The locking EtherCon connector is similar to an XLR plug, the kind commonly used on microphone cables. Insert an EtherCon-equipped cable into the jack until it clicks and locks in place. To remove the cable, press on the metal release tab at the top of the panel-mounted EtherCon jack and pull the connector outward.
The SFP Module
The MH10f Merger Hub ships with two 100 Mbps SFP format fiber optic ports (9 and 10) which allow the user to connect optional single-mode or multi-mode fiber optic transceivers that can transmit A-Net data over longer distances than Cat‑5 cabling can provide.
Small form-factor pluggable (SFP) is a specification for a series of modular optical transceivers. The transceivers are designed to be physically compact, and can be hot swapped. The SFP connector allows the user to reconfigure the MH10f with single- or multi-mode fiber optic transceivers as needed. Always leave the dust cap on when the SFP module is not in use to avoid damage to the optical connections.
The SFP transceiver module shown with its dust cap on (left) and from the front with transmit and receive connectors exposed.
Using fiber optic connections will require a minimum of two MH10f units. Always use the same type of SFP module in each unit—for example, use 100 Mbps multi-mode SFP transceivers with the same light wavelength specifications in each MH10f. Gigabit (1 Gbps) SFP transceivers are not supported.
The LC Connector
SFP modules typically use a connector known as LC. For bidirectional transmission, two fiber cables per SFP module are required, one to transmit and the other to receive. The SFP module can accept single (simplex) or dual (duplex) type connectors. Aviom suggests using
