Dec. 16, 2024
Are you searching for SFP transceivers online and feeling lost in making decisions? Following this SFP buying guide, then your options will slowly narrow down.
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The SFP, also known as small form-factor pluggable or mini GBIC, is a transceiver optic that is compact and hot-swappable. It can be plugged into networking equipment and connected to network cables. As the range of applications diversifies, various types of SFP transceiver modules are available. Choosing the most appropriate SFP module for your requirements can benefit network engineers. However, if you are responsible for enterprise procurement, selecting and purchasing SFP transceivers can be confusing. This article outlines the essential factors to consider when selecting SFP optics.
10 Factors to Choose SFP Transceivers
What situations are SFP modules commonly employed in? Prior to making a determination, it is important to verify the necessary application scenarios with your company and then carefully assess the following factors in accordance with your requirements.
Network Technology
SFP transceivers come in various models tailored to different network technologies. Each type of SFP module is designed for specific networking standards and can be categorized as Ethernet SFP, FC SFP, SDH SFP/SONET SFP, SDI SFP, or PON SFP. FC SFPs provide high-speed data transfer rates specifically designed for Storage Area Network (SAN) applications.
The different types of FC SFPs can support different bandwidths, making it easier to choose the right module for the specific needs of a particular storage network.
SONET/SDH SFPs are widely used in telecommunications systems due to their ability to provide high-speed data transfer over long distances. They can support different transmission rates and reach distances, making them flexible and ideal for various network topologies. SONET/SDH SFPs cover short-reach OC-3/STM-1 to OC-48/STM-16 SR transceivers, intermediate-reach IR1 transceivers, and long-reach LR1/LR2 transceivers.
SDI SFPs offer high-quality video transmission over standard copper or fiber-optic cabling. They are ideal for broadcasting, video production, and other video-related applications that require real-time video monitoring and signal testing.
PON SFPs are specifically designed for FTTH (Fiber to the Home) applications. They provide high-speed data transfer rates over long distances and are ideal for delivering high-quality video, voice, and data services to homes and businesses. Pick APON SFP vs BPON SFP vs EPON SFP vs GPON SFP for different PON standards. Then choose OLT SFP vs ONU SFP according to the networking components inserted.
Ethernet SFP Modules are widely used in enterprise networks to provide high-speed data transfer rates between switches, routers, and other networking equipment. They are available in a range of data transfer rates, reach distances, and connector types, making them flexible and easy to deploy.
Overall, the choice of an SFP module depends on the specific needs of the network and the type of application. Different SFP modules have different advantages, so it's important to carefully consider the needs of the network before choosing a specific module.
Data Rate
Your SFP transceiver with fiber or copper wires is for connecting two SFP ports of networking devices such as Ethernet switches. Hence figuring out the SFP port data rate is the key to SFP transceiver data rate selection. The typical port speed of Ethernet switches is 155Mbps, 1Gbps, 10Gbps, 25Gbps, 40Gbps, 100Gbps, and 400Gbps. As a simple example, a pair of S-24X2C switches are placed in a server room, needing a 10G connection for data communication. Then you need 10G SFP+ modules because the two switches own 24 10G SFP+ ports.
Form Factor
The small form-factor pluggable transceivers have derivated into multiple form factors. Hot SFP types are 1G SFP, 10G SFP+, 25G SFP28, 40G QSFP+, 100G QSFP28. SFP transceivers with different form factors support corresponding speeds. Check the equipment port types, and choose a matching form factor.
Transmission Distance
Estimate how far between the two ends. If the transmission medium is optical fibers, choose multimode SFP transceivers for short-reach applications and single-mode SFPs for long-distance transmission. For the former, MMF SFPs are frequently used within a kilometer, such as 30m, 100m, 300m, 400m, and 550m. 2km is also available in the market. For the latter, a regular SMF SFP can reach up to 10km. Besides, you can choose from 20km, 40km, 80km, 100km, and 120km for ultra-long-haul networks.
For instance, QSFPTEK offers multimode 100GBASE-SR4 QSFP28 that can reach 100m over OM4 fibers and single-mode 100G QSFP28 with a selection of 500m-DR4, 2km-IR4/CWDM4/FR4, 10km-LR4/4WDM-10/PSM4, 40km-ER4, and 80km-ZR4. If the transmission medium is copper cable, then it can't support long-distance transmission. The maximum transmission distance of electrical port modules on the market can generally reach 100m.
Connector Type
LC, SC, and MTP/MPO are three fiber SFP transceiver connector types.
LC and MTP/MPO connectors are available for 40G QSFP+ and 100G QSFP28. LC and SC connectors are found on 1G SFPs.
Module Type
Connector Type
SFP
RJ45, LC, SC
SFP+
RJ45, LC
QSFP+
LC, MTP/MPO
QSFP28
LC, MTP/MPO
Therefore, check your current situation and consider the following questions:
1. For businesses that need to reutilize existing cabling, what is the type of fiber optic cable connector? Choose a corresponding SFP connector type to match the existing fiber cables.
2. For companies that plan to build up a new system or upgrade their wiring infrastructure, besides SFP transceivers, you also need to buy matching fiber patch cables. Think about how to buy for improving the whole lifespan cost-effectiveness.
Taking 10km 100G QSFP28 as an example, the table below shows the cost of buying a transceiver and matching fibers.
As you can see, though QSFP28 modules with MTP/MPO are cheaper, however, deploying fibers in large quantities later will cost you a lot of money. Pay attention to making a future-proof solution.
Working Temperature
Three levels of SFP transceivers are commercial temperature range (COM: 0~70°C), extended temperature range (EXT: -20°C~85°C), and industrial temperature range (IND: -40°C~85°C). In general, transceiver vendors will supply commercial SFPs and industrial SFPs for the same model. IND modules have a higher level of extreme temperature resistance.
Compatibility
SFP compatibility is due to the inserting equipment brand and models. Be mind buying an SFP that is fully compatible with equipment. Check the SFP compatibility matrix on the brand's official site or consult your vendors to ensure device compatibility.
QSFPTEK provides multiple brands of compatible transceiver modules, some of the main-stream brands are:
If you are looking for more details, kindly visit 3G-SDI optical transceiver.
Mult-Brand Compatible
Cisco
Juniper
Arista
Brocade
HPE
Generic
Dell
Mellanox
HW
H3C
Extreme
IBM
Intel
Netgear
Ciena
Ubiquiti
Avago
Alcatel-Lucent
Each module is 100% tested on brand switches to ensure full compatibility
Vendors
Make decisions from OEM or third-party vendors. If choosing third-party vendors, pick a reliable one.
OEM optics have the best guarantee of compatibility and quality. However, For most businesses, its disadvantages far outweigh its advantages. Prohibitive price and incompatibility across brands are the two most annoying points.
Third-party SFP transceivers are affordable and MSA compliant (allowing mix-use devices from multiple vendors). What confuses you is &#; too many choices that it is difficult to distinguish whether they are reliable or not. However, as long as you make a good choice, you save a lot and have no worries about its compatibility and quality. As the decoding technology on the market is quite mature.
SFP DDM/DOM
The SFP DOM (digital diagnostics monitoring) is a function to allow the monitoring of real-time operating parameters. Pick DDM SFP to stay informed about module working performance and help quickly locate the link fault.
Price & Budget
In addition to studying SFP transceiver price comparisons from different manufacturers, think one more question &#; are there more cost-effective alternatives? For example, an end-to-end connection is required between two switches on the rack, and the distance is very short. Then maybe you can consider using a high-speed cable that does not need extra fiber patch cables.
Sometimes you may also need to consider other parameters of the module, such as whether the transmission mode is simplex or duplex; whether the service policy warranty covers the five-year life cycle of the module.
Conclusion
Figure out what your networking technology is and which equipment and cables are in your system, go further to transmission speed for a matching form factor, and the transmission distance to pick a single-mode or multimode SFP with the required reach. Take cabling infrastructure into consideration for a proper SFP connector type. Give priority to industrial SFPs if you need to use the module in harsh environments for extreme temperatures. Choose a reliable vendor that ensures device compatibility. Do not forget the SFP DOM function.
Follow the top 10 factors for choosing an SFP transceiver module, your options will slowly narrow down. Now that you are almost there. Finally, double-check your SFP transceiver use scenarios.
If you still have trouble buying SFP modules, we'll be glad to help. Please ask our sales expert in the chat now box or us via .
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SFP Module Prices Comparison by Top 5 SFP Manufacturers
Data center is the heart of your network operation, with fiber optic transceiver the building block of the data transmission. A qualified transceiver offers a reliable solution for incorporating flexibility, manageability and scalability into high-density fiber networks. When it comes to selecting transceiver module, how to make your choice valid and wise? Besides relying on optical transceiver manufacturers, you also have to know the trends on optical transceiver market. And more importantly, to justify the quality and compatibility of the optical transceivers, as well as the services and supports they come with.
The unceasing need for network speed and efficiency makes data center a more demanding place, and optical transceivers also evolve to satisfy the need for higher density and larger capacity. The broad transceiver portfolio usually consists of the following types, customers could choose the right one based on the specific usage environments and speed needs.
SFP: A wide range of protocols and rates (Fast Ethernet, Gigabit Ethernet, Fibre Channel, Sonet/SDH) which operate in either commercial or extended temperature environments.
SFP+: Designed for 10G Ethernet and 10G Fibre Channels.
XFP: Supporting a variety of 10Gbps protocols (Ethernet, Sonet/SDH, Fibre Channel).
X2: 10G Ethernet standard over a variety of distances.
SFP28: Designed for 25G Ethernet.
QSFP+: 40 Gbps interfaces support 40G Ethernet and OTN standards over multimode or single mode fiber.
QSFP28: 100 Gbps interfaces support G Ethernet and OTN standards over multimode or single mode fiber.
To be fair, you should always look beyond price when picking a supplier of any network or IT device. Apart from the type of transceiver that basically depends on you device, there are still some critical aspects to consider, such as the transceiver performance, compatibility and interoperability testing, as well as the service and support provided.
Third-party optics has now secured a fairly important position in network component market, since they fill the gap to provide multiple compatible options at a considerably lower price. Currently an increasing amount of customers sees third-party optical transceivers as a decent choice over the cost-prohibitive OEM optics. In this case, transceiver compatibility with your network switch becomes critical. The Multi-Source Agreement (MSA) standards specify all the elements of a fiber optic transceiver - both mechanically and electrically, so optical transceiver companies are able to provide transceivers that are identical in form factor and functionality to original brands, while assuring compatibility across multiple OEM equipment. Driven by the fierce competition on the market, many third-party transceivers can even exceed OEM transceivers in performance, reliability and warranty.
DDM or Digital Diagnostics Monitoring, is a technology used to monitor real-time transceiver parameters, such as optical output power, optical input power, temperature, laser bias current, and transceiver supply voltage etc. DOM refers to Digital Optical Monitoring, which provides users critical information concerning the TX (transmit) and RX (receive) ports status, input/output power, temperature, and voltage. Apparently, DDM and DOM are identical functions that are usually applied together to deliver real-time monitoring of optical transceivers.These functions help predict module lifespan, locate fault and verify module compatibility, so that network technicians are able to check and ensure that the module is functioning well.
The failure of a transceiver module will result in the disastrous network outage, thus a quality optical transceiver should be strictly tested on switches and routers from all major OEM vendors during the manufacturing process. It ensures the transceiver module to have the highest quality and performance possible, and justify the compatibility and quality criteria to avoid network disruptions and save time and money. Besides, there are also some prevalent industry standards that a transceiver must comply to, such as MSA, IEC, ISO etc. It is recommended to ask the supplier about the compliance and regulations followed before purchasing an optical transceiver. Qualified optical transceiver modules are expected to be Class 1 laser safe products so that they will not harm the eyes while installation/removal, they also should be RoHS approved for being environment-safe.
Even with those fancy brand OEM optics, it is inevitable that a few optics you are using may fail at one point or another. It occurs frequently when updating the software or hardware in data center, causing incompatibility with existing optics. The transceiver module that backed up by superior customer service and technical support will give you a peace of mind when problem occurs. With so many third-party suppliers highly focused and specialized in the optical transceiver market, some will offer a lifetime warranty on their products. And ideally they will be able to troubleshoot and replace the optic for you quickly in a timely manner at a minimize costs. More importantly, service and support are crucial and you should have those for the longest duration possible. Be sure they offer professional help to keep your network up and running.
The common transceiver modules on the market today are used in volume and for many access applications, which account for roughly 10% to 15% of network capital spending, thus the cost per gigabit and per transceiver unit is key. A good transceiver module is expected to retain a balance between quality and costs, so you can put dollars back in your IT budget while maintaining your peace of mind. Then take those savings and apply them to the innovation, automation and tools your organization needs to stay competitive, relevant and ready to reach the next level of business success.
The next-generation network - 5th Generation (5G) wireless systems are rapidly evolving from existing 4G/LTE network and moving fast forward. 5G features higher capacity and lower latency which will support a higher density of mobile users and lay a solid foundation for IoT. It hence significantly increases the demands for high-rate 5G optical transceiver, both in quality and quantity. As for the chipset, silicon photonics based fiber optic transceivers are capable to meet the large bandwidth requirements of new 5G and IoT applications. Optical transceiver modules that have better heat-resistance to withstand the harsh environment is expected a mass deployment in the 5G era. And as 5G may inevitably encounter the fiber exhaust, it will need optical transceivers that are more fiber-conserving.
When purchasing optical transceivers, identifying the qualities with the lowest prices is a common goal. Wise customers should pick a reliable third party optics suppliers holistically, and consider factors like breadth of products supported, compatibility and testing processes, supports, and reputation into their buying decisions. FS broad product selection and innovative technology have made us the optical module manufacturer of choice for all major networking equipment vendors worldwide. If you need further info or to buy optical transceivers, please contact us. FS offers a wide range of optical transceivers and cables with guaranteed plug and play operation while providing cost optimized solutions and deployment flexibility.
If you want to learn more, please visit our website Buried Cable Detection Systems.
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