9
Data signals sent over optical fiber don’t degrade as much as they do over copper wiring, and they are immune
to induced interference from electromagnetic and RF sources, fluorescent lighting fixtures, etc. Consequently,
a Fast Ethernet fiber optic network segment (100baseFX) can be up to 2 kilometers (6560 feet, or 1.24 miles) long,
twenty times longer than what is possible with CAT-5 UTP copper wire.
Largely due to increased economies of scale, fiber optic cable pricing has become more economical in recent
years, so even 62.5 µm multimode fiber is no longer painfully more expensive than CAT-5 UTP. However, because
of the added cost of media conversion, it’s usually most cost-effective to use fiber only when distance or
electromagnetic conditions require it.
Distributed star network topology
Maximum system cable
span (e.g., furthest node-
to-hub + hub-to-hub +
hub-to-node):
400 meters (1312 feet)
Summary of Contents for RAVE 160
Page 27: ...26...
