Guide to SFP Transceiver for Gigabit Ethernet

In today’s society, optical communication products are almost everywhere and most daily activities are closely related to them. For example, fiber optic transceiver, a device which can achieve the conversion of electricity and light signals is widely used in high-speed data communication system. And as a most commonly used type of transceiver modules, SFP (small form-factor pluggable) transceiver has been paid much attention around the world.

 SFP transceiver, a compact, hot-pluggable, input/output transceiver is not only used for telecommunication but also in data communication applications. It is designed to support communications standards including SONET/SDH, gigabit Ethernet, fibre channel and other communications standards. SFP is regarded as the upgraded version of GBIC module and has the same functions of GBIC. Unlike GBIC with SC fiber optic interface, SFP is with LC interface and it only has the half size of GBIC so that it can save space. Thanks to SFP transceiver, people step into a smaller-sized era of fiber optic transceiver. Moreover, with joint development and support from vendors, it has become a popular industry format for Gigabit Ethernet.

Classifications of SFP Transceivers

According to Gigabit Ethernet standards, SFP transceiver modules have many types, such as 1000Base-T SFP, 1000Base-SX SFP, 1000Base-LX/LH SFP, 1000Base-ZX SFP, 1000Base-EX SFP, etc. The following text will introduce three common types—1000Base-T SFP, 1000Base-SX SFP, and 1000Base-LX/LH SFP.

1000Base-T SFP

1000Base-T SFP is compatible with the Gigabit Ethernet and 1000Base-T standard as specified in IEEE STD 802.3 and 802.3ab. It uses Category 5 cable of unshielded twisted pairs with a maximum length of 100 m and supports 10/100/1000 autonegotiation with Rj-45 fiber optic interface. It takes the advantages of low power dissipation (1.05 W typically) and cost-effective, making it available in data centers for fast server switching or in desktop PCs for broadband applications. Here is a 1000Base-T SFP.

1000Base-SX SFP

1000Base-SX SFP, compatible with the IEEE 802.3z 1000Base-SX standard, transmits over multimode fiber with an LC connector , whose operating wavelength is from 770 nm to 860 nm for a maximum transmission distance of 550 m at 1.25Gbps (gigabit Ethernet) or 150 m at 4.25Gbps (fibre channel). For example, in the following picture, it is a Cisco GLC-SX-MM 1000Base-SX SFP whose maximum cable distance is 550 m over OM2 multimode fiber. But installed with high quality of fibers and connectors, 1000Base-SX SFP can be applied over significantly longer distances. This kind of transceiver is popular for intra-building links in large office buildings, co-location facilities and carrier neutral internet exchanges.

1000Base-LX/LH SFP

1000Base-LX/LH SFP, compatible with the IEEE 802.3z 1000Base-LX standard is the only kind of Gigabit Ethernet SFP transceiver which can both operate on single-mode and multimode fibers. The transmission distance of 1000Base-LX/LH SFP over single-mode fiber is 10 km, while over multimode is 550 m. And its transmitting and receiving wavelengths range from 1270 nm to 1355 nm. Furthermore, 1000Base-LX/LH SFP supports dual data rate of 1.25Gbps/1.0625Gbps with dual LC/PC connectors. 1000Base-LX/LH SFP is designed mainly for connecting high-speed hubs, Ethernet switches, and router together in different wiring closets or buildings using long cabling runs. This is a image of 1000Base-LX/LH SFP.

Applications of SFP Transceiver

SFP is expected to perform at data speed of up to 5Gbps or possibly higher and it allows the transport of fast Ethernet and gigabit Ethernet LAN packets over time-division-multiplexing-based WANs, as well as the transmission of E1/T1 streams over packet-switched networks. Additionally, SFP transceiver interfaces a network device motherboard (for any switch, router, media converter or similar device) to some fiber optic or copper networking cable.

Summary

SFP transceiver is one of the most frequently used fiber optic transceiver modules in fiber communications industry. Through the above introduction, you have already known the basic information about SFP transceiver modules. 1000Base-T SFP, 1000Base-SX SFP and 1000Base-LX/LH SFP are the three common optical transceivers that have been widely utilized in fiber optic network. If you are looking for any kinds of SFP transceivers, FS.COM is an excellent choice. FS.COM provides excellent 1000Base-T SFP, such as Cisco GLC-T, Finisar FCLF8521P2BTL, and RAD SFP-9G, etc. 1000Base-SX SFP, like GLC-SX-MM, and many other SFP modules at very reasonable price.