Perfect Pairings: A Guide on Choosing the Best Fiber to the Desk Solution

It is well known that Fiber to the Desk (FTTD) offers benefits superior to transmission over copper cabling (A refresher if you need one), and there are many options for enabling FTTD, but there is no one-size-fits-all solution for delivering workspace connectivity to laptops, PCs, tablets and other network devices.

With the recent release of our PCIe 10 Gigabit Ethernet Fiber Network Interface Card, we’ve added yet another option for optimizing your FTTD implementation and installation. But deciding on the ideal FTTD solution means pairing it with the device needing connection, its available plugin slots, and the amount of space available in the work area.

Here’s what we recommend:

Traditional PCs:  PCIe Network Interface Cards (NIC)

• Desktop PCs typically have PCIe slots available to securely mount a NIC
• PCIe cards are available with multiple fiber adapter types for Fast Ethernet and Gigabit Ethernet transmission
• PCIe NICs are also available with Power-over-Ethernet (PoE) capability to power VoIP phones

Laptop or Tablet: Scorpion-USB Network Adapters

• Portable computing devices also don’t have PCIe slots but do offer USB ports, so we created Scorpion-USB adapters that can plug into the USB port for a simple and easy fiber Ethernet connection
• These compact solutions are ideal for temporary or portable fiber access in university and lab settings or other flexible work spaces

Small Workspaces: Media Converters

• Media converters and mini-media converters are small, economical, plug and play solutions that convert from copper to fiber and easily fit behind a computer or under a desk surface
• PoE media converters connect the PC to the fiber network and provide power over existing copper cabling to network devices such as VoIP phones

Small PCs and Thin Clients: M.2 Fiber Network Interface Cards 

• Small form factor PCs don’t have enough space for traditional PCIe slots, so we created M.2 Ethernet Fiber NICs to securely mount inside micro or mini PCs
• Fast Ethernet and Gigabit Ethernet M.2 Fiber NIC versions are available

Whatever device you need to connect, this quick guide offers affordable and easy-to-use solutions that provide the security, bandwidth, and reliability benefits of fiber transmission.

What’s Next?

• Dig deeper with our FTTD Application Note
• Connect with our sales team. Discuss with our network experts your needs and we’ll do the work to create the right plan for your connected devices

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