The fibre optic cable market is growing rapidly, due to the increasing demand for fibre internet. Fibre optic cables transmit data more quickly, more reliably and over greater distances than copper-based cables. Fibre optic cables are made up of several hundred fine fibres, comprising a synthetic silica core infused with boron and germanium and a silica cladding with a lower refractive index. The purpose of the cladding layer is to maintain the optical signal within the core and to add some mechanical strength. Data is transmitted through fibres by shining light through the cable. The light travels as a guided mode, which can be considered for simplicity as bouncing off the walls of the core, known as total internal reflection. The data is transmitted in binary, with a flash of light representing a 1 and an equal period of darkness representing a 0. This allows the data to be transmitted at a rate of more than 120,000 miles per
second!

The installation phase of a fibre optic cable is the most important step towards reliable data transmission at high speed, care must be taken to ensure that the cable while installing is not bent stretched or deformed. If mishandling is done, the best case is that the fibre core will break and be faulty, however, the worst case is that the fibre optic core will be damaged and cause signal distortion, which results in intermittent faults.

The glass core in a fibre optic cable is very fragile, it is found to be slightly thicker than a human hair but made of glass. Single mode fibre uses a special type of glass that is extruded into a solid medium to protect it. Multimode fibre is made from glass but being thicker (at 50 µm compared to 9 µm), is more robust. Because of this, Single mode fibre is more sensitive to breakage than Multimode. The cladding and buffer around the cable core helps to prevent damage; however, if the core is stretched or bent beyond its limit, the core will break.

When the fibre optic is physically compromised, there are two outcomes. One case is that the two glass core pieces are not physically aligned and no laser light will propagate. This case is seen as the best scenario as the fault can be located and fixed. The second case is that the glass core will be partially aligned after the breakage and pass a partial signal. The network may or may not work due to the drop in laser power. Another strong possibility is that the glass core could be damaged instead of being broken. For single mode fibre, the glass core might only crack and cause imperfection in the medium, which would reduce signal propagation and cause reflection. Multimode fibre is more likely to be damaged by flexing and cause loss of power.

Over the past several years’ demand for higher bandwidth and faster speed connections has increased the growth of fibre optic cable market, especially the single mode fibre (SMF) and multimode fibre (MMF). Although these two types of fibre optic cables are used in numerous applications, they are very different from one another in terms of construction, fibre distance, cost and fibre colour. Single mode fibre means the fibre permits one form of light mode to be propagated at a time, however multimode fibre means the fibre can propagate multiple modes at a time. The difference between the two mainly lies in the fibre core diameter, wavelength, light source and bandwidth.

Core Diameter
The core diameter of single mode fibre is way much smaller than the multimode fibre. The typical core diameter for single mode fibre is 9µm and the typical core diameter for multimode fibre is 50µm and 62.5µm. This difference of core diameter enables MMF to have higher “light gathering” ability and simplify connections.

Wavelength & Light Source
The single mode fibre uses a laser or laser diode source to produce the light injected into the cable, the most commonly used single mode fibre wavelength is 1310nm & 1550nm. While due to the large core size of the multimode fibre, light sources like LEDs (light emitting diodes) and VCSELs (vertical cavity surface-emitting lasers) that work at the 850nm and 1310nm wavelength are used in MMF.

Bandwidth
The single mode fibre bandwidth is theoretically unlimited due to the fact that it allows one light of mode to pass through at a time. However, the multimode fibre bandwidth is limited due to its light mode and the maximum bandwidth.

Differences in Distance

According to the chart illustrated above, it can be observed that SMF distance is visibly longer than that of MMF cables at the data rate from 1G to 10G, however, OM3/OM4/OM5 fibre optic supports higher data rate due to the larger core size and also because it supports multiple light modes. The limitation of distance is due to model dispersion, which is a common phenomenon in multimode step-index fibre.
In the end, it can be concluded that both single-mode and multimode have their own characteristics. Single-mode fibre cabling system is suitable for long-reach data transmission applications and widely deployed in carrier networks, MANs and PONs. On the other side, the multimode fibre cabling system has a shorter reach and is widely deployed in the enterprise, data centres, and LANs. No matter which one you choose, choosing the one that best suits your network demands is an important task for every network designer.

Distributed Antenna Systems (DAS) are networks that enhance communication in areas that do not have good coverage. Real estate companies, building owners, and others are beginning to see wireless as a “fourth utility” after water, power, heating and cooling. Today, reception of mobile service indoors is a prerequisite in multitenant commercial and residential properties. Office environments in which individuals cannot check their smartphones or place a call during a break in a meeting or conference leave impressions—negative ones.

The challenge in both commercial and residential multi-tenant properties is that energy-efficient building materials interfere with RF signals and cell coverage is observed to be largely poor towards the top floors. For owners of high-end properties, poor mobile service coverage diminishes the appeal of a residential unit or prospective office location.

Having an in-building wireless strategy, such as a Distributed Antenna Systems (DAS), is a way that many building owners are combatting this problem and improving the signals in their properties, thus increasing their perceived value by tenants, employees, and customers alike.

Treating in-building wireless coverage like a fourth utility can be a way for building and venue owners to compete in the new wireless world. If you do not have a comprehensive wireless strategy, you are likely missing future revenue opportunities and can end up spending excess money on multiple systems if not designed to work and scale on one infrastructure.

Benefits of in-building DAS

• Improved coverage in an area that otherwise has poor signal or coverage.
• Have fewer coverage gaps.
• Greater coverage while using less overall power.
• Greater safety to the public, including people who work and live in a space, as well as First Responders in an emergency.
• Increases productivity by making in-building communication easier and more reliable.
• Enables consistent communication across crowded venues, thus enhancing public safety, security, and helping events run smoother.

Signs your venue or building will benefit from a Distributed Antenna System

• Frequently call drops – If cell phone calls and radio signals frequently drop inside of a building, a DAS may offer the appropriate solution. It is common for certain floors of a building to get better reception than others. If you must find a certain window on a certain floor to get okay service, it’s time to consider adding an in-building DAS.
• People go outside the building to get better reception – If everyone in the building resorts to huddling around the lobby or outside the building to make a call, efficiency could be improved with a DAS.
• Messages are difficult to send – Multimedia messages take more service to send and may be close to impossible to send or receive when inside of a building that needs a Distributed Antenna System.
• You do not meet local standards for First Responder communication – It’s imperative that First Responders can communicate in an emergency from all points of your building. A lack of radio signal can impair this from happening and could lead to dire consequences.

In the past few years, Power over Ethernet (PoE) has rapidly increased its penetration in the enterprise applications. This state of the art technology is being adopted more often today, due to the range of devices and applications that have become compatible with PoE, as well as its ease of installation and efficiency. PoE has already made huge advancements in health care, retail, security and the industrial sector, now high-power PoE is also becoming popular across the entire enterprise market. This is due to the following factors:
1) Reduced Cost – Compared to traditional cabling installation, Power over Ethernet offers a faster deployment solution and a significant reduction in cost. The reduced cost is not just limited to cabling, but also includes wiring installation supplies and components, as well as labour and maintenance. As there is only a single power and data cabling system to be maintained with PoE, the total operating cost of the system also drops.

2) Efficient Network Control – In any business network, downtime is a huge financial risk. The centralised control and simplified management capabilities of a PoE system can assist to reduce network downtime during unplanned maintenance. Power over Ethernet provides network administrators the freedom to continuously back up data from all connected devices on the network storage facility. The power sourcing equipment can be connected to an uninterruptable power supply (UPS) to prevent lighting, security, monitoring, and mission-critical systems from losing power during a localised power outage.

3) Increased Operational Efficiency- Devices connected by PoE, such as sensors and LED lights, are now capable of gathering data on a number of environmental factors, including humidity levels, temperature, and light. Power over Ethernet system has the capability to support applications that use data collection from employees’ cell phone devices and workspaces. Such data can then be analysed and used to make strategic business decisions for efficient staff management, improved space usage and maintain energy efficiency throughout a building.

4) Technology Scalability- Power over Ethernet is designed to support network enhancement and also the integration of next-generation applications. PoE mainly relies on a standardised RJ-45 connector interface across all network devices. This allows power and data connections to be made available anywhere in the enterprise with an efficient category rated cable. Such simple device integration and low technology enhancement costs help a business to add wireless application protocols, data collecting devices, lighting and numerous new technologies connected to the Internet of Things (IoT).

5) Future Networks- Power over Ethernet makes upgrades and enhancements less costly for an enterprise network. As an Ethernet-based protocol, PoE is inherently scalable and can easily meet the needs of a modern-day business as it grows. PoE systems can be efficiently designed to handle the demands of next-generation applications, making networks reliably future proofed.
High-quality connectivity is going to play a vital role in the current and future PoE network operations. i-connect PoE cables are designed to provide optimal performance, they are third-party tested and verified to meet and exceed industry standard performance, including higher bandwidth and power levels.