①Function: optical module is to perform the photoelectric conversion; electric port module is only to transmit the electric signal;
②Interface: the interface of the electrical port module is RJ45 and optical module has LC , SC and MPO interfaces;
③Connection cables: the electrical port module is connected with the network cable and the optical module is connected with the optical fiber jumper;
④ Transmission distance: the maximum transmission distance of the electrical port module is 100M, while optical module can reach more than 100KM;
⑤Device: electrical port module does not have a laser while the optical module has;
⑥Parameter: electrical port modules do not have operating wavelength and DDM information, while different optical modules have different operating wavelengths, and most are with DDM function. Because of the laser, the power consumption of electrical port modules is also lower than that of optical modules.
From above, we can know that the electrical port module can be used for short distances with network cables, with lower power consumption. In the data center of copper cabling, electrical port modules are more widely used and lower in cost. The optical module should be selected when the transmission distance is relatively long.
