How Far Can A 100G QSFP28 Optical Transceiver Transmit?

1. What is a 100G QSFP28 optical transceiver?

The QSFP28 (Quad Small Form-factor Pluggable 28) transceiver is a compact module that can be hot-swapped and is designed to support high-speed data transfer in today’s network. With up to 100 Gbps speeds, it is frequently used within data centers, enterprise networks, and telecommunications infrastructure. The QSFP28 transceiver supports Ethernet, Fiber Channel, InfiniBand, and many other communication standards, but at the same time, it allows both optical and electrical connections. Therefore, this highly efficient transceiver is indispensable when there is a need to meet the growing bandwidth requirements in high-performance networking environments.

2. What are the common 100G QSFP28 optical Transceivers?

The standards of the 100G QSFP28 optical module are defined by two main organizations (IEEE and MSA). IEEE defines the standards of QSFP28 SR4, QSFP28 SR BD, QSFP28 SWDM4, QSFP28 LR4, QSFP28 CWDM, QSFP28 DWDM, QSFP28 ER4, and QSFP28 ZR4. MSA defines the standards of QSFP28 CWDM4 and QSFP28 PSM4.

2.1 What is QSFP28 100G ZR4 S?

QSFP-100G-ZR4-S is a Cisco Compatible 100GBASE-ZR4 QSFP28 (Quad Small Form-Factor Pluggable 28) Transceiver, operating over pair of single-mode optical fiber with four independent optical communication lanes, separated from each other using LAN WDM technology. Module has minimum guaranteed optical budget of 30 dB (with host FEC enabled), which in most cases is enough to reach 80km distance (with host FEC) and 40km distance (without host FEC) using single-mode cable. However, distance is just indicative parameter calculated for comfort of identification. Eventually we calculate distance taking in account minimal optical budget and average attenuation of optical cabling in industry. Cisco QSFP-100G-ZR4-S compatible uses EML cooled 4x25Gb/s LAN WDM TOSA (1295.56, 1300.05, 1304.58, 1309.14nm) laser transmitters and 4x25Gb/s SOA+PIN receivers. Module support DDM/DOM optical diagnostics, which provide diagnostic information about the present operating conditions. Additionally module supports KR4 FEC (Forward Error Correction) function which will help receiving side detect and correct bit errors and improve the overall quality of the link. Our compatible transceiver operates in Standard 0°-70°C temperature range and has double LC connectors. 100GBASE-ZR4 QSFP28 support up to 103.125 Gbps data rate and such applications as 100G Ethernet (103.125 Gbps). Our compatible optical transceiver is multi-purpose module used in number of different places in today’s networking environment. Most popular applications are Internet Service Provider (ISP) Fiber to the Home Aggregation and Backbone, Mobile Operator Core Networks and Mobile Backhaul and Data Center networking site interconnections.

2.2 What is 100GBASE-LR4?

The QSFP28 transceiver delivers 100GBase-LR4 throughput up to 10 km over a pair of standard single-mode fiber (SMF) with duplex LC connectors. This transceiver complies with IEEE 802.3 100GBASE-LR4, SFF-8665, and SFF-8636 standards. Furthermore, the module features digital diagnostics via the QSFP28 MSA's I2C interface, providing access to real-time operating parameters. These features make this easy-to-install, hot-swappable transceiver suitable for a wide range of applications, including 100G telecom connectivity, data centers, high-performance computing networks, enterprise core and distribution layers, and campus networks.

2.3 What is 100GBASE-SR4?

The YXFiber 100GBASE-SR-compatible bidirectional QSFP28 optical transceiver is a pluggable optical transceiver with a duplex LC connector interface for short-reach data communication and interconnect applications using multimode fiber (MMF). It offers customers a compelling solution for migrating to 100 Gb Ethernet connectivity by reusing existing 10 Gb duplex MMF infrastructure.

This transceiver complies with the QSFP28 MSA and IEEE 802.3bm CAUI-4 electrical interface standards. Furthermore, it provides digital diagnostics via the QSFP28 MSA-specified I2C interface for access to real-time operating parameters.

100G LR1: Utilizing advanced PAM4 modulation, it compresses data onto a single channel for efficient bandwidth utilization. It is suitable for applications requiring higher data rates, albeit at the expense of SNR and increased signal processing complexity.

3. How to choose a 100G QSFP28 optical module?

In practical applications, when choosing a 100G optical module long-distance solution, multiple factors need to be considered comprehensively. If optical fiber resources are tight and there are high requirements for transmission distance, such as in wide area network construction, the single-fiber solution is undoubtedly a better choice. Although it is more expensive and difficult to maintain, it can meet the needs of long-distance transmission and efficient use of optical fiber resources.

For scenarios that are cost-sensitive, have relatively low transmission distance requirements, and require high system stability and compatibility, such as short-distance connections within enterprise campus networks or data centers, multi-fiber solutions are more suitable. They can not only provide stable and reliable transmission, but also reduce costs and maintenance difficulties.

Single-fiber and multi-fiber solutions each have their own advantages and disadvantages. There is no absolute best solution for the selection of 100G optical module long-distance transmission solutions, only the solution that best suits the specific application scenario.