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Networking & Telecommunications vocabulary · Network Devices

Transceiver

Meaning in networking & telecommunications, with examples

/trænˈsiːvər/nounCommon term

In networking & telecommunications, transceiver means: A small plug-in module, such as an SFP, that both sends and receives signals, usually converting electrical signals in a switch or router into light for a fibre link.

In Turkish: alıcı-verici, optik modül, transceiver

How it is used

Engineers order, insert, replace and check transceivers, which are often called 'optics' or named by their form factor: SFP, SFP+, QSFP. A module must match the speed, the fibre type and the distance, and many vendors only fully support their own branded optics.

Example sentences

  1. The link stays down because the transceiver on the far end is the wrong type.

  2. Check the receive power on the transceiver; the connector may just be dirty.

Common collocations

  • SFP transceiver
  • optical transceiver
  • replace a transceiver
  • transceiver module
  • receive power
  • fibre optic cableA cable that carries data as pulses of light through very thin strands of glass, allowing much higher speeds and much longer distances than copper.
  • single-mode fibreA type of optical fibre with a very thin core, about 9 micrometres across, that carries light along a single path and can send data over many kilometres; used by operators and between buildings.
  • switchA device with many ports that connects computers, phones, printers and other equipment inside the same local network and forwards each frame only to the port where its destination is.
  • attenuationThe gradual loss of signal strength as a signal travels along a cable or through the air, measured in decibels (dB), often per kilometre for fibre.

More terms: Network Devices

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