Fiber Optic
SFP Transceiver
Small Form-Factor Pluggable
One of these is inserted in a device and allows the interface between the device and the cable itself.
Cables
Fiber optics use separate cables, one for transmitting and the other to receive.
Structure
From inside to the outside:
Fiber glass core, used to transmit the light signals.
Cladding, used to reflect the light.
Protective buffer, used to prevent the glass core from breaking.
Outer jacket
Types
Multimode
Core diameter is wider than single-mode fiber.
Allows multiple angles (modes) of light waves to enter the fiberglass.
Allows longer cables than UTP, but shorter cables than single-mode fiber.
Cheaper than single-mode fiber (due to cheaper LED-base SFP transmitters).
Single-mode
Core diameter is narrower than single-mode fiber.
Light enters at a single angle (mode) from a laser-based transmitter.
Allows longer cables than both UTP and multimode fiber.
More expensive than multimode fiber (due to more expensive laser-based transmitters).
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