What is the definition of Fiber Optics and what are its advantages over copper wire?
Fiber Optics refers to the concept of transmitting information, in the form of light, through cable fibers composed of highly purified glass or plastic, clad in a reflective coating. This allows the light beam to travel the length of the cable by bouncing off the reflective sides of the fiber.

The advantages of a Fiber Optic system are:

1. Information carrying capacity is greatly increased, while overall size and weight of the cable is greatly reduced.

2. Information can be transmitted at a much higher speed over long distances.

3. Security is increased because information is transmitted in the form of light through a non-conductive media (glass), whereas, electricity traveling through wires can be tapped by an outside agent, or accidentally pick up transmissions from other sources of electro-magnetic radiation.

What is the difference between Singlemode and Multimode fiber optic cable?
Singlemode: Core size is 8.3µm, for 1550 nm - 1300nm Wavelength range, for long distance transmission, and allows only one pathway (mode) of light.

Multimode: Common core sizes are 50µm and 62.5µm, for 1300 nm - 850nm Wavelength range, for short distance transmission, and allows more than one pathway (mode) of light. Note: Although the core sizes are different, it is impossible to distinguish between the two with the naked eye.

What is the Interface of the LC connector?
The LC fiber optic connector interface is based on a 1.25mm ceramic ferrule and the familiar latching mechanism of the RJ-45 modular plug and jack. The LC connector is a small-form-factor connector that offers a port density equal to the modular jack.

The advantages of LC Fiber Optic connectors are:

1. The LC interface achieves the same port density that can be achieved with discrete copper modular plugs. This is about twice the density achieved with the SC connector in the same amount of space.

2. Users will be comfortable with the familiar RJ-style latching.

3. The LC interface is widely supported by the members of the LC Alliance, offering transceivers, connectors, cable assemblies, and companion hardware such as patch panels and wall outlets. Over 2,000,000 LC connectors are in field use, making it the most widely used SFF connector in the world.

4. LC connectors offer the lowest insertion loss among SFF connectors at an average of 0.1 dB. Low insertion loss allows more connections in a channel.

5. LC connectors offer a low standard deviation making the performance more consistent with less variation.

6. The additional power margin makes it practical to have six interconnections in a path giving more flexibility in premise cabling.

7. LC transceivers have a wider fiber pitch which eliminates the need for supplemental waveguide technology or other high-speed noise-control mechanisms.

8. LC-based transceivers meet the requirements of multisource agreements (MSA) for both through-hole and pluggable versions. The MSA establishes common footprints and pinouts for transceivers.

9. LC is available in the widest range of speeds, optical wavelengths, and source types to support the widest range of applications.

Fiber Standard and Working Distance

What do the LED indicator lights on a Media Converter do and what are their functions?
Use table below for LED indicator functions:

PLEASE NOTE:
RJ-45/STP, UTP Cat 5, straight-through cable is accepted. Cabling from TP port to a TP device is shown as below:
To Workstation: DIP switch on DTE
To Hub/Switch: DIP switch on MPR

What is the duplex mode setting on a Media Converter?
The twisted pair port supports duplex mode selection by Auto-Negotiation (A-N). The following is the duplex mode parameters:

PLEASE NOTE:
Normally an A-N switch will be detected and set to Full-duplex where a dual-speed hubs will be detected and set to Half-Duplex.