Plastic optic fiber cable is made of hundreds of optical fibers that are almost 1/10 the thickness of a human hair. A plastic optic fiber cable uses light to transmit data while the majority of cables use electric signals to transmit data.
As POF transmits data via electrifyingly fast traveling pulses of light, you can see the light on both ends of the plastic optic fiber cable. For example, if you place one end of a cable in light then you will be able to see the light on the other end. You will be able to witness that in the below image.
There is also a different layer of glass called cladding that is wrapped around the central and causes light to bounce off the wall in the least amount of time. This process makes the data processing process simple, easy, and fast.
Not only the Plastic optic fiber cables are fast but these cables are secured as well. It is very difficult to hack a POF because it uses light while a copper cable uses signals to transmit data. Intercepting a traveling signal and decoding data from that signal is much easier compared to decoding data from light.
A POF has a broader range of frequency and for that reason, data in a POF can travel without the loss of quality. A POF is less likely to be affected by power outages or electromagnetic interfaces.
So, these are the main reasons why Plastic optic fiber cables are the future option for data communication. There are a few challenges in using POF. Since a POF uses a glass cover, it is likely to be broken when it is put under harsh conditions. However many companies are working hard to provide a layer that protects the glass layer and makes cable last longer.
POF can implement digital data processing along with light to transmit data. Binary data is the most basic form of data communication as it is a 2-bit number. The 2-bit simply means that it is made of two numbers and the numbers are zero and one. For example, English is a language for humans to communicate just like that binary is the language for computers to communicate. If I want to say hi in text then I will just type "HI" to the other person. In case I want to say HI to the computer system then I type with the help of the keyboard, the microcontroller unit converts the text value hi to binary and then shows binary output to the computer. Once the computer processes the HI text message in binary, it again converts its message with the help of a binary translator and shows output to the user in text. This whole process is called binary translation and it can be performed with the help of a binary translator: https://binary-translator.live.
So, the POF can take advantage of this kind of binary conversion system to make the transmission process faster.
Another thing in a POF that needs to be improved is its availability to work in every weather. POF cables are more delicate compared to the other cables. This makes the cable perform best under standard environments. In extreme heat, these cables might not perform as per the expectations and the glass inside the cable might break. For that reason, even the companies that use Plastic optic fiber cables need to hire an expert person who understands the workings of these POF cables.