Do you know the difference between active optical cable and Optical module? Today, ETU-LINK will talk about the differences between 40G AOC and 40G SR4. Let's take a look together.

What is 40G QSFP+ AOC active optical cable?

40G QSFP+ AOC active optical cable is composed of multimode optical fiber and two QSFP+ connectors. It has four data channels in each signal direction, with a maximum transmission rate of 11.3Gbit/s and a maximum transmission distance of 150M. It is an ideal interconnection solution for 40G networks, mainly used in 40G data center rooms and cloud computing systems.

What is a 40G QSFP+ SR4 Optical module?

The 40G QSFP+ SR4 Optical module adopts the QSFP+packaging type, that is, a four channel small hot swappable Optical module with a transmission rate of 40Gbps. It has four mutually independent optical signal channels for transmitting and receiving. Each channel can support 10Gbps data transmission. The maximum transmission distance is 150M. It is mainly used in routers, switches, Host adapter buses, etc.

How do we distinguish a 40G QSFP+ AOC optical cable from a 40G QSFP+ SR4 Optical module, mainly from the following aspects:

1. Transmission distance: If the distance is less than 100m, the 40G QSFP+ AOC and 40G QSFP+ SR4 Optical module have the same performance. When the transmission distance is greater than 100m, the 40G QSFP+ AOC performance will be limited. In this case, the 40G QSFP+ SR4 Optical module will have better performance.

2. Power consumption: 40G QSFP+ AOC active optical cable has less power consumption than 40G QSFP+ SR4 Optical module. The maximum power consumption of 40G AOC active optical cable is less than 1.5W, and the maximum power consumption of 40G QSFP+ SR4 Optical module is less than 3.5W.

3. Cost: The price of 40G QSFP+ AOC is lower than that of 40G QSFP+ SR4 Optical module, because the 40G QSFP+ SR4 Optical module needs to be used with multimode MPO fiber patch cord.

4. Installation and maintenance: The use of 40G QSFP+ AOC active optical cable can not only avoid the cleaning problem of the Optical module, but also reduce the installation steps, helping users save time and cost.

5. Reliability: The 40G QSFP+ Optical module needs to be connected to the optical cable of the MPO connector, and the 40G QSFP+ AOC has its own, so the AOC is less affected by repeated plug and pull loss during use, and its reliability will be higher.

Based on the above comparison, we can choose a suitable 40G interconnect solution according to their own needs. If want to learn more about product knowledge, welcome to visit our website!