I would need to find the fibre media converters that are fast and clean. And most vexing of all, I would need to source a pair of very short fibre patch links, a subject that is new to me. Not being optronics-literal is embarrassing.
I was like this too, and decided to find out a little about it fairly recently. It turns out to be not that hard, really, but it has its own world of jargon.
Even getting the fibre itself should not be vexing.
Think of this through the eyes of "proper" enterprise networking, about 15 years ago. At this time, copper Cat5e was 10/100Mbps, and gigabit was left to optical. Perhaps as uplinks from an enterprise switch into the core business network.
Such switches could often be bought with a modular uplink slot, for a "GBIC" module. The transmission module could be bought separately, and determined what kind of uplink media was used, and what connector style. Generally, multi-mode fibre is cheaper, and for shortish distance (up to 500m), which single-mode fibre is for long distance, up to tens of km.
Subsequently, gigabit copper came about, and there are GBIC modules that support this, with RJ45 connectors.
Buzzwords: 1000base-SX is the standard for short-haul gigabit over multimode fibre; 1000base-LX is the standard for gigabit over single-mode. 1000base-T is for twisted-pair copper.
Example switch images: Cisco 3550
https://goo.gl/ke9MdvExample GBIC modules: Cisco GBIC modules
http://goo.gl/ovJdzfFor those fibre GBIC modules, the standard cable would be a pair of fibre (one up, one down), using connectors known as SC (standard), and a fibre joint type known as PC (fibre cut at 90 degrees, and polished, compared with an oblique cut).
As time has gone by, multimode fibre production techniques have improved, and can be used for longer distances. The quality tends to be denoted in terms like OM1, OM2, OME (where OM3 > OM2).
Example fibre patch cable: Maplin has a 1m long, SC connector, OM3 cable for £3.59:
http://goo.gl/AbRJznThey have longer lengths too, and the lesser quality types.
As time has gone on, the modules have been made smaller, as have the connectors.
More recently, the transceiver module takes a form known as SFP, which is about half the size.
Example switch: Cisco 3560:
https://goo.gl/HmjUxOExample SFP modules: Cisco 100base modules:
http://goo.gl/LU6NY3Example SFP modules: Cisco 1000base modules:
http://goo.gl/O9gaIPIn SFP modules, the connector may well be an LC style
Example fibre patch cable: Maplin has a 1m long, LC connector, OM2 cable for £3.69:
http://goo.gl/nFR6f1HOWEVER ...
Note that some of the media converters I pointed at before were for 100base-FX. These can operate as above (with dual-fibre cables), but can also use a single fibre for both transmit and receiver (2 different frequencies); it can use the same patch cables as above, but only using one fibre of the pair. This type of converter need to be bought as a pair, with opposing transmit/receive wavelengths.
Bringing all that back to your needs, all you probably need to do is:
- Choose your fibre type (eg multimode) and protocol type (eg 100base-FX, or 1000base-SX)
- Choose the copper type (eg 1000base-T, or "just" 100base-TX, to match your other hardware)
- Determine whether the converter has built-in optics, or needs a module adding (such as an SFP module)
- Determine the connector type (eg SC, or LC, or possibly ST) and the style of cut (eg PC) for the optical transceiver.
- Choose the appropriate converter & cable
For example, this kind of media converter needs an SFP module:
http://www.tp-link.com/en/products/details/cat-4792_MC220L.htmlMeanwhile, this kind has built-in optics, ready for SC-connector multimode fibre:
http://www.tp-link.com/en/products/details/cat-4792_MC200CM.htmlBoth of those seem to offer only 1000base-T gigabit copper, not 10/100 fast ethernet.
This media converter is one half of a 100base-FX pair, using a single fibre with an SC connector:
http://www.tp-link.com/en/products/details/cat-4792_MC112CS.htmlThe other half is a slightly different model number.
This media converter also uses 100base-FX, but with dual fibres:
http://www.tp-link.com/en/products/details/cat-4792_MC100CM.htmlTwo of the same converter model can be used as a pair here.
What was once high-end enterprise hardware costing £thousands is now low-end, accessible hardware.
Hopefully that gives something of a flavour.
Edit: Looking at prices of the TP-Link examples I've posted here, I suspect that a pair of the MC100CM modules would fit the bill for you - provided you only need to connect to 10/100 copper. I haven't gone looking at other brands, though ... I deliberately stuck to one brand here so you could see a range of options.
