Allied Telesis Moves to Single-Mode Fiber NICs

Chiasso, Switzerland. 2 March, 2010 - Allied Telesis has enhanced its best selling Network Interface Card (NIC) range, incorporating single-mode fiber to allow for cable distances of up to 20km on connected Fast Ethernet and 10km through Gigabit Ethernet. The cards support both PCI and PCIe bus standards removing the limitations on the type of PC they can be installed into. The four cards in the new range also feature both the common interface types for the transmission speed, SC connectors for Fast Ethernet and LC for Gigabit.

A common concern is that Gigabit Ethernet over multi-mode fiber does not go a great distance and multi-mode fiber that was installed for Ethernet only delivered distances of up to 2km. By installing single-mode fiber this will allow for both Fast Ethernet and Gigabit speeds as well as distances of up to 10km. Thanks to the improved security of fiber this is already being used by customers in the defense and government sectors.

The AT-2701LX20/SC is a PCI-bus based NIC that offers Fast Ethernet over up to 20km, single-mode fiber and a fiber SC connection. The AT-2712LX20/SC delivers the same through a PCIe fitting and also features data encryption.

The AT2916LX10/LC is a PCI-bus based NIC featuring Gigabit Ethernet over up to 10km with a single fiber LC connection. The AT-2972LX10/LC provides the same features through a PCIe connection.

"Previously companies had to compromise between speed and distance, particularly when data security was an issue as well," commented Melvyn Wray, Senior VP of Product Marketing EMEA at Allied Telesis. "Thanks to our upgraded NIC cards the distances of connected cables can be up to 10km and still deliver Gigabit speeds, while offering the security of fiber."

The cards are available in standard and federal versions and come with both full and low-profile brackets as standard, reducing lead times for the channel by making it simple to stock.

All of the new NIC models are now available across Europe.