Optical splitters are optical passive components that act as integrated waveguide optical power distribution devices in optical network topologies. Their primary function is to split an incident light beam into two or more light beams and vice-versa. Hence, they contain multiple input and output ports. These days, optical splitters are playing an important role in passive optical networks such as FTTx and FTTH.

Easily available with reputable optical passive components manufacturer DK Photonics, these small devices are paving the way to passive optical local area networks (LANs) that are revolutionizing the way communication and entertainment are being brought to the end-users.

How Do Optical Splitters Work?

Generally, the light cannot be fully concentrated in the fiber core when you send a light signal in a single-mode fiber. It’s because a small amount of energy spreads through the cladding of the fiber. This implies if two fibers are very close to each other, the transmitting light signal can enter into another optical fiber as well.

To take advantage of this phenomenon, the reallocation technique of optical signal is implemented in multiple fibers. That’s how optical splitters came into being.

Optical splitters can split the incident light into several light beams at a specified ratio. For instance, a 1 x 4 optical splitter can split one incident light beam into 4 different light beams and transmit them through four individual output fiber cables. If an input fiber optical cable is carrying 1000Mbps bandwidth, each user at the end of output fiber cables can enjoy the network with 250 Mbps bandwidth.

What Role Do Optical Splitters Play in Passive Optical LANs?

Before understanding the role of optical splitters in passive optical networks, you need to understand what Passive Optical LANs exactly are.

Passive optical LAN, often called POL in short, is the newest approach to designing modern telecommunication networks. POLs are replacing the traditional structured cabling that required multiple levels of switch and router formations.

With traditional models, organizations transmit and disperse data through various layers of switches, cables, and routers. Whenever the need arises to expand the structured cabling system over long distances, organizations needed to install more switches and routers for data transmission. All of this created a lot of strain on the support infrastructure, labor, and budget. But with POLs, all these problems are becoming a thing of the past.

Nowadays, POLs are the most cost-effective and energy-efficient alternative to traditional structured cabling. They are based on the FTTH (Fiber-to-the-Home) technology that is now being employed by both domestic and commercial consumers. These networks implement a point-to-multipoint architecture that allows for a single optical line to divide into many optical splitters to serve the end consumers.

In this architecture, the single-mode fiber is brought closer to the electronic devices of users that flatten the entire LAN. It means that there are no distance constraints and the quality of cable to the workstations is also minimized.

One of the three major components of POLs is an optical splitter, which is a passive optical component. Optical splitters in passive optical networks are used to split the optical signals into different light signals connected to the optical network terminal (the user end). What makes optical splitters best is that they require no power and hence, can be easily deployed in fiber zone boxes placed above the ceiling i.e. near end-user work areas.

DK Photonics is a top-of-the-line optical passive components manufacturer in China. It manufacturers a wide range of optical passive components, including optical splitters in custom and standard specifications. For further information on optical splitters, please visit http://www.dk-lasercomponents.com/