Optical data transmission via POF (polymer optical fiber)
- You need a common data network for your private home to exchange internet data, e-mail, phone (VoIP) and TV?
- Und you have technical problems to do this with WLAN or power line based data communication (plc) in your house?
- New installation of copper cables is no alternative due to the necessary effort for cable channels and wall openings?
|  | In this case the installation of a
POF based data network
may be your solution of choice for your home network. |  |
POF information:
The
polymer optical fiber (POF) is made of a 1mm diameter, transparent,
flexible plastic core. By total reflection the light rays inside the
core are reflected from the core boundary. This way the light is guided
by the POF. POF is a light waveguide similar to the glass fiber, but
with a core of plastic.
Due to the plastic material attributes and
the rather thick core dimension of 1mm diameter, POF shows some very
attractive attributes with respect to home installation compared to
glass fiber:
- With a
simple cut using a sharp cutting tool POF is terminated. Without any
further treatment the POF endface is introduced to the electro-optical
converter and fixed. Endface polishing as well known from glass fiber
cables and a corresponding complex quality control is not necessary.
- POF is installed very easily (see figures below).
 |  |  | - The
photo left shows a POF media converter in the heigth of a desc with
connecting POF cable to the skirting board. Unvisible from outside the
POF cable is guided under the skirting board.
- The
next photo shows a bare fiber POF (i.e. a POF without cable jacket) on
the surface of a wall paper with structured surface. The POF is fixed
with transparent tape on the wall and nearly invisible. Even if there
is a risc to damage the bare fiber POF with a sharp tool, a slight
scratch must not interrupt the data transmission. If the POF should be
really seriously damaged, a new installation is no problem, neither
financially nor with respect to installation effort.
- A
compromise between the invisible but sensitive bare fiber POF and the
black jacketed POF the POF with white PVC jacket was developed. It is
robust, but fits to the ambient of modern living rooms.
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After
POF installation the fiber endfaces must be introduced to a
opto-electric signal converter to connect a computer, a TV unit or
other suitable network units to the home network. An optical POF media
converter for 100Mbps signals is the new developed DieMount Optospider™ DMMC 650nm simplex. It is perfectly suitable for private home installations.
 |  |  |  | - The Optospider™ DMMC series was designed as desktop media converters. A flush-mounted version is in preparation.
- The
DMMC power supply comes via a special passive Power over Ethernet
(PPoE) cable from the USB port of the network unit (PC). If the network
unit is switched off, the media converter doesn't consume electrical
power. The data network consumes power only, if needed. (The photos on
the right show the special PPoE cable necessary for the DMMC connection
with the network unit.)
- Of course the new DMMC media converters comprise the simplex data transmission system, developed by DieMount.
They need a single POF core cable only for full 100Mbps duplex data
transmission into both directions. The simplex POF cable is smaller,
more low cost and easier to install.
|
To connect the POF cable at the central switch of your network there are several options depending on the network size:
- A single optical link is needed, e.g. because only one network node (TV) requires high data rate connection.
 | - Please check, if your CPE unit comprises a free USB port to supply electrical power via the PPoE cable to the Optospider™ DMMC 650nm simplex. The left hand photo shows a FRITZ!Box
2170 with a USB port power supplied DMMC media converter. If
the FRITZ!Box is switched off, the media converter power supply is
interrupted.
- If
the CPE does not comprise an USB port, or if the only USB port is
occupied by another device, a customary USB power adapter may be used
for power supply. A further optional solution is an active USB hub.
|
- A small number of optical links is required,
e.g. if the data rate demand in living room and home office is
sufficiently high to cause WLAN or plc fail for secure data
transmission.
 | - If
you need only 2 or 3 optical links in your home, the investment of a
fiber optical switch doesn't pay off. The network central point can be
realized with media converters. But due to the increased power
consumption of more than 500mA (USB port limit) a seperate power supply
is necessary. A power supply with sufficient maximum current and a
3-port USB connector (photo left)may provide the electrical power for 3 PPoE connected media converters.
|
- The home network requires 5 and more optical links, e.g. because high quality and high data rate connection is needed in several workrooms and living rooms.
 | - For
networks with 5 and more optical links we recommend the use of a switch
with 100Mbps SFP ports, that may be equipped with SFP transceivers as
required. The switch is connected via network cable to the CPE.
Depending on the type of switch it is possible to connect 8 (e.g.WizLAN WM-825 FCF) or even 24 (e.g.
ZyXEL ES3124F) optical links to the central network point. The type of
switch defines by software the managment functionality. The setup of
professional data networks is feasible this way.
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If
you intend to feed TV signals from satellite antennas to your home
network, and to use the POF network as a TV distribution system, your
options are as follows:
| - Several suppliers offer devices for the streaming of 2 satellite TV
programs into a data network. It is possible to view both
programs independently at 2 TV units or clients.
|  | - If
you want to view an arbitrary number of TV channels in your network we
recommend an IPTV-server on the basis of the open source program VDR.
The channel number is limited of course by the number of available sat
receivers and the network capacity.
- Its your choice to
setup the IPTV server by your own with the free available software on a
suitable computer hardware, or to use a system developed by DieMount.
It bases on a miniITX mainboard, TV cards with up to 4 DVB-S2 tuners
and a suitable software. Please contact us for further information.
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DieMount offers the following standard products for the setup of POF home networks (please see the Online-catalog, too, with special technical solutions in the field of POF data transmission):
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