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Plastic Fiber Could Make Optical Networking a DIY Project

Posted by timothy on

An anonymous reader writes "A new European project using plastic fiber and off-the-shelf components could make optical networking so cheap and simple that installation could be a DIY job for even a non-technical person. The object of EU-funded POF-ALL project is to find a technical solution to the rising cost of taking optical fiber right into the home." A mere "few hundred metres" of 100mbps (since plastic is thus far dimmer than glass) would suffice to wire any home I'm likely to occupy.

16 of 170 comments (clear)

  1. So... by pwnies · · Score: 3, Interesting

    What's the benefit of 100mbps plasti-fiber over gigabit cat-6?

    1. Re:So... by FrankSchwab · · Score: 4, Interesting
      At the very least, electrical isolation.

      Lightning hit my house (or very close to it) last year, and took out at least the ethernet port on every computer I had that was Cat5 connected at the time. Took out a few USB ports, and sent my router to the great network in the sky also.

      Plastic fiber wouldn't have that problem (until someone marries the plastic fiber with the Power over Ethernet spec).

      /frank

      --
      And the worms ate into his brain.
    2. Re:So... by camperslo · · Score: 2, Interesting

      A better question is why are people associating brightness (loss) with speed?

      I would expect that the characteristics of the electrical/optical transceivers and modulation would set the speed, and the loss in the cable per unit length would limit how long it could be without some sort of repeaters.

    3. Re:So... by avandesande · · Score: 2, Interesting

      With an upgrade of the end components you could easily get several orders of magnitude higher bandwidth over the existing fiber.

      --
      love is just extroverted narcissism
    4. Re:So... by Chabil+Ha' · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Not to mention the fact that you can't run a tone generator over fiber to find a cable inside of a bundle on the other side of the building. All you have to do is stick in a test laser device such as this and wave the bundle over your hand until you 'see' which pair it is coming out of. You obviously don't want to look directly into the port/termination, but it is no more difficult (if not easier) than waving a tone wand around.
      --
      We're all hypocrites. We all have hidden parts, it's the contrast between them that make us more a hypocrite than others
  2. I see an inconsistency by andyfrommk · · Score: 2, Interesting

    "It's future-proof," confirms Nocivelli. You run at 100 Mbit/s today, 1 Gbit/s tomorrow and maybe 10 Gbit/s in the future."
    At 10Gb/sec the light from the fibre will probably hurt your eyes thus making his point of using plastifibre moot
  3. What about Optical Audio? by corsec67 · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Does TOSLINK optical audio not count as a DIY network? I didn't pay anyone to hook up my AV stuff.

    Because my favorite cable is a TOS-LINK cable with a clear sheath, over the fiber optics.

    (Yes, I am a nerd with a favorite kind of cable.)

    Granted there it is a step up to go from a 6-foot cable to 100 feet, but it isn't that big of a deal. Bi-directional communication is another thing that would be needed to make a real network.

    Amazon.com has a bunch of 100-foot fiber optic cables, so I don't think that fiber itself is the issue, getting the network cards cheap enough is more of an issue, I think.

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    1. Re:What about Optical Audio? by corsec67 · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Wal-Mart, actually. I already had a couple of TOS-Link cables, and then I saw that at Wal-Mart, and couldn't leave the store without it. The good news is that it is about $10-$15.

      Newegg had them, but they are out of stock.

      They are called "RCA HD6HPL Optical Cable with Halo Connectors" for the 6-foot version, and the 3-foot version which apparently costs the same is the "RCA HD3HPL Optical Cable with Halo Connectors"

      Another cool thing about this cable is that they connector isn't rectangular, which if you have ever tried to plug a TOSLINK cable into the back of something you will appreciate.

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  4. We've been using plastic fiber optics for data ... by the_rajah · · Score: 4, Interesting

    since about 1985. I designed a system back then, using plastic fiber and off-the-shelf HP transmitter and receiver modules, to pass data between elevator controllers where they are in a coordinated group. Isolation was the main reason, but it's also very convenient. We're still producing the same system today. It's convenient that it uses visible light and termination is very easy since the fibers are relative large. We're using relatively low data rates and the maximum distance I've got to handle is less than 100 feet.

    --


    "Do the Right Thing. It will gratify some people and astound the rest." - Mark Twain
  5. Re:Advantages over Ethernet? by shdo · · Score: 2, Interesting

    well for one, nobody is sitting in there car taking my bandwidth or bypassing my firewall. i prefer wired to wireless and having a non-conducting cable is a positive so for me this is something i would do in a heartbeat.

  6. MOD Parent up please by WindBourne · · Score: 5, Interesting

    The simple fact is that Copper is about to become VERY expensive. China is buying it as well as working with all countries that have copper mines to aquire full access to the copper. The simple fact is that there is a limited amount of copper and China is about to use 1000x more than what it currently does. In addition, most societies are about to move to electrical cars which will require a lot of copper.

    Finally, copper does not go the long distances that Fiber does. I suspect that we will see a lot of uses for these in running from the green box to the home. In fact, I think that the delivery companies will have multiple cables to the home. Basically, dark fiber. It will enable some interesting services.

    --
    I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
    1. Re:MOD Parent up please by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting
      The simple fact is that Copper is about to become VERY expensive.

      Whereas Plastic Fiber is made out of oil, which we all know is exceedingly cheap.

    2. Re:MOD Parent up please by frank_adrian314159 · · Score: 3, Interesting
      The simple fact is that Copper is about to become VERY expensive.

      The simple fact is that plastic is about to become VERY VERY expensive. China is buying the petroleum that is used to make it as well as working with all countries that have oil reserves to acquire full access to the oil. The simple fact is that there is a limited amount of oil and China is about to use 1000x more than what it currently does.

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      That is all.
  7. Copper is much more expensive than plastic by falconwolf · · Score: 3, Interesting

    That may be true now but currently plastic is a petrochemical product. As oil prices rise so will the prices of plastic fibers. Copper will rise as well but at least in the US copper can be locally mined thus reducing transportation costs.

    Falcon
    --
    Should there be a Law?
  8. POF, not a chance... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

    back in 96 i worked with a research group trying to develop POF and the day a competing research group demonstrated 1GB over copper, POF was dropped like a hot potato. There are too many issues with POF. From the materials side, first you have to designing a polymer that has a high enough refractive index to be able to transmit signal for more than 6 feet. Then this polymer has to support tubular extrusion at very high rates like > 1000/min, very little variation in I.D/O.D/and wall thickness, be able to be flexible enough to be installed in temperatures ranging from -20F to 110F, be insensitive to moisture, shrinkage, and long term environmental cycling. As for the finished product, it has to cost at least 20% less to install and maintain than copper for an installer to even suggest it to customers and that assumes that a large structured wiring manufacturer is making or partnering with someone to make termination/networking equipment.
    Cold day in hell when this will be in main stream. I'm sure this is a nice grad student project/patent generator...

  9. copper by falconwolf · · Score: 2, Interesting

    our best place to obtain copper may be in the dumps as well as overhead lines that were put in 40 years ago.

    I didn't want to say anything about recycling, but you're right, dumps and all the copper cables already laid down may be a better source.

    We do have SHITLOADS of coal that can be changed into feedstock for plastics.

    A better source of fee stock for plastic may be hemp with bioplastics being renewable. My question then is would bioplastics be good for fiber optics.

    Falcon
    --
    Should there be a Law?