Optical switching is a process by which the light usually in the digital form is routed from one transmission channel to another without intermediate conversion to another format. A fiber optic switch is the modern form of signaling which is faster and more efficient than the previously used copper cables. The extremely thin glass tubing is used to send signals to phones, computer networks, televisions and other systems. Fiber optics is used in various applications in order to enhance service delivery.
When selecting an optical switch you must consider certain technical indexes-
• Check the stability and reliability of the switch for long-term large capacity requirements of communication systems
• The switch must have low insertion loss and high coupling efficiency
• The optical fiber switch must have low cross-talk and high extinction ratio
• Choose an optical switch with a low drive and temperature characteristics
• Check if the speed switching can be regulated for different applications
• Also, make cost and extensions of the optical switch an important consideration while making the choice of an optical fiber switch
Advantages of optical fiber switches-
• With the use of optical fiber switches, you can say bye to congestion and crowded networks. The signals are delivered as they occur and not delivered all at once.
• Signals are prioritized according to their importance and hence a more organized system of signal delivery
• Signals transmitted through fiber cable are much stronger and better than those which are transmitted through copper cabling
• Also, the signals are less prone to the disruptions caused in the airwaves by the means of other systems like radio frequencies, electromagnetic, electrical noises, and others
• The optical fiber switch is much faster and efficient than the copper switches that used to be used in the earlier days
• The signal security is much higher in the optical fiber switches than the electric interference
Applications of optical fiber switches-
• Network monitoring- Optical switches are able to achieve the monitoring of all fibers via the optical switching technique. Also, the optical bypass switch supports fail open monitoring with any fiber in-line device when it shares the same source of power as the in-line appliance.
• Optical testing- The optical fiber switches are connected to all the optical components that are going to be tested with fiber optics. These components are tested by monitoring the signal of each channel of the optical switches.
• Used in OADM and OXC- Using the optical switches you can increase the flexibility of the network configuration. In OXC, the optical switches are used for cross connection in backbone optical network that realizes the fault protection, light management, and flexible services for the networks.
• Protection switching function- When fiber break or any other transmission failure occurs, the optical switch will switch signals from primary to the alternative routes. The simplest 1X2 switch is used for this purpose generally.
With its high capacity, low error rate, and high speed, optical switches are becoming much more relevant for use nowadays.