About this interactive
An SFP (small form-factor pluggable) is a transceiver that slides into a slot on a switch to give it extra functionality. Some switches have a few slots beside their RJ45 ports; some have nothing but slots. SFP+, QSFP (quad) and QSFP+ are other standards of the same idea. You slide in:
- **A fiber transceiver** for a link past copper's 100-meter limit, through EMI that would disturb copper, or to a fiber cable or fiber-only port.
- **A copper transceiver with an RJ45 port** for twisted pair cabling within 100 meters, or a device that has only an RJ45 port.
There are also cables with the modules fixed on each end, for going straight from device to device.
What you'll learn
- Choose the transceiver to slide into a switch's SFP slot for a link: a fiber module for a long run, interference or fiber cable, or a copper module with an RJ45 port for copper cabling and RJ45 devices
Aligned to
CompTIA Network+
1.5
Compare and contrast transmission media and transceivers.
Cisco CCNA
1.3
Compare physical interface and cabling types
Key terms
- Small Form-factor Pluggable
SFP
- A compact hot-swappable transceiver module used in network switches and routers to provide a modular interface for various fiber optic and copper cable types. SFP modules allow the same switch port to be used with different media by swapping the module rather than replacing the hardware.
- Transceiver
- A hardware module that both transmits and receives signals, used in networking to support copper or fiber connections on switches and other devices.
- Fiber Optic Cable
- A high-speed physical transmission medium that uses light signals to carry data over long distances, including undersea routes that interconnect global networks.
- RJ45
- A standardized registered jack connector used to terminate twisted pair cabling, defining the physical dimensions and pinout arrangement of eight conductors.
Topics
Sfp
Transceiver
Fiber Optic Cable
Copper Cable
Interactive
Streak Sort
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