Several technical improvements can be obtained by optical connections within CAN systems with the use of an optical transceiver, such as secure separation of high voltages and insensitivity to electromagnetic interference (EMI).
As with repeaters, optical transceivers can be used to extend CAN topologies, including star and tree structures.
Fiber Optic Transceivers
- Fiber optic transceivers provide optical connectivity between CAN segments whilst maintaining CAN bit-level timing between segments.
- Transceiver connected CAN segments must operate at the same baud rate, with the maximum baud rate constrained by overall system signal propagation time, including fiber optic transceiver latency and fiber optic cable propagation delay.
- A bandwidth versus length of fiber trade-off favors short fiber lengths for higher data rates.

Used in Pairs
Connects 2 CAN segments (with Error Suppression)
Galvanic Isolation
Rail Mounting
PMMA (40m) or ST connectors (up to 1,000m)
DSub-9 plugs (copper)
PMMA or ST connectors (fiber)
Requirements beyond CAN fiber optic transceivers?
These products are part of an extensive range of PC interfaces & adapters, repeaters, gateways, fiberoptic transceivers, and distributed I/O interface products for CAN. Together, the entire CAN product range provides developers with a compressive toolkit for implementing a diverse range of CAN system capabilities.