Both fiber and copper cable have their uses, each with its own set of benefits and features. When deciding between the two, there is no “correct” or “wrong” answer depending on the application. They are, in fact, complimentary in many respects.
ICT experts are starting to take a closer look at fiber optic cable as our world gets increasingly hungry for more bandwidth and the costs of fiber optic cable fall down. However, there are a few advantages to fiber cable that you should be aware of before deciding whether copper or fiber is the best option for your application.
Supports Very High Bandwidth Levels
Fiber – particularly singlemode fiber – is the best currently available technology for bandwidth. Fiber optic connections have higher bandwidth than copper cables of the same diameter, allowing them to transmit more data.
The benefits of fiber include the fact that its performance isn’t limited by the cable itself, regardless of what new fiber-optic technologies make it to market in terms of transceivers or other gadgets. Instead, the electronic components that make up the system limit it. Your fiber cabling will be ready to use once you upgrade the components.
Fiber also reduces latency, allowing for faster download and upload times as well as quicker access to resources. Fiber can also transfer data over greater distances without delays or interruptions due to its low loss.
Inherently Secure
Connecting taps to a fiber cable to intercept data transmission is extremely difficult because fiber cables do not emit signals.
Because the signal passing via a fiber cable is contained within each individual fiber strand, it can only be retrieved by cutting through the cable at the end. In most circumstances, this would bring the network to a halt, and everyone would become aware of the problem rapidly.
Intrinsically Safe
The benefits of fiber include the fact that it is safe to handle because it does not utilize electricity to carry data (data is sent by light instead).
Withstands Water and Temperature Fluctuations
Temperature variations, severe weather, and moisture have little effect on fiber optic cable. If it comes into touch with rainfall, for example, communication continues as usual. Because a fiber cable contains no metallic components, if lightning strikes it, the surge of electricity will not be spread.
It can survive tough settings without losing performance, making it excellent for demanding applications such as outdoor, long-distance, and industrial use.
Immune to EMI
Crosstalk between electronic cables (which transport electric current) can occur when several of them are placed in a crowded area, causing performance concerns and data transmission disruption.