In the process of building network systems, optical modules are essential components. According to different speeds and interface types, optical modules can be classified into different types, one of which is electrical interface optical modules.
What is an optical module?
Optical module, also known as fiber optic module, is an optical device that can transmit and receive analog signals. The electrical signal is converted into an optical signal through the transmitting end of the optical module, and then converted into an electrical signal through the receiving end to achieve photoelectric conversion.
Classification and description of optical modules
Optical modules can be mainly divided into SFP optical modules, SFP+ optical modules, QSFP+ optical modules, and QSFP28 optical modules according to their packaging forms.
1, SFP optical module (Small Form factor Pluggables): also known as small hot swappable optical module, is an upgraded version of GBIC optical module. Its volume is only 1/2 to 1/3 of GBIC optical module, with high integration, greatly increasing the port density of network equipment;
2, SFP+ optical module, is an upgraded version of SFP optical module with higher transmission speed and smaller size than SFP optical module, resulting in higher deployment density in the same space. SFP+ optical modules have significant advantages such as high density, low power consumption, and low system construction cost. They are widely used in 10 Gigabit Ethernet communication and are one of the mainstream products of 10 Gigabit optical modules;
3, QSFP+ Optical Module (Quad Small Form factor Pluggable): A four channel small pluggable optical module with four independent full duplex transceiver channels, supporting transmission rates from 100Mbps to 10Gbps. QSFP+ optical modules are developed for high-density applications and are in line with the demands of high-density data centers in the current market;
4, QSFP28 optical module: QSFP28 optical module is a parallel 100G optical module, providing 4 independent transmission and reception channels, each channel can provide a speed of 25Gbps, and when used with OM4 MMF fiber jumpers, the transmission distance can reach 100m.
What is an electrical interface module?
Electrical interface module, also known as optical to electrical interface module, photoelectric conversion module, is a type of module used in optical communication. It has the characteristics of low power consumption, high performance, and compact design, and is mainly used for short distance data transmission.
Classification and Description of Electrical Interface Modules
Electrical interface modules can be divided into SFP electrical interface modules, SFP+electrical interface modules, and GBIC electrical interface modules according to different packaging types.
1, SFP electrical port module: According to different transmission rates, it can be divided into 100Mbps electrical port module, 1G electrical port module, and adaptive electrical port module. Adaptive electrical port module is a gigabit optical module that can integrate 10/100/1000BASE three rates into CMOS chips, which can be used for high-speed Ethernet and gigabit Ethernet. Unlike other electrical port modules, this type of electrical port module is more innovative in terms of speed and can meet various needs;
2, SFP+ electrical port module: also known as 10G electrical port module, with a speed of 10G, designed for high-speed communication links, mainly used in 10G Ethernet, and its power consumption is also very low. In addition, the SFP+ electrical port module is the first 10G optical module that transmits through Ethernet cables. It can be used in the SFP+ port of switches or network cards to connect with network devices with RJ45 interfaces;
3, GBIC electrical interface module: It is an electrical interface module with a packaging type of GBIC, with a transmission rate of up to 1000Mbps and a maximum transmission distance of up to 100m.
The difference between electrical interface module and optical module
1, Different interfaces: The interface of the electrical interface module is RJ45, while the interface of the optical module is mainly LC duplex, and there are also LC simplex and MTP/MPO interfaces.
2, Different parameters: The electrical interface module does not have a wavelength, while the optical module does.
3, Different components: The components of the electrical interface module and the optical module are different, especially the electrical interface module does not have the core component of the optical module – the laser.
4, Different transmission distance: the transmission distance of the electric port module is relatively short, up to 100m, and the transmission distance of the optical module can reach 5km to 100km depending on the type of optical fiber used together.
According to the actual network scenario, the electrical interface module is more widely used in the architecture of copper cable cabling; In the fiber optic cabling architecture, optical modules better meet the requirements.
