Advantages and Disadvantages of Plastic Optical Fiber

Advantages:

• The materials which POF is made up of are low-cost and the installation with associated assemblies is not expensive.
• It is flexible and solid, able to bend farther without breakage.
• The network using plastic optical fiber can be installed by untrained personnel. Even home users can handle and install these fibers.
• Plastic optical fibers use harmless green or red light that is easily visible towards the eye. They are safe when installed in a house without risk to inquisitive children.

Disadvantages:

• The signal attenuation and dispersion of POF are typically very high, hence it is limited to short distances.
• POF can not withstand the extreme temperature as glass optical fiber does.