MA Ethernet over Fiber Question

[jstroming]

Hey everyone,

I have a question regarding sending ethernet over fiber. I have an MA2 command wing and need to send the ethernet signal over 500ft to an MA2 NPU. I also have a 1000ft Camplex OpticalCon Quad SM Xtreme fiber reel with OpticalCon Quad to 4x LC breakouts, which I think can be used over the long distance to actually carry the signal. Obviously I need to convert the ethercon to either the Opticalcon directly or via the adapter (LC connector) at both the console & NPU....what kind of a box do I use for this? I see ethernet to SM fiber adapters online but they seem like cheap little things and that scares me. Would like to know what is reliable for both high & mid-range applications. Thank You!

 

[MaxMtl514]

Take a look at these guys...
https://linkskey.com/product-category/ethernet/fiber-optic-to-ethernet-media-converter/

 

[jstroming]

Take a look at these guys...
https://linkskey.com/product-category/ethernet/fiber-optic-to-ethernet-media-converter/

Awesome thanks for that link. Just out of curiosity, if I decide to run ethernet instead, what is the maximum length I can run between console & NPU? Thanks!

 

[danTt]

Awesome thanks for that link. Just out of curiosity, if I decide to run ethernet instead, what is the maximum length I can run between console & NPU? Thanks!

Max spec length of cat5e/cat6/cat6a for gigabit speeds is 100meters between device and switch.

 

[macsound]

And the 100 meters starts over if you add another switch, not hub.

 

[danTt]

And the 100 meters starts over if you add another switch, not hub.

If you add a switch between the device and the switch, the rule that you max at 100m between device and switch is still true , you've just moved where you are measuring too. The one bit I suppose I left a little unclear in my statement is that a switch counts as a "device" as well.

 

[DavidJones]

Just use any good quality ethernet switch with a fiber SFP on each end. There is nothing proprietary involved; just regular networking. LC connectors are the commonly used ones in most office type infrastructures, and there is nothing wrong with them, but they can be fragile. Opticon is very robust, but that is just about the physical build quality and that the connector closes itself odd from duct when disconnected, which make it awesome, but there is no reason you cannot use LC or ST connectors in a production aspect. In fact, many manufacturers use these for industry-specific tasks.

Make sure whatever you use is compatible with your fiber though. Single-Mode, or Multi-Mode. Again neither will make any difference for MA-Net as long as all of your devices work together.

 

[irked]

It's worth mentioning that MA considers 75m the maximum length for ethernet cable. They're really bad about actually writing up a tech note about it, but you can find it buried in their forums several places.