Fibre optic broadband is a form of broadband that is slowly working its way through the country. There are many people who are able to get fibre optic broadband. The problem is that not everyone who can get this superfast broadband actually knows how it works, or even that they can get it. It is important that you know how fibre optics works and the benefits that you can achieve through it.
The Fibre Optic Cable
The first point that you should consider is the cable that is used for this kind of broadband. As the name suggests fibre optic broadband will have a fibre optic cable. The cable is created differently to the cables that provide people with ADSL broadband.
The fibre optic cable is made with very thin glass or plastic. This allows the transmission of light from one point to another at “light speedsâ€. The transfer of light is known as the optical waveguide and it is what the cables use to transfer data.
The Cross Section of the Cable
When companies use fibre optics there is a general cable that they could be using. These cables have 6 parts to them which protect the thin glass cables and the light that runs down them. However, it should be noted that not all companies will use these general cables.
There are certain companies that use slight variations depending on the speeds and the usage of the cables. The first part of the fibre optic cable is the core. The core is the grouping of thin glass and plastic rods. These cables will generally have a group of these thin cables within the core.
The next layer of the cable around the core is the cladding. The cladding will hold all of the thin rods together and ensure that they are able to transfer the data that they should be. Around the cladding is the buffer.
The buffer offers protection to the core and cladding to ensure that it is not affected by other elements. Around the buffer is the aramid strengthening elements player. This is also considered to be further protection for the cable as well as a means of strengthening the overall structure.
The last layer of the fibre optic cable is the PVC jacket. This is the final coating of the cable and what will protect the other layers from the elements. As previously stated there are many cables that divert from this makeup. However, the overall design will be similar and the core will be the same in all the cables.
The Transmission of Data
Data is transmitted through the use of light when you deal with fibre optic cables. When the data enters the cables from the source it will be encoded into light. This allows it to travel down the glass and plastic rods that make up the cables core.
When the data travels down the cable it will be done through the use of light pulses. This means that you will not be seeing a single light in the cables. The pulses allow the light to travel down the cables faster and easily.
Once the light reaches the destination it will be re-encoded. At this point it will be turned back into binary coding which is a series of ones and zeros. This is the way that data is generally received by devices.
The Stages of Fibre Optic Transmissions
Many people assume that the transmission process that you find with fibre optic broadband is simple. However, there are actually 5 stages that need to be completed for the transmission to be successful.
The first stage is the running of the encoder which is also known as the modulator. This is the point where data is transformed into light. Once the encoding is complete the light will be launched into the cable in pulses.
When the light pulses it will run down the fibre. To avoid losing speed, which is something that happens with a number of other broadband cables, the light will go through repeaters. The repeaters amplify the signal to ensure that it stays strong and does not wane over long distances.
When the signal gets to the destination it will encounter a detector. This is what transforms the light signal back into binary. Once this has been done the final stage is to send the information to the demodulator. This part of the cable will then distribute the data to the necessary points.
The IP Address
The IP address that you get with the cable is not actually impacted by the type of broadband that you are getting. It is possible to get a dynamic or static IP broadband with this kind of connection. The IP address that you get is linked to the type of broadband package that you are going to be getting.
The Advantages of Fibre Optic Broadband
There are a number of advantages that you will find to fibre optic broadband. The first is the speed of the broadband that you are able to get. In many areas of the country you are able to get speeds of up to 150mb per second with this broadband. The speeds that you will get depend on the broadband package that you have.
The bandwidth that you get with this connection is also better. The cables are able to handle a much higher capacity than the ones that offer you ADSL. This is due to the fact that fibre optics was created with high levels of data in mind.
The distance that the data can travel is greater with the fibre optic connection. As the cable has a number of repeaters the speed will not be lost over a great distance. When you work with ADSL you are going to have a loss of strength over a long distance.
The fibre optic cable is also more resistant than the copper cables that ADSL uses. This means that electromagnetic noise which comes from other cables, radios and motors will not affect the signals that you get or the transfer rate of the data.
Websites such as uSwitch.com were very helpful to Phil Turner when he was looking to find out more about static IP broadband.
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