What are the pros and cons of using fiber optics?

Pros

• First and foremost, cable length is not an issue anymore as fiber connectivity is basically not limited in length.

• Fiber optics provide more bandwidth, as connectivity at 10 and 25 Gbps per fiber is standard today and widely used in data centers.

• Fiber optics are immune to electrical noise, which will be a significant advantage on the production floor and in some medical applications.

• Fiber optics are lighter and smaller in size than the equivalent copper cabling, 

making it appropriate for applications where this characteristic is essential, like in aircrafts or vehicles.

Cons

There is no “power over fiber”. As signals in fiber optics are transmitted using light, 

there is no way to transfer power over fiber optics and devices such as cameras must be powered separately.

What are the cable options for CoaXPress-over-Fiber?

One of the most important benefits of CoaXPress-over-Fiber is the wide variety of connectivity options already available from multiple companies. 

The initial connectivity options for CoaXPress-over-Fiber and the Coaxlink QSFP+ at 10 Gbps are SFP+ and QSFP+ (Quad, or four times SFP+) modules.

The advantage of using modules compared to fixed interfaces is that ports can be equipped with any suitable type of transceiver as required by the application.

A variety of transmitter and receiver types is available, allowing users to select the appropriate transceiver to provide the required optical reach over multi-mode or single-mode fiber.