What are Fiber Optic Transceivers Used for

Fiber optic transceiver is also called fiber optic transmitter and receiver. It is composed by optoelectronic devices, the functional circuit and the optical interface. the optoelectronic device includes a transmitter and receiver.
Fiber Optic Transmitters: LEDs, fabry-perot (FP) lasers, distributed feedback (DFB) lasers and vertical cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) are the 4 types of source for the transmitters that can convert the electrical signals into optical signals. They are al tiny semiconductor chips. Fiber Optic Receivers: The receivers use semiconductor detectors (photodiodes or photodetectors) to convert optical signals to electrical signals. Silicon photodiodes are used for short wavelength links (650 for POF and 850 for glass MM fiber). Long wavelength systems usually use InGaAs (indium gallium arsenide) detectors as they have lower noise than germanium which allows for more sensitive receivers. Very high speed systems sometimes use avalanche photodiodes (APDs) that are biased at high voltage to create gain in the photodiode.
The role of fiber optic transceiver can be simply concluded: Fiber transceiver is a photoelectric conversion device that converting electrical signal into an optical signal at the transmission side, after the transmission on the fiber optics, the optical signals are transmitted into electrical signals at the receiving side.
In the traditional network, the network cables or coaxial cables are usually used, but their communication bandwidth and signal quality they provide can no longer meet the growing need of
customers. While the era of fiber optic network makes the optical switches, SDH equipment, fiber converters, fiber optic multiplexers, and more related fiber optic equipment developed rapidly. In the works process of these fiber optic network equipments, the fiber optic transceiver modules are needed to convert the electrical signals via the laser driver to optical ones, and then transmit the optical signals trough the optical fibers for a long distance, when the signals arrive at the receiving end, it then be converted into an electrical signals through the fiber optic receiver ((Pin-Tia or APD).
The following list the regular equipments that the fiber transceivers may used for:
Fiber Optic Multiplexer: Common fiber optic multiplexers use 1 x 9 package fiber optic module, some HD multiplexers would use SFP optical modules.
Fiber Optic Converters: 1 x 9 transceiver modules.
Fiber optic network card: 1 x 9, SFP or SFP+ optical modules.
Fiber-optic high-speed ball machine: SFP optical module
The base station: XFP, SFP optical module.
The above is the analysis of several devices using the optical modules. It can be seen that 1 x 9 and SFP optical modules are the most commonly used, the difference between them is that:
1 * 9 optical module are welded on the device, while SFP transceiver is hot-swappable.
There are uniform standards for the design and production of fiber optic transceivers. The case of the basic specifications, the optical modules from the major manufacturers such as Huawei, Cisco, Juniper, FiberStore, etc. In addition, the compatibility issues that we often talk about refers to the optical modules are compatible use for communications equipment of different manufacturers, for example, the optical module from FiberStore can be totally compatible with Cisco routers or switches. Because the fiber modules are written with the Cisco series switches compatible codes during the production to be work normally with Cisco equipments.

SFP transceiver VS GBIC transceiver

With the development of data communication in the modern world, optical fibers are widely used for fiber networking. Fiber optic transceiver is an important component that will make it feasible for networks to broadcast data at both short and long distances. But what's important is that how to choose the right fiber optic transceiver for switches and routers? In fact, choose the right fiber optic transceiver is entirely depend on its application purpose.

There are different types of transceivers in the market that may get you overwhelmed. Here let's review the difference between SFP transceiver versus GBIC transceiver and inspect the varies applications.

A fiber optic is a glass or plastic fiber that carries light. There are two classifications for optical fiber: single-mode (SMF) and multi-mode (MMF). SMF has small cores (about 3.5 x 10-4 incches or 9 microns in diameter) and is used for long distance communication. While MMF has larger cores (about 2.5 x 10-3 inches or 62.5 microns in diameter) and is used for distances of less than 300 m. Since SMF emit 50 times further than MMF, they often cost more.

A gigabit interface converter (GBIC) is a standard for transceivers, offering a standard, hot swappable electrical interface. The small form-factor pluggable (SFP) is a compact optical transceiver used in optical communications, which is a popular industry format supported by several fiber optic component vendors. Fiber optic transceivers are commercially available for almost all international and industrial standards, including Ethernet, Fast Ethernet, Gigabit Ethernet, 10Gbit Ethernet. Generally GBIC transceiver or Gigabit Interface Converter is used in Gigabit Ethernet and Fiber Channel to translate SX, LX, LH, and other kinds of gigabit signals into a shared format. This device calls for SC typed connector. While SFC transceiver or small hot-pluggable transceiver used for Gigabit Ethernet and Fiber Channel.

Fiber cables can be merged in combinations of 1000BASE-T, 1000BASE-SX, 1000BASE-LX/LH, 1000BASE-ZX, or 1000BASE-CWDM interfaces on a port-by-port basis. These cables also utilize various types of connectors for different applications. But GBIC transceivers and SFPs transceivers more regularly use SC and LC connectors.

Ingellen provides a various kind of Cisco compatible transceivers like Cisco SFP Transceivers, Cisco GBIC Transceivers, Cisco SFP+ Transceivers, Cisco XFP Transceivers etc. GLC-T, GLC-SX-MM, GLC-LH-SM, GLC-ZX-SM, GLC-LH40-SM some Cisco SFP transceivers available on Ingellen.com. On the other hand, WS-G5483, WS-G484, WS-G5486, and WS-G5487 and so many more are Cisco GBIC transceivers. These Cisco SFPs and Cisco GBICs have different cable types, uses, connectors, and vary in maximum distances. There are many more fiber optic products from Ingellen.com. It will definitely be enough for your choosing the correct ones for the realization of fiber network.