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Fiber Optic Media Converters

FIBER OPTIC MEDIA CONVERTERS

A fiber optic media converter is a popular networking device, which helps connect fiber optic cables with copper cables and other non-fiber devices within the network. Fiber media converters facilitate the conversion of electrical signals to optic signals. VERSITRON’S Fiber Media Converters enable the conversion of signals between an Ethernet device with cat5 or cat6 cable and fiber optic cable. For example, a user wants to use the IP camera at the top of a pole at a remote location. The user may be located a mile away from the pole, but still wants access to the camera recordings. If the user is primarily using cat5/cat6 Ethernet cable, then there are chances of experiencing a distance limitation. This limitation is approximately 328ft for Ethernet cable. This is where using a copper-to-fiber converter or fiber optic media converter would help. In this scenario, the user must use two copper-to-fiber converters. One fiber optic media converter will be installed at the camera site to convert the electrical signals produced by cat5/cat6 to fiber, and then install a second media converter at the monitoring site to convert the fiber optic cable back to cat5/cat6.


VERSITRON's fiber optic converters are used to connect fiber and copper networks, two multimode or single mode networks as well as convert a multimode network to a singlemode network. Nowadays, most businesses invest in complex LAN structures featuring multiple devices at different operation types, speeds, modes, or cables. The fiber optic media converters will help establish connectivity between them. All media converters can be used as standalone or rackmount devices.

How do Fiber Optic Media Converters Work?

Media converters are designed to operate at the physical layer in any network. These devices ensue signal conversion between two similar and dissimilar devices. For instance, let's consider a network connection between points A and B. The device at point A is connected to a twisted pair copper cable. The other end of this cable is connected to the device with a fiber optic connection. This would create irregularities, as the media types differ. A media converter will facilitate the conversion of electronic signals to light pulses. They perform the conversion without being noticed by other networking devices.


These devices aren't as complex as they sound. They have simple designs and are easy to install. These devices also do not interfere with upper-level protocol information, which allows them support Quality of Service (QoS) and Layer 3 switching.


Types of Fiber Optic Media Converters Offered by VERSITRON

The models we offer under this category include:

  • Gigabit Media Converter with Fiber: These media converters are designed to convert 10/100Base or 1000Base Ethernet to 1000Base Gigabit speeds over fiber utilizing the latest SFP technology.
  • 10/100Base Ethernet Media Converters: Also known as our “Double Duty” Media Converters, these devices are designed to convert a 10/100Base Fast Ethernet UTP electrical signal into light signals for transmission over Multimode or Single mode fiber optic cables. Therefore, these devices can provide either 10 Mbps or 100 Mbps networking speeds on the Ethernet side.
  • Single Fiber Media Converters: These media converters are designed to transmit and receive signals over one strand of fiber optic cable. Single fiber media converters can accommodate either 10Base or 100Base networks or both. There are three network speed settings: 10/100 auto-sensing, 10Base fixed, or 100Base fixed.
  • Industrial Media Converters: VERSITRON’S Industrial fiber optic converters are designed to operate in harsh environmental conditions. Typical features of these categories of media converters include full wire speed performance, SFP flexibility, best conversion latency, link fault pass through, and low power consumption, among others.
  • PoE Media Converters: Would you like to provide reliable and cost-effective fiber distance extension to PoE powered devices? We are here to help! VERSITRON models of PoE media converters provide solutions for both PSE and PD devices. These types of media converters combine power and data on one cable.
  • Multimode to Single Mode Converters: Our multimode to single mode converters provide efficient solutions when network distance requirements exceed the limit of MM fiber or to interconnecting multimode fiber LANs over longer distances.
  • SFP Modules: Designed to meet your high-speed networking needs, our industry standard small form factor pluggable (SFP) modules are compatible with multiple VERSITRON products. SFP Modules are available for Multimode SX, Multimode LX, Single mode LX, and Single mode ZX.
  • Media Converter Chassis: VERSITRON also offers a 14-Slot Chassis that can house up to 14 Media Converters at one specific location. 

Beneficial Features of Fiber to Copper Converters

VERSITRON has over six decades of experience in the fiber optics industry. Our fiber-to-copper media converters have been widely used in commercial and industrial applications for several years now due to the following reasons:

  • The Ethernet to fiber optic converter possesses high MTBF rates up to 14+ years.
  • We use only high-end chip components to assure the reliability of the product.
  • Our managed fiber-to-copper media converters are equipped with advanced features that sends the notification regarding the working status of the device.
  • These fiber-to-copper media converters are used to connect various types of cabling types:
    • Multimode fiber
    • Single mode fiber
    • Coaxial cable
    • BNC, mini BNC
    • UTP (twisted pair) category 4, 5, and 6
    • Copper RJ-45
    • Dual and single fiber
    • ST, SC, LC and MT-RJ connectors
    • SFP, SFP+ and XFP standard wavelength transceivers
    • SFP, SFP+ and XFP CWDM transceivers
  • These Ethernet to fiber optic media converters support different communication protocols such as 10M, 100M, Gigabit and 10G Ethernet; 10G OTN (Optical Transport Network); T1/E1/J1; T3/E3/DS3; Serial RS-232, RS-422, RS-485, RS-530; SONET (OC-3, OC-12, OC-48 and OC-96); fiber channel, and protocol transparent.
  • The fiber to copper media converter helps extend the distance between the devices, which are limited by copper cables.
  • All our copper to fiber converters listed here are backed by our Lifetime Warranty.
  • The converters are available in both rack mount and standalone formats.
  • All VERSITRON products are compatible with 802.3 IEEE Ethernet Standards.

An Overview of Different Types of Fiber Media Converters Offered by VERSITRON

Our selection features managed and unmanaged copper to fiber converters. The following features of these converters have been widely appreciated across industries where they are used.

Owing to the above features, our fiber optic converters have been an integral part of several growing business networks.

  • Managed Copper to Fiber Converters
    • These media converters possess advanced monitoring, remote configuration, fault detection, and more.
    • The converters feature a simple network management protocol (SNMP) agent that reports the status of network management system (NSM) manager.
    • Our converters support all corporate authentication, authorization, and accounting (AAA) security services.
    • The managed media converters offer secure session management by supporting SNMPV3, SSH, HTTPS, and Telnet.

  • Commercial Fiber Optic Converters
    • Our commercial fiber optic converters are used in office environments. Most fiber optic converters offered by us are of this type.
    • The media converters come with single power input.
    • We can provide customized mounting options on these media converters.

  • Industrial Fiber Optic Converters
    • Industrial fiber optic converters feature rugged construction, which makes them ideal for challenging environments.
    • The fiber optic converters can be operated across a temperature range of -20 to +80 degrees Celsius.
    • Our industrial fiber optic converters require no additional cables and equipped with LED indicators that provide regular alerts and health status updates.
    • These fiber optic converters can be easily installed in any enclosure by panel or DIN rail mounting.

Applications of Ethernet to Fiber Media Converters

These compact sized, simple devices find immense applications in Local Area Networks (LAN), Metro Area Network (MAN) and data transport systems to enable connectivity and fiber distance extension. We, at VERSITRON, have been serving the requirements of our customers from the following industries since 1958.

  • Healthcare
  • Government
  • Telecom
  • Datacenters
  • Utilities
  • Manufacturing
  • Entertainment
  • Transportation

Most Frequently Asked Questions

Do media converters have to be used in pairs?

The answer would depend on the scenario where media converters are used. Generally, optical media fibers are used to transmit across long distances. The single-mode optical fiber can be used to transmit up to 10 kms and multi-mode up to 2 kms. Fiber media converters are used in such networks. Fiber media converters can be connected to a switch or SFP transceiver. If a switch is being used, then a compatible Ethernet port is necessary. Many times, these media converters are also used in pairs, such as those used in legacy infrastructure, like twisted pair or co-ax cables. VDSL media converters work best in legacy infrastructure, as they help transmit Ethernet traffic over legacy cables for long distances.

What is a media converter switch?

When an active media converter features a switch chip, it is known as a switching media converter. The switching allows a user to set the link speed for various conversion tasks. In some scenarios, the switching panel may also introduce latency, thereby making the device unsuitable for various tasks.

VERSITRON provides free and unlimited 24/7 technical support from a LIVE person when you contact us by phone. There are no ABSOLUTELY NO PHONE LOOPS awaiting you! If you are looking for the finest quality and performance-centric fiber optic media converters, please contact us today. We would be delighted to speak with you!