100g to 25g Breakout Cable: Everything You Should Know

The 100g to 25g breakout cable from QSFPTEK is what you need to connect your high-bandwidth fiber to slow ports. A fiber breakout cable is also known as a fiber fanout cable. The cable has a collection of several simplex cables housed inside one outer jacket. A fiber breakout cable is different from a distribution cable. The distribution cable has tight-buffered fibers covered in an outer jacket.

The 100g to 25g breakout cable is thicker than distribution cables. A fiber breakout cable is rugged because of its extra thickness. You can use a fiber breakout cable to separate a large-capacity fiber. You do not need splice boxes if you use a breakout cable.

 100g to 25g Breakout Cable -qsfptek
100g to 25g Breakout Cable -QSFPTEK

100g to 25g Breakout Cable Advantages

· One of the benefits of a breakout cable is that it increases port density. How does it do that? Let’s, for instance, take a switch that has 36 qsfp dd ports. You can use fiber breakout cables to increase the port density by two to three times. You cannot achieve this with switches that have single-lane ports.

MTP-LC Breakout cable

· Another benefit of the breakout cable is that it enables you to access low-speed ports when you have a high-speed fiber connection. For instance, if you have a 40g qsfp+ transceiver but your switch has qsfp ports, you can use a breakout cable. You can split the 40g to 4, 10g lanes.

· A breakout cable makes the transition to new equipment easier. If you are using older equipment, upgrading all of it at once is a costly affair. However, you can upgrade in a staggered fashion by using breakout cables. You can use 100g base transceivers with breakout cables to connect to slower switches. It will give you more time to buy better switches or other host devices.

· Another benefit of breakout cables is that they occupy less space. A 100g to 25g breakout cable from QSFPTEK is thinner than a fiber cable with the same number of cores. The breakout cable is therefore suitable for cable-dense environments.

· You can use a breakout cable to create redundancy in the network. Let’s say you have a 100g qsfp28 transceiver that you want to break out into 4, 25g connections. You may connect two fiber cables to the primary device and the other two to a backup device.

Disadvantages of qsfp+ breakout cables

· Breakout cables have a limited length. A breakout cable connects devices within the same rack. Other breakout cables are available to connect devices at least 7 meters apart.

· Using breakout cables is increased latency. You should know that breaking out a 100gbase transceiver splits the buffer. You may overlook it if the connection does not require low latency.

· Another 100g to 25g breakout cable drawback is that you cannot replace a single port. If you find a faulty port on the breakout cable, you essentially lose that bandwidth until you replace the breakout cable entirely.

· Breakout cables have limited bending distance.

Where Is The 100g To 25g qsfp Breakout Cable Used?

You can only use breakout cables inside buildings. The ends on a breakout cable connect directly to a host device. Because breakout cables are not very flexible, they might be challenging if you use them in cable-dense racks.

You could use a 100g to 25g breakout cable in communication closets and avoid using a splice box. A breakout cable is durable and is more suitable for industrial applications.

mtp-lc break out cable
mtp-lc break out cable

Do You Need Distribution Cables or Breakout Cables?

Indoor networks heavily rely on point to multi-point cables. The commonly used cables are distribution cables as well as breakout cables. People confuse these two cables because they look very similar. The internal design of these two cables is very different. Let’s take a look at some other differences between the two cables.

100g to 25g Breakout Cable Size

The distribution cable is smaller and lighter than the breakout cable. The breakout cable is bulkier since every tight-buffered fiber has a jacket. The fibers in a distribution cable are bundled and share the outer jacket.

Fiber cable count

Despite the lighter weight, a distribution cable has more fibers than a qsfp28 to sfp+ breakout cable. The extra strands in a distribution cable can be kept as redundancies or for future expansion.

You can use distribution cables in patch panels as well as communication closets for connecting devices across offices. They are also suitable for making fiber backbones within a building.

Types of Breakout Cables

Breakout cables have two broad categories. The first one is called breakout plenum cable, and the other is the breakout riser cable. The riser cable is useful for horizontal applications and vertical risers. Where there are plenums, ducts, and spaces requiring airflow, the plenum cable is sufficient.

Types of Distribution Cables

Just like the breakout cable, the distribution cable also has plenum and riser variations. The distribution cable can also come in an armored jacket. Use armored cables where they might get rubbed frequently.

Difference Between A Qsfp28 Breakout Cable and A FanOut Cable

You use a fanout cable to build 250 μm fibers to 900 μm. A fanout kit has colored buffer tubes with housing that snaps in place to protect them. You connect the snap-in jacket to the part of the cable that is jacketed. A fanout kit can have 4, 6, 12, or 24 buffer tubes.

A breakout kit builds 250 μm fiber cables up to 3 millimeters. Similar to a fanout kit, the breakout kit has color-coded buffer tubes. Aramid yarns line the tubes to increase durability.

The main difference between 100g to 25g breakout cable and a fanout or breakout kit is that the breakout cable is pre-terminated. You don’t need to terminate the fiber cables by hand.

If the fibers to terminate will be exposed, you need to use a breakout kit or a fanout kit.

Conclusion

People who need to terminate high-bandwidth cables to low-speed ports use breakout cables because they are neat, easy to use, and durable. If you want to buy 100g to 25g breakout cable, head over to QSFPTEK to check out their extensive cables and transceivers. They manufacture devices of unmatched quality. Send them an email to sales@qsfptek.com to order today.