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Fiber Optic Training Your Employees Need to Succeed

The ancient Romans must have been very pleased with themselves after inventing lead pipes some 2000 years ago. They had finally discovered an easier way to carry water. Can you imagine what they would make of the new fiber-optic cables that have the ability to transport emails and telephone calls around the world in seconds?

Also commonly referred to as optical fiber, fiber optics are long, thin strands of glass, plastic strands or fiber. A fiber optic cable can carry several of these glass fibers, and they are surrounded by another glass layer known as cladding. Buffer tubes and the jacket layer protect the cladding, which is the final protective layer.

How Fiber-optics Work

Data is transmitted through the fiber optic cables in the form of light particles (photons). The tiny photons bounce repeatedly down the pipe. Because the cladding and the glass fiber core have different refractive indexes, they are able to bend the incoming light in an angle of less than 45 degrees. The light is reflected in again just like a mirror through the total internal reflection process. This is one of the things that contain the light in the pipe. The structure of the cable also helps keep the light in the pipe.

Benefits of Using Fiber Optics in Your Business

Fiber optics has revolutionized telecommunications. When compared to copper wire, fiber optics are:

Lighter: A fiber optics cable weighs less than copper wire cables. This means that fiber-optic cables will take up less of your space.

Less expensive: It is easier to manufacture several miles of fiber optic cables than equivalent lengths of conventional metal wire, and this means that you can save money.

Higher carrying capacity: Because of their smaller diameters, more optical fiber cables can be bundled together than copper wires. Therefore, you can add more phone lines to use the same cable.

Less signal degradation: Unlike the electrical signals sent by conventional metal wires, light signals sent through one fiber cable don’t interfere with signals from other fibers within the same cable.

Speed: Light travels faster compared to electrical systems. Additionally, optical fiber cables have a higher bandwidth capacity than copper cables.

Security: Fiber optic systems are more secure compared to copper wires. Electromagnetic interference may cause a leakage of information from coaxial cables. However, with optical cables, you can remotely detect signals being transmitted.

Flexible: The high flexibility of fiber optic cables enables them to transmit and receive light signals that are used in various flexible digital cameras for:

• Mechanical imaging: You can use these cameras for examining mechanical welds.
• Medical imaging: In endoscopes and laparoscopes.
• Plumbing: Inspecting sewer lines.

Uses of Fiber Optics

Similar to how electricity can be used to power different types of machines, beams of light can also be used to transport different types of information and they can help your business in different ways, including:

Computer Networks

Fiber optic cables have less interference, less signal loss, and a high bandwidth. All these advantages have made them the best way to carry information over long distances. For example, you’re able to read this article now thanks to the internet and search engines such as Google and Bing that are connected by several fiber optic cables. The faster people are able to access the internet, the more they are able to do online. Because fiber optic cables are fast, affordable, secure and reliable, you can set up your own fiber network instead of linking your office to the public Internet.

Industrial or Mechanical

Industrial endoscopes enable your employees to inspect areas that are difficult to see or reach, for example, inspecting rockets and space shuttles, inspecting engine interiors and mechanical welds in pipes, and inspecting sewer lines and pipes.

Which Training do your Industrial Workers Need?

Fiber optic cables have to be fused carefully in such a way that there will be no interruption when the transfer of telecommunication occurs. While on-the-job training is important, your employees will need some formal education to prepare them for this work. There are several tools and technology that your employees will have to know how to use. For example, they will use test equipment that is specific to both copper and fiber optic networks.

Benefits of Training your Employees

There are several benefits of providing optical fiber training to your employees. Your trained employees can,

• Help keep your fiber optic systems running
• Make upgrades to the current networks or build better systems from scratch
• Your IT employees can resolve minor issues instead of hiring contractors which will help you save money.

Fiber optic communication is growing rapidly. If you want to improve how your company communicates, visit NTT Inc. today to find out more information.

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