The Emergent Difference – Cable Length From 1m to 10km

After discussing server performance and accurate synchronization with multiple cameras in previous blog posts,  it’s now time to look into Emergent’s third advantage – cable lengths, and cabling options.

Many applications, for example in stadiums, arenas, or large warehouses will require cameras to be setup far away from the host servers. If we compare with competing products like CoaXPress CXP6 and CXP12, 10GigE and 25GigE offer two clear benefits: low-cost off-the-shelf cabling options, and virtually limitless link length.

For 10GigE, the two main connector options are SFP+ and RJ45. RJ45 is a good option for shorter cable lengths, but the power consumption of such a solution can add an additional 2W of power for running the full 100m. SFP+ is the most flexible option and is conscious of keeping power consumption to a minimum. For 25GigE, the standard defines SFP28 which is fully compatible with SFP+ in multi-rate switches or other equipment. Using the SFP+ or SFP28 interface provides three options which cover the cable length requirements of all applications.

Cable options

The first and least expensive option is Direct Attach, which is a copper based passive solution and the lengths for these single piece cables range up to 10 meters for SFP+ and up to 5 meters for SFP28.

The second option utilizes SFP+ or SFP28 multi-mode transceivers and LC-LC fiber and the lengths for this three-piece cable range up to 300 meters for SFP+ and 100 meters for SFP28.

The third option utilizes SFP+ or SFP28 single-mode transceivers and LC-LC fiber and the lengths for this three-piece cable range up to 10 kilometers for SFP+ and SFP28. The price range for these cabling options is very low since they are used across multiple industries in massive volumes unlike for some interface technologies which use cabling options specific to machine vision. In comparison, competing interfaces like CoaXPress CXP6 and CXP12 will achieve 72 meters and 30 meters respectively but can go further using expensive and bulky fiber adapters, whereas low-cost commodity SFP+ and SFP28 transceivers can create a virtually limitless link length.

Get our 10 and 25GigE white paper

For further information, and to learn more about the benefits of Emergent’s 10 and 25GigE cameras please download our 10 and 25Gige White Paper.