Polymer Optical Fiber, known as POF, offers all the advantages of optical fiber without any of the challenges. Already an established medium in industrial and automobile networks due to its high reliability in even the most rugged environments, POF has found another niche in home networks. With data rates of up to one Gigabit, and assured quality of service to every device in the residence, POF is the most robust technology for 100 Mbps Optical Ethernet and 250 Mbps Optical FireWire in the home. These features of POF are especially advantageous for emerging IPTV implementations and other triple play services. POF provides numerous advantages over other home network transmission media, including CAT5/CAT6. This means that home builders, installers, content providers, and consumers can benefit from quicker, more flexible and cost-effective installations.

Quick and Easy to Install
POF can be deployed by a professional or do-it-yourself installer using basic tools and inexpensive plastic connectors, like Firecomms’ OptoLock™ POF port or connectors from Electronic Links, Molex and Comoss. This “garden hose” connectivity makes installation quicker and more-effective than other home network technologies.

High Bandwidth
POF offers data rates of up to one Gigabit, and assured quality of service to every device in the residence. This makes POF the most robust technology for 100 Mbps Optical Ethernet and 250 Mbps Optical FireWire in the home.

Small and Unobtrusive
At the ultra-thin diameter of 1.5 mm, POF can be easily deployed in new construction or retrofit installations either inside wall cavities or outside the wall - along baseboards, under carpets, or anywhere cable is typically run.

Immunity to Electrical Noise
Because it’s optical, polymer fiber is completely immune to electrical noise. That means existing copper wiring will not interfere with data passing through POF so it can even be installed next to electrical cabling. This is very important for multimedia data transmission, in which the quality of the signal could be negatively impacted by external noise.

Simple Design
POF is ideal for architects and office/home designers as one cable supplies all the network media needs. It can be used for point-to-point links currently of 50m for 250 Mbps and up to a maximum of 100m for 100 Mbps with support for low-cost repeaters that extend links and daisy-chains from room to room.

Quick Troubleshooting with Visible Light
Troubleshooting is quick and easy as POF uses a visible eye-safe red light to transfer data from one device to another. In fact, it’s the only interconnect technology where the signal can be seen at both ends. A quick glance inside the cable will indicate connectivity to the network - a red light seen by the human eye means the network is connected. It’s that simple.

Cost Effective
POF, connectors, and fiber optic transceivers are low-cost consumer parts - ideal for installers who save on cable costs and installation, testing and maintenance time.

Widely Used
Used in over 20 million cars for infotainment networks, POF is the global standard for high speed in-car networks.