GLOBAL SUPPLIER AND MANUFACTURER OF OPTICAL NETWORKING EQUIPMENT & SOLUTIONS

Generic selectors
Exact matches only
Search in title
Search in content
Post Type Selectors

MULTIPLEXERS

Explore the Power of Multiplexers (MUX) – Also Known as Passive Mux, Designed for Efficient Channel Integration over Fiber Optic Networks.

Maximizing Fiber Capacity with Multiplexers (MUX)

Expanding Your Network Capacity with Wavelength Division Multiplexing (WDM)

With the expansion of your customer base comes an increase in your data transmission requirements. This growth often presents challenges related to bandwidth, performance, and security, compounded by limitations in resources and budget.

Wavelength Division Multiplexing (WDM) systems offer a robust solution to these challenges by providing a scalable, efficient, and secure network infrastructure. By harnessing WDM technology, you can transmit large volumes of data at higher speeds and with greater accuracy, ultimately saving time and money.

How WDM Systems Operate

WDM systems operate based on the utilization of multiplexers, also known as MUX or ‘Passive Mux.’ These devices serve as essential filters designed to consolidate multiple communication channels over a single physical medium. At one end of the fiber line, these channels undergo ‘Muxing,’ a process where they are combined before transmission over dark fiber. Upon reaching the other end, the combined signals are ‘De-muxed’ by the multiplexers to separate them back into individual channels.

Understanding the Functionality of WDM Systems

By embracing WDM technology, you not only address your current data transmission needs but also anticipate future demands, ensuring the resilience, adaptability, and cost-effectiveness of your network infrastructure. Overcoming the challenges posed by an expanding customer base and limited resources, WDM paves the way for sustained growth and success.

Understanding Passive Mux

Navigating CWDM and DWDM Naming Conventions
In CWDM, the nanometer or "color" is key, with dual naming conventions like 1611nm/1591nm or 1610nm/1590nm. Technically interchangeable, these optics offer flexibility within a 15nm bandwidth. DWDM adopts a different approach, with common usage of Channels in the C-Band 100Ghz Grid, where nanometers like 1550.12nm correspond to 'Channel 34.'
Speed, Mixing, and Flexibility
Explore the diverse speeds that communication signals can achieve—ranging from 1G, 10G, 40G to 100G. Witness the evolution of technology, where 1G and 10G have been stalwarts, while 40G and 100G emerge as the latest speeds. Remarkably, a Passive Mux's light-filtering nature allows seamless mixing of different speeds on the same platform.
Understand the critical quality metrics of Passive Muxes
'Insertion Loss' (IL), measured in dBs per channel, increases with channel numbers. A high-quality Mux minimizes attenuation, and Solid Optics, with its commitment to excellence, offers ultra-low loss Muxes for projects with maximum power budgets. 'Channel Isolation' is another pivotal quality aspect, ensuring a minimum of 30dB separation between channels to prevent interference.
Navigating CWDM and DWDM Naming Conventions
In CWDM, the nanometer or "color" is key, with dual naming conventions like 1611nm/1591nm or 1610nm/1590nm. Technically interchangeable, these optics offer flexibility within a 15nm bandwidth. DWDM adopts a different approach, with common usage of Channels in the C-Band 100Ghz Grid, where nanometers like 1550.12nm correspond to 'Channel 34.'
Speed, Mixing, and Flexibility
Explore the diverse speeds that communication signals can achieve—ranging from 1G, 10G, 40G to 100G. Witness the evolution of technology, where 1G and 10G have been stalwarts, while 40G and 100G emerge as the latest speeds. Remarkably, a Passive Mux's light-filtering nature allows seamless mixing of different speeds on the same platform.
Understand the critical quality metrics of Passive Muxes
'Insertion Loss' (IL), measured in dBs per channel, increases with channel numbers. A high-quality Mux minimizes attenuation, and Solid Optics, with its commitment to excellence, offers ultra-low loss Muxes for projects with maximum power budgets. 'Channel Isolation' is another pivotal quality aspect, ensuring a minimum of 30dB separation between channels to prevent interference.

SO-OWDM-MUX-8CH

CWDM-OADM1

DWDM-MUX-40CH

Types of Multiplexers

A Passive Mux stands out as a non-powered, software-free, and firmware-free device. Its brilliance lies in its ability to act as a mere filter, isolating specific wavelengths of light emitted by pluggable optics.

CWDM Technology

Discover the versatility of Coarse Wavelength Division Multiplexing (CWDM), denoted by the ‘C’ for Coarse. CWDM operates within the wavelength range of 1270nm to 1610nm, with 20nm steps. This versatile technology offers a dynamic platform accommodating up to 18 channels, each assigned a distinct color. Solid Optics presents an array of CWDM MUXs, including 8-channel and 18-channel models, providing tailored solutions for your specific requirements.

Discover the versatility of Coarse Wavelength Division Multiplexing (CWDM). Operating in the 1270nm to 1610nm range with 20nm steps, CWDM supports up to 18 color-coded channels. Solid Optics offers 8-channel and 18-channel CWDM MUXs, providing customized solutions for your needs.

DWDM Technology

Dive into the intricacies of Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing (DWDM), where ‘D’ signifies Dense. DWDM employs a grid with a typical spacing of 0.8nm, centered around 1550nm. This advanced technology establishes a resilient infrastructure capable of accommodating up to 96 channels, offering unparalleled flexibility with ‘tunable’ optics for tailored light color transmission. Solid Optics boasts a diverse selection of DWDM MUXs, ranging from 8 to 96 channels, ensuring scalability and optimal performance for your network.

Explore Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing (DWDM), featuring 0.8nm spacing around 1550nm. DWDM supports up to 96 tunable channels for flexible, high-performance networking. Solid Optics offers DWDM MUXs from 8 to 96 channels, ensuring scalable solutions for your needs.

Benefits of Solid Optics Multiplexers

Implementing DWDM technology offers numerous advantages
for enhancing network capacity and efficiency on leased dark fiber.

By leveraging DWDM, you can potentially boost capacity by up to 800%, resulting in substantial improvements in data transmission capabilities. Additionally, compared to traditional active equipment installations, DWDM technology typically delivers a significant cost-saving of around 60%. This cost-effectiveness allows you to maximize revenue from existing leased lines while minimizing expenditure. Furthermore, DWDM systems provide built-in redundancy, mitigating the risk of costly service downtime and ensuring continuous network operation. With easy implementation and maintenance at a low cost, DWDM eliminates the hassle of software updates and configuration complexities. Overall, DWDM technology offers a seamless and reliable solution for increasing network bandwidth and optimizing fiber infrastructure utilization without the need for additional optical fibers.

Leveraging DWDM can boost capacity by up to 800%, significantly enhancing data transmission and reducing costs by around 60% compared to traditional equipment. This cost-effectiveness maximizes revenue from existing lines while minimizing expenses. DWDM offers built-in redundancy for continuous operation and easy, low-cost maintenance without software updates. Overall, DWDM seamlessly increases network bandwidth and optimizes fiber use without adding more fibers.

Multiplexers:

Solid-Optics offers world class solutions for the design and implementation of dark fiber applications with passive multiplexing and optical transceiver technology.

What do Solid Optics’ multiplexers deliver?

Increased capacity through leased dark fiber by up to 800%
• Typical 60% savings over active equipment installations
• Increased revenue from existing leased lines
• Reduced risk of costly service downtime
• Low cost of redundancy implementation & maintainence
• Zero software, zero configuration, zero updates
TYPES OF MULTIPLEXERS

There are two different techniques used for multiplexing which have different grids or channel spacing. The first technique is CWDM, where the C stands for Coarse. CWDM ranges from 1270nm to 1610nm with 20nm steps, with a max of 18 channels. Solid Optics offers an 8 channel model and an 18 channel model. The second technique is DWDM where the D stands for Dense. The DWDM grid has a typical spacing of 0.8nm and is centered around 1550nm, with a max of 96 channels. Solid Optics offers DWDM MUXs ranging from 8, 16, 40 and 96 channels.

Both the CWDM & DWDM techniques have distinct advantages and disadvantages. The Solid Optics team are experts in designing dark fiber networks and can advise you on which technique will best fit your project.

PASSIVE MUX

The multiplexer does not use any power and has no software or firmware;  it’s a passive device which only “filters” the specific light emitted by the pluggable optic.  So in the case of CWDM, there are 18 different wavelengths of optics which have a specific color.  In the case of DWDM, there are about 48 channels which are commonly used in the industry.   We also offer DWDM ‘tunable’ optics, which can be programmed/tuned to send a specific light color as needed and are useful to have for spares.

For CWDM the nanometer or “color” of the light is commonly used in the naming.  There are two naming conventions – the official naming is 1611nm/1591nm/1571nm/1551nm, etc.  Many of the Switch/Router manufacturers such as Cisco use 1610nm/1590nm/1570nm/1550nm.  Technically there is no difference and you can easily use a 1610 optic in the 1611 port on a mux as each CWDM band is 15nm wide with the 1611nm as the center. For DWDM, different naming conventions are used – the most common being the Channels of the C-Band 100Ghz Grid.  Some vendors use Ghz and some prefer using nanometers.  For example, 1550.12nm is the equivalent to ‘Channel 34.’

The communication signals can have speeds ranging from 1G, 10G, 40G and 100G.  Since the introduction of this technology, 1G and 10G have been the most commonly used speeds and 40G and 100G are the newest speeds.  Since a multiplexer is simply filtering light, you can mix different speeds on the same multiplexer.

It is important to note that every multiplexer blocks a small percentage of the signal which comes through it.  This is know as the’ insertion loss’ (IL), which is calculated in dBs per channel and increases with the number of channels.  A MUX of good quality will cause less attenuation than a MUX of poor quality.  As an example, the typical loss of an 8 port mux is around 2dB.  For projects using the maximum power budget, Solid Optics offers ultra-low loss muxes.

Another important quality aspect of a mux is the ‘Channel Isolation’ which is the blocking of light between the channels, which should be at least 30dB.  At any lower value, light from neighboring channels can interfere with one another. Solid Optics has over a decade of experience in CWDM & DWDM dark fiber project design.  Please contact us with your details so we can help guide you to the best solution for your needs.

Your Quote List

xWDM Design Assistance​

Contact Us To Start Your Next Project


    CWDMDWDMUnsure


    Km


    dB


    1G10G100G


    Channels



    NoYes