Fiber & SFP Connectivity FAQs

SFP stands for Small Form-factor Pluggable. It is a compact, hot-swappable transceiver module that plugs into a cage on a device (switch, router, or in Analog Way's case, an Aquilon I/O card) to provide network or signal connectivity, typically over copper (DAC) or optical fiber.

These are different generations and form factors of pluggabletransceivers. They fall into two physical families — single-lane (SFP) andquad-lane (QSFP) — and each generation within a family roughly quadruples ordoubles the per-lane speed of its predecessor.

Single-lane family (SFP form factor, one signal lane per module):

• SFP: up to 1 Gbps
  
• SFP+: up to 10 Gbps
• SFP28: up to 25 Gbps
  
• SFP56: up to 50 Gbps (PAM4 signaling, less common in AV applications)

All of these share the same physical cage size and are backward-compatible with older SFP cages (a 25G SFP28 port will generally also accept an older SFP+ or SFP module, at the lower speed).

Quad-lane family (QSFP form factor, four lanes bundled in one module):

• QSFP+: 4 lanes x 10 Gbps = 40 Gbps aggregate
  
• QSFP28: 4 lanes x 25 Gbps = 100 Gbps aggregate
• QSFP56: 4 lanes x 50 Gbps (PAM4) = 200 Gbps aggregate
  
• QSFP-DD / QSFP-DD800: 8 lanes x 50 or 100 Gbps = 400 Gbps or 800 Gbps aggregate (double-density variants, larger cage)

So to be precise: it's QSFP+ that corresponds to 40 Gbps, and QSFP28 that corresponds to 100 Gbps — "QSFP" alone is an older, rarely-used 4 Gbps variant predating QSFP+. The Aquilon Link card (ACC-AQL-OUT-LINK-QSFP) uses the 40 Gbps QSFP+ generation.

In short: SFP-family modules cover 1G/10G/25G/50G single-lane interfacing, while QSFP-family modules bundle four lanes together to cover 40G/100G/200G/400G/800G aggregate interfacing.

No. The term "SFP" is used in two different ways, which can create confusion:

• As a form factor (a physical standard defining the cage size and electrical/optical interface — this also covers QSFP, SFP28, etc., as described above)
  
• As a module, i.e., an actual product built in that form factor for a specific application

Physically, the SFP/QSFP form factors are standardized under the MSA (Multi-Source Agreement) for networking use, so any MSA-compliant module should physically fit and work in any MSA-compliant cage of the same generation. However, the same physical form factor is also widely used to build proprietary, non-MSA modules for other applications (for example, SDI-over-fiber transport). These non-MSA modules fit in the same cage but carry a different, application-specific electrical signal — they are not networking modules and are not interchangeable with MSA ones. Always check the compatibility notes for the specific Aquilon card being used (see Section C onward).

Most networking SFPs interface to dual LC fiber connectors, but depending on the module type, other connectivity is also used in the industry, including RJ45 (copper), MTP/MPO (multi-fiber push-on), mini-BNC, full-size BNC, HDMI, and mini-HDMI.

Copper Ethernet cabling is typically limited to 100 m or less. Optical fiber comes in two main families:

• Multimode fiber (OM3, OM4): typically usable up to 300–500 m (984-1640 ft). OM3/OM4 cable jackets are typically Aqua colored (older OM1/OM2 multimode fiber uses Orange jackets).
  
• Single-mode fiber (SM): typically usable from 1–10 km (0.6-6.2 mi), and longer distances are possible with the right optics. SM fiber jackets are typically Yellow.

The rental/production community most commonly uses single-mode fiber, and multi-strand single-mode fiber spools are relatively easy to source for rental.

For any permanent or temporary fiber installation, the install team willneed to specify the fiber mode type (single-mode or multimode), the connectortype (LC, MTP/MPO, etc.), and the connector polish angle (e.g., UPC or APC), inaddition to selecting SFP modules compatible with the target Aquilon card.

Aquilon offers several field-swappable cards that use SFP-family cages for long-distance or network connectivity:

• ACC-AQL-IN-2110 / ACC-AQL-OUT-2110 – ST 2110 input/output cards, 4x 25G SFP28 ports each (2 primary + 2 secondary)
  
• ACC-AQL-IN-SFP / ACC-AQL-OUT-SFP – host cards for “non-MSA” SFP interfacing solutions (point-to-point SDI over fiber, and 3G ST 2110)
• ACC-AQL-OUT-LINK-QSFP – chassis-to-chassis linking card, 6x 40GbE QSFP+ cages
• ACC-AQL-SYNC-SFP – device synchronization card, 2x SFP cages

Note: the ACC-AQL-IN-HDMI-FBR card also provides fiber connectivity (4x SC connectors), but it uses proprietary fiber HDMI extenders rather than SFP modules, so it is not covered by this FAQ.

This varies by card, because some cards use standard networking SFPswhile others require specialized, proprietary modules:    

• ST 2110I/O cards: standard 25G SFP28 industry modules, no specific reference sold orlisted by Analog Way (see Section C)
  
• Non-MSASFP I/O cards: only proprietary SDI-based modules, several of which are sold byAnalog Way (see Section D)
• QSFP+ Linkcard: only Analog Way-supplied QSFP+ cables (see Section E)
• SYNC-SFPcard: standard 1G SFP modules, with Analog Way references available (seeSection E)

Each ST 2110 input or output card for Aquilon offers 4x 25GbE SFP28 ports (2 primary and 2 secondary). The primary/secondary split is there to support SMPTE ST 2022-7 stream redundancy.

The SFP28 cages on these cards are compatible with:

• DAC (Direct Attach Cable) copper cables, for short distances
  
• Multimode or single-mode optical fiber, using 25GbE SFP28 optical modules, for longer distances
  

10GbE SFP28 optical modules are not supported – the modules must berated for 25GbE.

Yes. All standard 25GbE SFP28 optical modules should be compatible with the ST 2110 I/O cards for Aquilon, whether multimode or single-mode. These cards are compatible with standard industry networking 25G SFP28 modules; none are currently offered directly by Analog Way. There is no official published compatibility list, as this is considered largely unnecessary given the general MSA compatibility of the format.

These are field-swappable I/O cards with four 12G-SFP ports each, designed to work with any Aquilon live presentation switcher. Each port supports resolutions up to 4K60 10-bit 4:2:2, with up to 8 embedded audio channels. Unlike the ST 2110 cards, these ports are not standard networking SFP28 cages – they are built for specialized, non-MSA SFP modules with an SDI-based signal, used for point-to-point video transport over fiber or coax.

No. These cards only work with specialized “non-MSA” SFP modules that carry an SDI-based signal. Standard MSA networking SFP/SFP+ modules (as used on switches or the ST 2110 cards) are not compatible here.

The following Analog Way SFP references are compatible:

• SFP-12G-BNC-RX / SFP-12G-BNC-TX – 12G-SDI over coax, via BNC breakout
  
• SFP-3G-2110-RX / SFP-3G-2110-TX – encapsulates a 3G-SDI signal into an ST 2110 stream for transport over 10GbE IP networks, using multimode fiber; it also includes a frame synchronizer to align the signal with the system's PTP
  
• SFP-12G-OPT-TR – point-to-point 12G-SDI over single-mode optical fiber
  

The SFP-3G-2110-RX/TX modules require multimode fiber. The SFP-12G-OPT-TR module requires single-mode fiber.

No. These SFP modules are also compatible with Analog Way's Alta 4K product line, in addition to Aquilon's IN-SFP/OUT-SFP cards — though only the output (TX) modules can be used on Alta 4K.

The ACC-AQL-SYNC-SFP is an optional field-swappable card used instead of the standard RJ45 synchronization card. It provides two SFP cages dedicated to data synchronization between linked units, plus an additional RJ45 1GbE control port with its own IP address (useful for redundancy or multi-controller operation from different networks, e.g. the Web RCS and an automation system) and a USB port for updates and configuration import/export.

The card is compatible with generic 1 GbE SFP modules, including the Analog Way references:

• ACC-AQL-RJ45-1G-SFP – 1 GbE copper RJ45 interface, for distances up to 100 m / 328 ft
  
• ACC-AQL-SM-TRX-1G-SFP – 1 GbE single-mode fiber (LC) interface, for distances up to 2 km / 6,560 ft
  

The SYNC-SFP card is designed for standard, generic 1 GbE MSA SFP modules (copper RJ45 or single-mode fiber). The Analog Way references above are the validated options, but the card is not restricted to a proprietary module the way the non-MSA IN-SFP/OUT-SFP cards are.

The ACC-AQL-OUT-LINK-QSFP is a field-interchangeable link card used to connect one Aquilon live presentation switcher to another Aquilon (any size, any type) also equipped with this card. Up to four units can be interconnected to create a ring, sharing up to eight 2160p60/4K60p inputs, or sixteen 2K/Dual 60Hz inputs, across the linked systems.

It is equipped with six 40GbE QSFP+ cages.

No. It is only compatible with QSFP+ cables and modules offered by Analog Way, currently listed on the AW price list as:

• ACC-AQL-LINK-DAC-1M – copper Direct Attach Cable set, up to 1 m / 3.3 ft
  
• ACC-AQL-LINK-DAC-3M – copper Direct Attach Cable set, up to 3 m / 9.8 ft
  
• ACC-AQL-LINK-SM-TRX – single-mode fiber transceiver with duplex LC connectors, for distances up to 500 m / 1,640 ft
  

No. The Link card only supports the Analog Way cables and modules listed above (copper DAC sets and the single-mode fiber transceiver) for chassis-to-chassis linking. For the fiber transceiver in particular, this restriction is tied to power consumption and thermal dissipation constraints — the module has been qualified by Analog Way's R&D team to ensure optimal operation on the Link card. Third-party or generic QSFP+ modules are not supported.