In this article, ETU-LINK will introduce to you, what is the difference between active optical cable(AOC) and direct attach cable(DAC)? First, the AOC is composed of integrated optoelectronic devices. The signal transmission process is that the A terminal module converts the electrical signal into an optical signal, the optical signal is transmitted to the B terminal module by an optical fiber patch cord, and the B terminal module converts the optical signal into an electrical signal. In contrast to this, the DAC direct connection cable uses silver-plated conductors and foamed insulated core wires as materials, and adopts wire-pair shielding and general shielding. The transmission signal is an electrical signal, and there is no photoelectric signal conversion process.

Secondly, the AOC has a longer transmission distance, and is free from electromagnetic interference and electromagnetic shielding. Besides, the transmission stability is strong, while the transmission distance of the high-speed line will be relatively short.

Finally, the volume and weight of the DAC is larger than that of the AOC. Both active optical cables and direct attach cables can be used for signal transmission between network devices. There are two types of DAC direct attach cables, passive and active. The longest transmission distance of active copper cables is longer than that of passive copper cables, while AOCs are all active. Active refers to the need for power supply, while passives do not. Active devices can be used to amplify and transform signals, while passive devices generally only perform signal transmission.

DAC and AOC are generally used for switches and servers in data center computer rooms. DACs are generally used for interconnection between equipment in cabinets due to their short transmission distance, while AOCs have relatively long transmission distances. So, it is applied to the interconnection of equipment between cabinets. If the computer room equipment of two data centers is to be interconnected, a single-mode optical module is used with a single-mode fiber patch cord.

The above are the differences between active optical cables and direct attach cables introduced by ETU-LINK, and provide some reference for you to choose optical interconnect products.