Plastic Fiber Could Make Optical Networking a DIY Project 170
An anonymous reader writes "A new European project using plastic fiber and off-the-shelf components could make optical networking so cheap and simple that installation could be a DIY job for even a non-technical person. The object of EU-funded POF-ALL project is to find a technical solution to the rising cost of taking optical fiber right into the home." A mere "few hundred metres" of 100mbps (since plastic is thus far dimmer than glass) would suffice to wire any home I'm likely to occupy.
So... (Score:4, Interesting)
I see an inconsistency (Score:2, Interesting)
What about Optical Audio? (Score:4, Interesting)
Because my favorite cable [flickr.com] is a TOS-LINK cable with a clear sheath, over the fiber optics.
(Yes, I am a nerd with a favorite kind of cable.)
Granted there it is a step up to go from a 6-foot cable to 100 feet, but it isn't that big of a deal. Bi-directional communication is another thing that would be needed to make a real network.
Amazon.com [amazon.com] has a bunch of 100-foot fiber optic cables, so I don't think that fiber itself is the issue, getting the network cards cheap enough is more of an issue, I think.
Re:So... (Score:5, Interesting)
Lightning hit my house (or very close to it) last year, and took out at least the ethernet port on every computer I had that was Cat5 connected at the time. Took out a few USB ports, and sent my router to the great network in the sky also.
Plastic fiber wouldn't have that problem (until someone marries the plastic fiber with the Power over Ethernet spec).
Re:So... (Score:3, Interesting)
I would expect that the characteristics of the electrical/optical transceivers and modulation would set the speed, and the loss in the cable per unit length would limit how long it could be without some sort of repeaters.
Re:So... (Score:3, Interesting)
We've been using plastic fiber optics for data ... (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Advantages over Ethernet? (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:So... (Score:4, Interesting)
MOD Parent up please (Score:5, Interesting)
Finally, copper does not go the long distances that Fiber does. I suspect that we will see a lot of uses for these in running from the green box to the home. In fact, I think that the delivery companies will have multiple cables to the home. Basically, dark fiber. It will enable some interesting services.
Re:What about Optical Audio? (Score:3, Interesting)
Newegg [newegg.com] had them, but they are out of stock.
They are called "RCA HD6HPL Optical Cable with Halo Connectors" for the 6-foot version, and the 3-foot version which apparently costs the same is the "RCA HD3HPL Optical Cable with Halo Connectors"
Another cool thing about this cable is that they connector isn't rectangular, which if you have ever tried to plug a TOSLINK cable into the back of something you will appreciate.
Copper is much more expensive than plastic (Score:4, Interesting)
That may be true now but currently plastic is a petrochemical product. As oil prices rise so will the prices of plastic fibers. Copper will rise as well but at least in the US copper can be locally [unr.edu] mined thus reducing transportation costs.
FalconRe:MOD Parent up please (Score:1, Interesting)
Whereas Plastic Fiber is made out of oil, which we all know is exceedingly cheap.
POF, not a chance... (Score:1, Interesting)
Cold day in hell when this will be in main stream. I'm sure this is a nice grad student project/patent generator...
Re:MOD Parent up please (Score:4, Interesting)
The simple fact is that plastic is about to become VERY VERY expensive. China is buying the petroleum that is used to make it as well as working with all countries that have oil reserves to acquire full access to the oil. The simple fact is that there is a limited amount of oil and China is about to use 1000x more than what it currently does.
copper (Score:3, Interesting)
our best place to obtain copper may be in the dumps as well as overhead lines that were put in 40 years ago.
I didn't want to say anything about recycling, but you're right, dumps and all the copper cables already laid down may be a better source.
We do have SHITLOADS of coal that can be changed into feedstock for plastics.
A better source of fee stock for plastic may be hemp [wikipedia.org] with bioplastics [wikipedia.org] being renewable. My question then is would bioplastics be good for fiber optics.
Falcon