Passive vs. Active?
Going back ten or more years, some of the very early Free-Space Optics developmental work focused on passive FSO designs where the laser and all electronics were kept down in the data room, and the light was simply transmitted to and from the roof over special large diameter fiber.
MRV Passive GigE
In more recent years, various manufacturers have reintroduced the design promoting the savings from elimination of rooftop power requirements, and field-hardened electronics components in rooftop transceivers.
It has been our experience that the complications of working with proprietary, non-field repairable fiber; as well as unexpected high failure rates of the indoor units probably outweigh the proposed advantages.
LightPointe PoE
Also, passive designs typically carry shorter link distance capabilities, and are therefore in competition with all of the new 802.3af PoE (Power-Over-Ethernet) Free-Space Optics models that have hit the market recently at the same or lower price points.
In our opinion, passive loses out.
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What's HOT, what's not...
Auto tracking? >>
Single vs. multiple beams? >>
Hybrid FSO + RF? >>
850nm vs. 1550nm? >>
Passive vs. Active? >>
Wikipedia on FSO >>
FSO vs. RF? >>
Security? >>
Eye Safety >>
Tell me more!
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Where does Free-space Optics fit best? >>
Where does Free-space Optics not fit? >>
Competitive comparison of the major Free-Space Optics solutions. >>
Free-Space Optics White Papers. >>
Who are we, and what’s our motivation for supporting this web site? >>
And last but not least…here’s our Free-Space Optics commercial website for specific product and/or service inquiries. >>
...and our refurbished FSO equipment site. >>