Fiber Optic Cable vs Coaxial Cable - Essay Example

Both fiber optic cable and coaxial cable fall under guided transmission media which provide a physical path for the propagation of the signal. The twisted pair was majorly used for all sorts of communication until the development of the coaxial cable which provided higher data rates over long distances (Nellist, John, and Elliot, 12). Optical fiber has taken over much of the market given its tremendous capacity for high-speed and long-distance applications. Both fiber optic cable and coaxial cable have their distinct benefits and pitfalls as far as their role in conveying information in the form of data video or audio is concerned. The paper highlights both the advantages and disadvantages of fiber optic cables and coaxial cables as used in transmission.

Fiber optic cable
Fiber optic cables are thin, usually, between 2 to 125 micrometers and flexible transmission media is used to guide optical rays from the information source to the information source. Fiber optic cables are cylindrical and are made up of three concentric sections including the cladding, the core, and the jacket. The core consists of one or more glass fibers with each fiber surrounded by individual cladding. The outer layer called the jacket is made up of plastic and is used to protect against crushing, moisture, and abrasion (Nellist, John, and Elliot, 12).

Fiber optic cables have greater capacity, that is, it has potential bandwidth hence the immense data rate. A large amount of data can be transmitted data high speed over long distances as compared to coaxial cables.
In addition, fiber optic cables are small in size and light in weight as compared to most transmission media such as coaxial cables. This in turn is an advantage especially in reducing the structural support requirement given the light weight of the cable.

Fiber optic cables have reduced attenuation as compared to coaxial cables. The attenuation is significantly lower and is constant over a wide range.
Electromagnetic isolation is another key advantage of fiber optic cables. Fiber optic cables do not suffer from the electromagnetic interference caused by external electromagnetic fields. The system is therefore not vulnerable to such interferences as crosstalk and impulse noise. Fiber optic cables do not radiate energy and therefore do not interfere with other equipment. It also has a high-security degree that eliminates eavesdropping besides the fact that it's inherently hard to tap (Nellist, John, and Elliot, 37).

Great repeater spacing associated with fiber optic reduces the cost and ensures minimum errors. Fiber optic cables can transmit information for greater distances without the need for repeaters as opposed to coaxial cables which required a considerable number of repeaters before the information can reach its destination.

Fiber optic cables have pitfalls among which include high investment and installation costs; more expensive optical receivers and transmitters. Susceptibility to physical damage; fiber optic cables are fragile is easily broken. Even though the installation costs of fiber optic are dropping, it is still high.

Coaxial cable
Coaxial cable is made up of two conductors which allows it to operate over wide frequency ranges; inner wire core which is surrounded by a hollow outer cylindrical conductor. Between the inner core and the outer cylindrical conductor, there is a dielectric material that separates the two. A shield covers the outer conductor. Coaxial cable has a wide range of applications including television distribution, LAN, telephone transmission, and short-run computer links (Nellist, John, and Elliot, 34).

As compared to fiber optic cables, coaxial cable is relatively cheaper and more convenient to install. Coaxial cables have greater throughput given that their sufficient frequency which supports multiple channels.

Coaxial cables have improved noise immunity thereby minimizing the error rate. This is because it has Faraday shielding providing noise immunity.
Coaxial cables have great channel capacity allowing them the ability to transmit various frequencies at the same time. The cables also have a high capacity to transmit large amounts of data at a very high speed given that they consist of a large number of copper wires banded together. Unlike fiber optic cables, coaxial cables are not fragile and can be easily twisted and turned without breaking.

The major pitfalls of coaxial cables include great noise, the bidirectional upgrade required, and problems associated with deployment architecture. Additional cables have to be installed when transmitting audio, data, and video signals at the same time,e, unlike fiber optic cables. Read More