10/100 Ethernet to Fiber Media Converter, RJ45 to Multimode ST, 100Base-FX, 2 Kilometer (FMC-013)

This is a Fast Ethernet media converter that turns a copper RJ45 port into a multimode fiber link on ST. The copper side is 10/100Base-TX, auto-negotiating speed and duplex with flow control and auto MDI/MDIX, so it takes a straight or a crossover cable from a switch, a router, a camera, or a PC without caring which. The fiber side is 100Base-FX on ST connectors over multimode fiber to 2 kilometers, which is as far as Fast Ethernet goes on multimode and far enough to cross a campus or reach an outbuilding. It's unmanaged, with status LEDs for the copper and fiber ports, a 128K data buffer, a watchdog timer that resets the unit on an internal fault, and built-in lightning protection. It's built to IEEE 802.3 and comes with a 5 V DC power supply. It's sold individually, and it works in pairs for copper at both ends, or singly against a switch or a converter that already has a 100Base-FX ST port. For the fiber cords, the STSTOM1 on OM1 or the STSTOM3 on OM3, and for ST to an SC or LC port at the far end, the SCSTOM1, SCSTOM3, LCSTOM1, and LCSTOM3; for the copper side, the C6SB Cat6 patch cord; for the panel the fiber lands on, the FAP-MM-ST-6S and FAP-MM-ST-12S LGX plates, or the FOM-ST-S adapter for a single port; for a fiber-to-fiber bridge from multimode to single-mode at the same speed, the FMC-014.

What's in the Box

• FMC-013 media converter
• 5 V DC power supply

Features

• RJ45 to multimode ST. 10/100Base-TX copper to 100Base-FX fiber, IEEE 802.3.
• 2 kilometers on multimode. ST connectors on the fiber port.
• Auto-negotiating copper port. 10 or 100 Mbps, full or half duplex, flow control, auto MDI/MDIX.
• Unmanaged. No configuration; plug in and link.
• Status LEDs. Power, copper port, and fiber port indicators.
• 128K buffer and watchdog timer. Low-delay store-and-forward with automatic recovery from an internal fault.
• Lightning protection. Built in.
• 5 V DC power supply included.
• Sold individually.

Where It Fits

It suits a campus or a plant where an older multimode backbone was pulled with ST connectors and a building or a shop floor needs an Ethernet drop at the far end of it, with a second converter or a switch's FX port at the near end. It suits a security or monitoring run where a camera, a gate controller, or a sensor sits more than 100 meters from the nearest switch and the copper limit is the problem. Industrial and utility techs use it at substations, water plants, and rail sites, and so do school districts linking a portable classroom over the multimode strand that's already in the ground. A cable TV or broadcast site with legacy ST fiber to a remote rack is a candidate. It goes with the multimode ST patch cords from the fiber patch cable collection, with the ST adapters, plates, and enclosures from the fiber panel collection, with the Cat6 patch cords from the copper collection, and with the other units in the fiber media converter collection. For the fiber, the STSTOM1 or STSTOM3, and for ST to SC or LC, the SCSTOM1, SCSTOM3, LCSTOM1, and LCSTOM3. For the copper, the C6SB. For the panel, the FAP-MM-ST-6S or FAP-MM-ST-12S, or the FOM-ST-S adapter.

Good to Know

Decide how many you need before you order: copper at both ends takes two converters, one at each end of the fiber, while a far end that already has a 100Base-FX ST port, on a switch or on another converter, takes one. The fiber port is 100Base-FX, which is two fibers, transmit and receive, each on its own ST connector, so the cord is a duplex ST pair and the transmit of this unit has to land on the receive of the far one; if the link won't come up, swap the two ST connectors at one end before you look anywhere else. 100 Mbps is the ceiling: the copper port will negotiate 10 or 100 with whatever it's plugged into, but the fiber side is Fast Ethernet only, and a Gigabit SX optic at the far end won't talk to it. The 2 kilometer reach is the full-duplex rating on a healthy 62.5 or 50 µm run; at half duplex the collision domain cuts that to a few hundred meters, so make sure the copper side negotiates full duplex or set the attached device to force it. It's unmanaged, which means nothing to configure and also nothing to log into; the LEDs are the only diagnostics, so note what each one means on the as-built. The lightning protection is on the unit, not a substitute for grounding the rack and the cable entry. Seat each ST connector with its key in the slot and a quarter turn until it clicks, keep the dust caps on any port without a cord, and clean and inspect the ferrules before they go in. It usually ships in 3 to 4 business days, so order it with the cords rather than after them.

Specifications

Usually ships in 3 - 4 business days.