Difference Between Fiber Optic Cables And Ethernet Cables

Over the years, the internet has become the most important ways of transmitting information. Due to this there have been lots of advancements in industrial cabling. This evolution has become possible by keeping in mind the basic end user requirements.

If you have the responsibility of installing the network cables, then you must be confident that you are using the right cable. And this type of confidence one can gain only when they know the difference between them. Having a handful of choices makes it difficult to communicate effectively. It also makes it difficult to figure out which is the best one for you.

There are multiple factors which go into deciding which type of cable you must use. We all prefer to have the latest things which are in the market. Hence, the latest thing in the market is fiber optic cables. Whereas, on the other hand, ethernet cables are in the market for too long.

Let's start with the difference between fiber optic patch cable and ethernet cable wiring:

1. Ethernet Cables:

   Ethernet cables are present almost everywhere today and are made of copper. Initially, their speed was 10Mbps but over a period of time it increased to 10 Gigabit. Transferring of data in ethernet cables happens through electric impulses. Eg: Cat5e cables.

   Additionally, there are changes done in different types of cables like shielded and unshielded so they can avoid interference. This type of ethernet cable divides into generations like Cat 5, Cat 6, Cat 6A, Cat 7, etc. The major reason about their popularity is that they are cheaper.

2. Fiber Optic Cables:

   Unlike the ethernet cable, fiber optic cable is of thin strands of glass or plastic. The key feature of this cable is its speed of transmission. Due to this high speed today they are useful a lot to transfer data over long distances.

   With the constant advancements, fiber optic patch cable came into existence. These standard types of cables include single mode fiber optic cables which are small core diameter covered with cladding. Whereas, multimode fiber optic cables have large diameter which is useful for short distances.

The basic difference between both:

When we want to generate electricity over long distances then fiber cables are the go-to choice. But like every other cable they too have certain drawbacks.

Fiber cables are brittle and can break easily. They are very expensive compared to Ethernet cables.

On the other hand, ethernet cables are easy to work with but they cannot travel long distances. If they are unshielded, they can attract a lot of interference.

Which one to use?

It completely depends on the requirements. If you want to connect an ISP to a street cabinet then you might need to use fiber cables. Because they use glass and it's possible to transmit huge amounts of data using fiber cabling.

If you are choosing to connect the residence then you can consider choosing ethernet cords.

Interferences:

Have you ever heard sounds like "Buzzzzzzz" or "Crackle" sounds when you connect with your devices? They are electromagnetic interferences. Now, let us see the ways these interferences affect both cables.

Unshielded Cat5 ethernet cables create interference in various devices including microwaves, Bluetooth, RF, and transformers. The best way to overcome this issue is to choose shielded ethernet cables which have higher grades like Cat5e, 6 or 7. To attain better results, you can also pair shielded cables and connectors.

Fortunately, electrical interference does not have much of a problem with fiber optic cables. But, there are times when light pulses interfere with each other and are not monochromatic and this causes interference.

Difference in speed:

Fiber optic patch cables are faster than ethernet cable wiring as we all know. And this makes it one of the major reasons why people prefer using fiber optic cables.

Conclusion:

Cabling is one of the major things when we try to connect with the computers. They are an efficient and very important part of our day to day life. Hence, understanding the major differences between them is very important.

Source: https://www.sooperarticles.com/shopping-articles/electronics-articles/difference-between-fiber-optic-cables-ethernet-cables-1785129.html