Choose Your Route
Understanding the Pros and Cons of Fiber vs. Copper Cable Transmission
Finding the perfect solution for your cabling infrastructures is a difficult task. As bandwidth requirements continue to rise, both copper and fiber cable manufacturers are developing products that offer greater capacity and flexibility, further clouding the decision process.
However, understanding the distinct properties of fiber and copper cables and knowing the most up-to-date information can help you choose the best route for each system design.
Just the Facts
Pricing – Fiber costs have come down, while copper has gone up, closing the gap between what just some years ago was a significant factor in cabling decisions. Recent research shows the difference between CAT6 cables (used in 4K Ultra HD applications) and fiber is less than %10, where several years ago the difference was around %60+.
Bandwidth – CAT6a copper cables support distances of up to 100 meters for HDBaseT Ultra HD/4K transmissions. It is also specified for 10GbaseT up to 100 meters. Single mode fiber cables can handle 10GbaseT up to 80 kilometers, as well as 8K transmissions. Multi-mode fiber cables can transmit 10GbaseT up to 300 meters, as well as 8K transmissions.
Termination – Both fiber and copper cables can be purchased in pre-terminated lengths. For applications that require custom lengths and termination, advancements have been made in fiber termination design and field kits to close the gap between copper cables. Also, as copper cables are required to carry higher data rates and bandwidth, terminations of copper has become more critical. In comparison, fiber termination will take more skill and tools than copper, although copper terminations are more sensitive than in years past.
Other Factors – Fiber cables are stronger than commonly perceived. Demonstrations show that even in harsh multi-use environments, such as staging/rental and live events, fiber lasts as long, if not longer, than copper cabling.
The Fork in the Road
Advantages of Fiber
With significantly lower attenuation than copper cables, fiber is the only sensible choice for long runs and high data rates. Fiber is immune to electromagnetic interference (inductance) and is virtually impossible to ‘tap,” providing optimal signal transmission where data security is crucial or required. Fiber cables act as an electrical isolator between devices, decoupling ground loops, surges, spikes, and other artifacts that come with electrical transmission.
Advantages of Copper
Copper cable termination, while becoming increasingly more sensitive, is easier and less sophisticated and requires usually one tool. Copper cables are more cost effective in shorter runs for smaller networks, such as equipment within the same rack or within a 30 meter range.
