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What's the next step up from tried-and-true 10Base-T Ethernet running on plain twisted pair? Well, aside from 10Base-2, which runs on coaxial cable, there's another 10Base system that hasn't garnered much attention. It runs on fibre optic cables, and it's called 10Base-F.
10Base-F is seldom encountered by VARs, but it does have strong credentials, notably the use of fibre optic cables for signal transmission. While you may not find it running from PC to PC, it's widely used as a backbone system for larger buildings and networks. One major advantage of a fibre optic network is that it can easily be upgraded from 10 Mbps to 100 Mbps and on to Gigabit Ethernet without needing to replace the fibre optic cables themselves. Transceivers and hubs are all you need to upgrade.
Fibre optic allows for longer cable runs, as well as better signal security and freedom from electromagnetic interference. The 10Base-F specifications allow for segment-length runs of up to two km. If full- duplex fibre optic cables are used, the length can be much greater.
Two different fibre cables are used with 10-Mbps fibre optic networks. The elder technology is...