Novastar CVT320

NovaStar CVT320 — single-mode fibre converter

The CVT320 is the long-distance single-mode twin of the CVT310: same box, same weight, same rate, same power, but a 20 km reach instead of 550 m. It is the converter for links that leave the building.

Specifications

Ports: 1 x Gigabit Ethernet port + 1 x LC dual-core optical port (factory-fitted, hot pluggable)
Fibre type: dual-core single-mode, 1310 nm — 1.25 Gbit/s optical rate
Maximum distance: 20 km
Redundancy: none
Power: AC 100 – 240 V, 50/60 Hz, 4 W
Dimensions: 149,0 × 135,0 × 38,0 mm — Weight: 0,53 kg
Temperature: -20 °C à +70 °C

NovaStar CVT320 — technical analysis

The only trade-off that matters: multimode or single-mode. Multimode fibre (OM3/OM4, 50/125 µm, 850 nm) carries up to 300 m and costs markedly less in optics; single-mode fibre (OS1/OS2, 9/125 µm, 1310 nm) carries 10 km. Within a site — a room, a building, a control-room-to-stage run — multimode is enough and the optical budget is halved. As soon as you leave the building or cross a campus, single-mode is required. And if fibre is already installed, it decides: OM3 imposes multimode, OS2 imposes single-mode.

Watch the naming trap: the suffix says nothing about fibre type here. The CVT320 is the single-mode one, the CVT310 is multimode — and the two boxes are indistinguishable apart from the label. For an inter-building link, a remote site or a campus crossing, the CVT320 is the one. Check the installed fibre too: OS1/OS2 imposes single-mode, OM3/OM4 imposes the CVT310.

• Inter-building links — up to 20 km on single-mode fibre.
• Remote sites — off-site screen, car park, town entrance.
• Campus crossings — universities, hospitals, industrial estates.
• Sites with OS1/OS2 fibre — compatible with carrier infrastructure.
• Compact format — 530 g, 3.5 W, fits into a cabinet.

• Fibre type — single-mode at 1310 nm, 20 km. The multimode of the pair is the CVT310, not a "CVT320-M".
• Distance — 20 km: beyond that, change reference, not module.
• Existing fibre — OM3/OM4 imposes multimode, OS1/OS2 imposes single-mode: check the type before ordering.
• Naming trap — the CVT320 is single-mode and the CVT310 multimode: the boxes are identical, only the optics differ.
• Used in pairs — one converter at each end of the optical link.