Optical cable is used in electrical power communications with protection, monitoring, and control devices. When working in data and communication systems, its not uncommon to find other types of non-optical cable such as Ethernet and RF.
Most fiber optic connectors are plug type that aligns the fibers for mating along with some type of locking mechanism such as bayonet, screw-on or snap-in. This listing can help distinguish between the various types of data connectors you may encounter when working with data and communication systems.
Recommended: Fiber Optic Cable Fundamentals and Testing Explained
Most fiber optic connectors are plug type that aligns the fibers for mating along with some type of locking mechanism such as bayonet, screw-on or snap-in. Photo: TestGuy.
RJ45
RJ45 connectors are most commonly seen with Ethernet cables and networks, which can be carried over fiber between remote locations. The physical connectors that registered jacks use are mainly of the modular connector and 50-pin miniature ribbon connector types.
8P8C
In 8P8C connectors, each plug has eight positions that are spaced approximately 1mm apart. Individual wires are then inserted into these positions. There are a variety of 8P8C connectors out there, with the modern RJ45 Ethernet connector being the most prevalent.
TYPE G
The G-Type connector series are a 75 Ω series ideal for cable television (CATV), set top boxes and cable modems. These are sometimes used in Hybrid Fiber Coax Networks.
ST
ST Connectors are among the most commonly used Fiber optic connectors in networking applications. They are cylindrical with twist lock coupling, 2.5mm keyed ferrule. ST Connectors are used both short distance applications and long line systems.
MT-RJ
MT-RJ stands for Mechanical Transfer Registered Jack. MT-RJ is a fiber-optic Cable Connector that is very popular for small form factor devices due to its small size. Housing two fibers and mating together with locating pins on the plug, the MT-RJ comes from the MT connector, which can contain up to 12 fibers.
SC
A fiber-optic cable connector that uses a push-pull latching mechanism similar to common audio and video cables. For bi-directional transmission, two fiber cables and two SC connectors (Dual SC) are used.
