Filters
Search

Secure Checkout
No Sales Tax collected On Orders Shipping Outside NY State.
FREE SHIPPING FOR MOST ORDERS OVER $99
Same Day Shipping! For many in stock items if order received by 2PM EST.
No Sales Tax collected On Orders Shipping Outside NY State.
Search

What is CART ID?
Search
Your Shopping Cart Is Empty


Secure Checkout

Cables Blog

Shop Cables for Sale - Fiber Optic Cables, Network Cables, Outdoor Cables, Bulk Ethernet Cables, Cat6 Cables, Cat5 Cables, Cat5e Cables, Crypto Cables and Data Center Cables.



How Does a Fiber Optic Cable Work?

Most people know fiber optic cable carries information using light, but few understand exactly how. Satisfy your curiosity. Learn how fiber optic cable works.

by VIKAS DAYAL • January 28, 2020

Fiber Optic Cables, Data Center, Custom Fiber Optic Cables


If you ever heard or used the expression, “bouncing off the walls,” you’re ahead of the game in understanding how fiber optic cable works. Essentially, fiber optic cable uses a tiny tube, about the diameter of a human hair, made out of very pure glass. This hair-thin tube, or “core,” of the cable is inside another glass tube called the “cladding.” Electronic signals, encoded by a transmitter into bursts of light, travel down the inner tube, bouncing off the walls as they go. The light travels down the cable at a shallow angle, which causes it to bounce off the core’s walls instead of just shining right through the glass. The outer tube is made of a different kind of glass than the core that has a different refractive index. It won’t absorb the light or let it escape, so it keeps the light signal from “leaking” out of the core. This containment of the light signal within the glass fiber is called “total internal reflection.”

If you think of shining a light down a curved hallway lined with mirrors, you’ll get the idea of light bouncing its way along a pathway. The light will reflect off the mirrors and be visible at the other end of the curved hall, even if you can’t see “the light at the end of the tunnel” from where you stand. Scientists and engineers use this analogy frequently to explain how fiber optic cable works to a general audience.

The fiber optic cable carries the signal to the cable’s endpoint, and a receiver uses a detector or photoelectric cell to convert the pulses of light back into the bits of information.

Fiber optic cables use different “modes” to transmit the light signal. Single-mode cable uses a very thin core that transmits light straight down the core. Phone, cable TV, and Internet signals usually use big bundles of single-mode fibers, which can carry signals longer distances before they need amplification.

Multi-mode fiber optic cable is bigger, and light can travel through it in various paths. These can’t carry signals very far, so they’re usually used to connect computer networks to each other.

Here at Cables.com, we offer 5 different multi-mode fiber optic cable options:

Fiber optic cables can carry much more data than copper at much faster speeds. Originally developed for medical uses to provide a means to see inside the body without surgery, fiber optic cables now dominate telecommunications.


The Main Differences Between Cat5E and Cat6
How Structured Cabling Helps Healthcare Networks

Recent Cables.com Posts

Why Buy Cat6A Ethernet Cables?
Watertight Cables for Extreme Weather
Why Buy Plenum Cat6 Cables?
Shopping Custom Cables at Cables.com
The Ins and Outs of Hospital-Grade Power Cords
What Do Fiber Optic Cable Colors Mean?
USB 2.0 and USB 3.0 Data Cables at Cables.com
HDMI Cables and Accessories at Cables.com
What Are the Best Outdoor Ethernet Cables?
Buy the Best Category6 Ethernet Cables at Cables.com

Categories

> A/V Cables
> Adapters
> AI
> Apple Products
> Artificial Intelligence
> Audio/Video Cables
> Bulk Cable Company
> Cable Company
> Cable Experts Online
> Cable Suppliers
> Cable Vendors
> Cable Warehouse
> Cable Wholesalers
> Cables on Demand
> Cables.com
> Cables.com News and Information
> Cat5e / Cat6 Cables
> Category 7 Ethernet Cables
> Cell Phone Cables
> Custom Cables
> Custom Fiber Optic Cables
> Data Center
> Datacomm Cables
> Fiber Optic Cables
> HDMI Cables
> Integrator
> Internet of Things (loT)
> Keystone Jacks
> Market Reports
> MIT Technology Review
> Network Patch Cables
> Network Patch Cords
> Network Topology
> New York Cable Company
> NY Cable Company
> Online Learning
> Outdoor Cables
> Patch Finder
> Patch Panels
> Power Cables
> Power Cords
> RapidRun
> Reseller
> Shielded Ethernet Cable
> Signal Conversion
> Solution Provider
> Supply Chain
> USB 3.0 Cables
> VAR
> Wholesale Cable
> Wholesale Cable Supplier
all

Data Center

The Best PDU Cables at Cables.com
Flat Ethernet Cords and Slim Network Patch Cables
Cables and More for Your Data Center Needs
What Power Cord Should You Buy?
DIY Cable Installations: The Tools and Cables You Need
Above and Beyond: Fiber Optic Cables and Accessories
Secure Connections: Locking and Shielded Cables for Home and Business
Cables that Go the Distance
When do you Need a Locking Cable?
Data Center Cables and Solutions

Archives

February, 2024
January, 2024
December, 2023
November, 2023
October, 2023
September, 2023
August, 2023
July, 2023
June, 2023 more archive dates
archive article list

RSS


Easy Product Returns within 30 Days and Secure Shopping for your safety.