a whoosh, too, don’t you think?
That’s just one of the advantages for using fiber optic cables instead of copper ethernet cables for data transmission. Along with data speed, there are also distance and bandwidth advantages to consider.
About two years ago, our electric utilities company partnered with an internet and TV supplier to provide cable TV and internet for their customers. I jumped right on board because I knew the benefits.
Our old cable TV and ISP couldn’t even come close to the data speeds for internet use. Not only that, but on the old copper system, it seemed like our connection slowed down when everybody in the neighborhood got home from work.
That’s because when everyone turned on their TVs or hopped on the internet, it put a strain on the bandwidth needs the old copper wires were able to handle.
Fiber optic cabling trunklines throughout the neighborhood and to the customers’ ONTs solved that issue. Once the fiber landed in my house, connected to the ONT (optical network terminal), it was copper or wireless throughout the home. But the connection was more reliable, with a significant increase in network speed.
And by significant, I mean huge!
As much as fiber helped our residential installation, you can be sure that fiber has and will continue to have a major impact on commercial and industrial installations, as well as upgrades to data centers. As a contractor, you’ll likely be involved in both new installations and retrofits or upgrades.
Copper ethernet connections have a defined distance limitation along with the slower speeds and bandwidth considerations. As factories, commercial buildings, and similar business facilities get larger, fiber optic networks are replacing older copper-based installations. And as buildings get “smarter” in control and operation, the increased bandwidth will definitely become a factor in networking installations and upgrades.
Some ethernet cabling is still necessary for most locations. Much of that has to do with the equipment connected to the network. For example, in my own home the ONT is the crossover point between the outside world and my connected devices, such as my computers. They still require ethernet cable.
It’s similar in most commercial and industrial networks.
Nonetheless, much of the networking infrastructure that has been traditionally ethernet connected is giving way to fiber optic network cabling. In the F&B plant that I retired from, more and more fiber was being run to remote locations of the facility to provide the bandwidth and connections for expansions.
That brings up another point to discuss with your customers, particularly if you’re involved in the planning process. It’s a good idea to take future expansions into account when planning for current upgrades, retrofits, and installations. As increased automation and equipment monitoring/management grows with Industry 4.0 and IIoT, the ability to adapt quickly to new manufacturing scenarios and playouts will become increasingly important.
Additionally, data security is more of an issue now than ever before. Fiber optic cabling is much harder to taper with for at least two reasons:
- There is no EMF generated, so “sniffing” data from the cable isn’t possible.
- You can’t splice into fiber cable as easily as you can copper conductors. Splicing require special skills and equipment and is difficult, if not impossible to be carried out undetected.
I certainly don’t know everything there is to know about fiber optic networking. I’m learning, but still realize that my lack of knowledge can be supplemented by consulting with top providers in the industry.
That may be where you find yourself too. Find and use a network equipment and cabling supplier that has staff knowledgeable in the field of fiber optic technology.
Then you can provide your customer with secure data that travels at the speed of light.
Well … almost that fast.
Photo courtesy of Leviton
