Introduction to DWDM Transceiver
Dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM) technology has revolutionized data transmission by increasing the capacity signal of embedded fiber. Several hundreds of wavelengths can be placed on a single fiber. This increase means that the incoming optical signals are assigned to specific wavelengths within a designated frequency band, then multiplexed onto one fiber. DWDM technology can be applied to different areas in telecommunication networks, like longhaul backbone networks, metropolitan area networks (MANs), residential access networks and local area networks (LANs) etc. In these applications, especially in MANs, fiber optic transceivers are generally mounted in high density. Thus, the development of DWDM transceivers has been awaited. This post will provide an overview of DWDM transceivers.
DWDM transceiver is a kind of fiber optic transceiver that combins with DWDM technology. It uses different wavelengths to multiplex several optical signal onto a single fiber. These transceivers are intended for high-capacity and long-distance transmissions, supporting up to 10 Gbps and a distance up to 120km. DWDM transceivers are compatible with Multi-Source Agreement (MSA) standards to ensure broad network equipment compatibility.
DWDM transceiver has the same basic function and principle as other optical transceivers. It converts the electrical signal to optical signal and then to electrical signal. Based on DWDM applications, DWDM transceiver also has its own features and functions. DWDM transceiver operates at a nominal DWDM wavelength from 1528.38 to 1563.86 nm (Channel 17 to Channel 61) as specified by the ITU-T. It is deployed in DWDM network equipment in metropolitan access and core networks. The transmitter section uses a DFB laser, compliant to International Safety Standard IEC-60825. DWDM transceivers of many vendors are designed to be compliant with SFF-8472 MSA. Recent innovations in DWDM transport systems include pluggable and software-tunable transceiver modules capable of operating on 40 or 80 channels, which reduces the need for discrete spare pluggable modules when a handful of pluggable devices can handle the full range of wavelengths.
According to different packages, DWDM transceivers can be classified into mainly five types: DWDM SFP transceiver, DWDM SFP+ transceiver, DWDM XFP transceiver, DWDM X2 transceiver, and DWDM XENPAK transceiver.
DWDM SFP Module: DWDM SFP transceivers provide a signaling rate range from 100 Mbps to 2.5 Gbps. DWDM SFP modules meet the requirements of the IEEE802.3 Gigabit Ethernet standard and ANSI Fibre Channel specifications, and are suitable for interconnections in Gigabit Ethernet and Fibre Channel environments.
DWDM SFP+ Module: DWDM SFP+ transceiver is designed for carriers and large enterprises that require a flexible and cost-effective system for multiplexing and transporting high-speed data, storage, voice and video applications. DWDM enables service providers to accommodate hundreds of aggregated services of sub-rate protocol without installing additional dark fiber. DWDM SFP+ transceiver is therefore the choice for 10G highest-bandwidth application.
DWDM XFP Module: DWDM XFP transceiver complies with the current XFP MSA specification. It supports SONET/SDH, 10GbE and 10 Gigabit Fibre Channel applications. The picture below shows a Cisco ONS-XC-10G-C compatible 10G DWDM XFP transceiver.
DWDM X2 Module: DWDM X2 transceiver is a high-performance serial optical transponder module for high-speed 10G data transmission applications. The module is fully compliant to IEEE 802.3ae standard for Ethernet, which makes it ideally suitable for 10GbE rack-to-rack applications. The transponder module comprises a transmitter with DWDM cooled EML laser, a receiver with a PIN photodiode, a XAUI-Attachment interface, an integrated Coder/Decoder and multiplexer and demultiplexer.
DWDM XENPAK Module: DWDM XENPAK is the first 10GbE transceiver ever to support DWDM. DWDM XENPAK module supports 32 different channels for transmission distance up to 200 km with the aid of optical amplifiers known as EDFAs. It enables 10 GbE over DWDM without the need of dedicated external equipment known as transponder.
With the increasing demand, DWDM technology has been more and more widely used in MANs, or LANs. DWDM transceivers are commonly used in DWDM systems. There are different applications according to different package types of DWDM transceivers. DWDM SFP transceivers are applied in amplified DWDM networks, Fibre Channel, Ring topologies with fixed and reconfigurable OADMs, Fast Ethernet, Gigabit Ethernet and other optical transmission systems. DWDM SFP+ transceivers are used in 10GBASE-ZR/ZW applications. DWDM XFP transceivers are uaually used in the fields which meet the 10GBASE-ER/EW Ethernet, 1200-SM-LL-L 10G Fibre Channel, SONET OC-192 IR-2, SDH STM S-64.2b, SONET OC-192 IR-3, SDH STM S-64.3b and ITU-T G.709 standards. DWDM X2 transceivers and DWDM XENPAK transceivers are with the similar applications. Moreover, these DWDM transceivers can also be used in switch to switch interface, switched backplane applications and router/server interface.
DWDM transceivers are commonly used in DWDM network systems. There are many different kinds of DWDM transceivers, and each type has different applications. Fiberstore provides the advanced technology and strong innovative capability to produce the best-in-class optical components for DWDM systems. We offer DWDM transceivers in different package types, different transfer distance and different rates.
