Optical transceivers

An optical transceiver is a small yet powerful device that can both transmit and receive data. In fiber optics, this data is sent in the form of pulses of light over an optical fiber, at very high speeds and across long distances. The transceiver is an important part of a fiber optics network and is used to convert electrical signals to optical (light) signals and optical signals to electrical signals. It can be plugged into or embedded into another device within a data network that can send and receive a signal.

Optical transceivers come in different shapes and sizes, called form factors. Which form factor to use depends on the type of data, speed and distance needed. Different rules, called protocols, determine how the different kinds of data are transmitted.

Transceiver and wavelength types

Depending on the type of data to be transported, and at what speed and distance, different transceivers are available for the different tasks. There are three main categories of transceivers:

Grey (standard). A standard transceiver, often referred to as a grey transceiver, is a single-channel device. Since xWDM signals are colored wavelength channels, any signal that is not xWDM is typically referred to as an uncolored, or a grey signal.

Grey transceivers typically have two main applications. First, they can be connected directly to a single fiber channel or Ethernet data switch to transport data in the form of light over a dark fiber. Second, they can act as an optical interface on the client side of a transponder-based xWDM system.

There are four standard transceiver types, each with its own transmission distance:

• SR - Short Range, 850nm
• LR - Long Range, 1310nm
• ER - Extended Range, 1550nm
• ZR - Further Extended Reach, 1550nm