Everything you need to know about Fiber Media Converters

By Julie McDaniel
Vice President Marketing
April 7, 2025

Fiber media converters are networking devices capable of connecting two different media types. In most cases, they are used to connect twisted pair or coaxial cable to a fiber-optic cable, allowing the interconnection of fiber-optic networks and cable systems with copper-based cabling systems. This permits partial upgrades of network infrastructure to fiber-optic technology, maintains the ability to connect to copper and other types of wired networks, and enhances Ethernet speeds.

Fiber vs copper

Traditional copper cables incur significant losses over extended lengths - 100 meters being the outside edge of transmissibility. Repeaters must be installed to boost the signal. Connecting copper cables to a fiber-optic cable using a fiber media converter can increase transmission quality, since fiber doesn't have the short range restrictions copper is subject to. Fiber media converters can also extend and interconnect local area networks, creating a larger conglomerate network. 

Solving the compatibility problem

Fiber media converters support multiple cable types such as

• Coaxial
• Twisted pair
• Single- or multi-mode fiber-optic 

This allows you to connect to and use most data communication protocols, including:

• Ethernet and Fast Ethernet
• Gigabit and 10G Ethernet
• SDI, Video, and Fibre Channel
• ATM/SONET OC-X, SDH STM-X, and FDDI

Fiber media converters range from standalone devices with a small footprint — perfect for a closet or telecom cabinet in a smaller IT room to data center-ready, enterprise-grade high-port-density chassis systems with advanced networking management features.

Types of fiber media converters

Copper to fiber converters let you connect copper-wired systems to fiber optic systems, usually speeding up your transmission coming out of and coming into a building or network. You can also have fiber-to-fiber converters for times when you want to marry two networks together, or connect fiber to serial for better porting.

You can use multiple fiber media converters to combine multiple LANs into one massive interconnected network, using managed or unmanaged solutions. Unmanaged converters are purely plug and play, while managed converters integrate with existing network security services and let you control things like prioritizing traffic and allocating bandwidth.

Industrial Media Converters have additional certifications and hardened components for use in harsh operating conditions such as manufacturing, wastewater treatment, outdoor traffic control, electric utility substations, and factory automation.

Power-over-Ethernet or PoE media converters deliver a fiber distance extension for PoE-powered devices, as well as power over the same internal copper cable being used for data. Devices that can be powered by PoE include:

• Surveillance cameras
• IP phones and Videoconferencing equipment
• Wi-Fi devices

PoE can also connect security cameras and wireless access points located in inaccessible areas to the network backbone. 

Benefits of fiber media converters

Fiber media converters provide a convenient and cost-effective plug-and-play solution for the copper to fiber challenge. They are being deployed across industries and sectors, including campus LANs, enterprises, data centers, security surveillance, and government defense to provide connections between copper and fiber. 

A complete revision of network cables from copper to fiber is technically difficult and can cause high capital expenditure (CapEx). Most installations have a large base of copper wiring  and utilize copper ports, making a changeover to fiber impractical and expensive. Using fiber media converters solves the problem with low CapEx and can significantly improve transmission quality.

Perle provides a full range of Media Converters for every application and use. They are compatible with Cisco switches and routers, and use high-end components from leading chip manufacturers to ensure product reliability. To learn more about our media converter solutions, contact us today.