SFP Types

If you want to know the types of sfp transceivers that are available in the market, then read this information below.

SFP transceivers are available with a variety of different transmitter and receiver types, allowing users to select the appropriate transceiver for each link to provide the required optical reach over the available optical fiber type (e.g. multi-mode fiber or single-mode fiber).

Also called mini gbic sfp, these optical SFP modules are commonly available in several different categories: 850 nm 550m MMF (SX), 1310 nm 10 km SMF (LX), 1550 nm [40 km (XD), 80 km (ZX), 120 km (EX or EZX)], and DWDM. SFP transceivers are also available with a copper cable interface, allowing a host device designed primarily for optical fiber communications to also communicate over unshielded twisted pair networking cable. There are also CWDM and single-fiber "bi-directional" (1310/1490 nm Upstream/Downstream) SFPs.

SFP transceivers are commercially available with capability for data rates up to 4.25 Gbit/s. The standard is expanding to SFP+ which will be able to support data rates up to 10.0 Gbit/s (that will include the data rates for 8 gigabit Fibre Channel, 10GbE, and OTU2). SFP+ module versions for optics as well as copper are being introduced. In comparison to Xenpak, X2 or XFP type of modules, SFP+ modules leave some of the circuitry to be implemented on the host board instead of inside the module.