Developed in-house, GBC Photonics’ Smart Recode Device (SRD) is a private, cloud-based product that brings great value to users of GBC Photonics’ transceivers. It is the foundation of the concept of a universal optical transceiver, a single unit with the functionality of both a transmitter and receiver. The unit lets operators alter the configuration of optical transceivers to make them vendor-agnostic. 

Universal optical transceiver 

The Smart Recode Device combines with a desktop application that is installed locally. With it, customers can independently configure the compatibility of GBC Photonics’ transceivers, set-up the dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM) channel of tunable transceivers and much more. In this way, branded transceivers can be turned into universal optical transceivers with wide range of benefits for network operators. 

Universal transceivers can be reconfigured on the spot, which avoids the need to purchase new transceivers in cases of incompatibility. The transceivers can support inventory optimisation, as network operators won’t need to stock a huge variety of branded transceivers. They also facilitate network upgrades and help reduce e-waste.

To learn more about the many advantages of universal optical transceivers, head to our Knowledge Base . 

Smart Recode Device ― technical specifications 

The latest hardware update of the GBC Photonics SRD has a user interface that shows all resources gathered in the cloud. It is equipped with a QSFP-DD socket and ― together with previously-implemented SFP/SFP+/SFP28, XFP, QSFP+/QSFP28, CFP, CFP2 and CFP4 sockets ― the new SRD supports the full portfolio of GBC Photonics transceivers.

The QSDP-DD socket is, according to the multi-source agreement (MSA) standards, backwards compatible with the QSFP28 and QSFP+ standards. Because of this, the new socket works with the newest QSFP-DD 400G transceivers, and older QSFP28 100G transceivers as well. The device recognizes the type of transceiver plugged into the socket, and shows the available options accordingly.

With this latest version of the GBC Photonics SRD, users of GBC Photonics transceivers can handle a very wide set of available QSFP-DD 400G modules. The set currently consists of 12 different types of transceiver for short and middle range transmission through single and multimode fibre, as well as coherent DWDM modules for long-haul connections.

For more information on our Smart Recode Device, or on how to turn any optical transceiver into a universal optical transceiver, why not book a free video meeting with our specialists today? Or, call us on +48 12 24 00 01.