Active Optical Cables and Direct Attach Cable

 

Active Optical Cables which refers to the communication cable that needs to use external energy to convert electrical signals into optical signals, or convert optical signals into electrical signals during the communication process, and optical transceivers at both ends of the optical cable. Provide photoelectric conversion and light transmission functions.

Active Optical Cables advantages:

(1) Larger bandwidth: No need for equipment upgrades, with a throughput of up to 40Gbps.

(2) Lightweight: much lighter than high-speed cables.

(3) Low degree of electromagnetic interference: Since the optical fiber is a dielectric, it is not easily affected by electromagnetic interference.

 

Direct Attach Cable usually purchased as a fixed-length cable assembly with fixed connectors at both ends, the port cannot be replaced, and the module head and copper cable cannot be separated.

Direct Attach Cable advantages:

(1) High performance: suitable for short-distance wiring in data centers, with a wide range of applications and strong exchange capabilities for integrated solutions.

(2) Energy saving and environmental protection: the internal material of the high-speed cable is copper core, the natural heat dissipation effect of the copper cable is good, energy saving and environmental protection.

(3) Low power consumption: High-speed cables have low power consumption. Since passive cables do not require power; active cables typically consume around 440mW.

(4) Low cost: The price of copper cables is much lower than that of optical fibers, and the use of high-speed cables can greatly reduce the wiring costs of the entire data center.

 

Comparison of DAC and AOC: 
Transmission distance → AOC more competitive
Reliability and transfer speed → AOC more competitive
Cost of use → DAC more competitive