Sometimes some customers will ask what is the difference between the electrical port and the optical port of the industrial Ethernet switch, why is there a distinction between the optical port and the electrical port, and what is the difference between their functions? Aiming at these problems of the optical and electrical ports of industrial Ethernet switches, let’s discuss together.

First of all, we need to understand clearly what is an optical port and an electrical port. The optical port of the industrial Ethernet switch refers to the optical port refers to the optical fiber interface, with specifications such as single-mode, multi-mode, Gigabit, and 100M. Optical ports on industrial switches are generally paired together, one TX sending end and one RX receiving end. The port type of 100M switch is generally SC card with square port, the optical port of Gigabit switch is generally SFP optical module, and the port type is LC. The electrical port is also the RJ45 port, the port (network cable) that plugs in the twisted pair, the general rate is 10M or 100M, which is a 100M industrial switch, and some support 1000M, which is a Gigabit switch.

In fact, the purpose of the optical port and the electrical port of an industrial Ethernet switch are the same, both for transmission. The maximum distance of the electrical port is 100 meters, and the optical port can reach 5KM to 100KM depending on the fiber type. Therefore, electricity is generally used in ordinary use, and the corresponding optical fiber is selected for long-distance transmission.