Selecting Right Fiber Optic cables

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Many of today’s IT infrastructure services rely on fiber optic cables, from data and voice to security and video conferencing,  in order to transmit information faster, farther, and in larger amounts than ever before.

The reasons for fiber optic cables popularity is listed:

  • Its bandwidth helping future-proof networks for increased capacity needs
  • Its immunity to electrical interference makes it one good option for security and data-sensitive networks.
  • And its reputation for reliability means worry-free maintenance.

LAPP India, one of the leading cable manufacturers India, provides a huge variant of fiber optic cables. However, as with any new technology, selecting the right products and determining costs can be daunting.

Birds-eye approach

Installers must evaluate the present needs of the network and look down the road to how it will be used in the future. The need to consider the future implications on the network is arising due to the rapid technological advancement.

A solid assessment goes a long way toward perfecting the build-out of a new or existing fiber-optic solution.

The application based selection process is what we are looking out at. The fiber strand count totally depends on multiple service applications, such as physical security, environmental control, and data.

Installers should also consider upcoming applications and capacity needs, after looking at the immediate applications. Future bandwidth requirements, transmission distances, applications, and network architecture influence fiber selection just as much as current needs. Avoid unnecessary upgrades by having a careful assessment of potential network usage by the user.

Now, let’s go through the technical aspects of the fiber optic cables selection:

What fiber-optic sensor will I be using

Each fiber-optic sensor has a select group of fiber-optic cables that are compatible with that model.  For the most part, there are sensors that are designed for plastic cables and there are sensors designed for glass cables. 

Head Type

The various head option which you would easily find in the market which includes:

  • Straight smooth cylindrical
  • Straight threaded cylindrical
  • Side-view/Periscope
  • Rectangular
  • Specialty (slot, bendable probe, array, etc.)

 Cable type and sheathing

As we would know by now, there are two types of fiber-optic cables: plastic and glass. There are also several options for cable sheathing including:

  • PVC
  • PE (polyethylene)
  • Stainless steel (armored)
  • Silicone
  • PTFE (Teflon)
  • Fluorine

The sheathing option is to protect the cable against the external environment. It is designed to contribute to the usable temperature range and bending radius of the fiber-optic cables. With variable weather conditions, it is better to go with good quality sheathing. Some are offered for specific applications such as PTFE and fluorine, which are chemically resistant in fluid level indication.

Sensing range

Sensing range for a fiber-optic cable is determined by the combination of the sensor and fiber cable selected. Some fiber-optic sensors are capable of various modes that will affect the range.

We went through the various aspects of selection in this section when it comes to fiber optic cables. We also recommend you to go through the catalog of LAPP India, one of the leading cable manufacturers India, if you are looking out to employ the right cable.

 

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