Coreray: Leading Fiber Optic Switch Manufacturer - MEMS & Mechanical Optical Solutions

    If you’ve spent any time working with fiber optic networks, you know that the simple act of rerouting a signal often turns into a headache. Either you’re sending someone on-site to unplug and replug fibers, or you’re dealing with a switch that looks good on paper but drifts after a few months.

    We’ve been using a 1×2 optical switch from Coreray in a few different setups lately—ring network protection, remote monitoring, and some lab testing work. After running them for a while, I’ve got a few observations that might be useful if you’re looking at similar applications.

What Stood Out

    The spec sheet lists the usual stuff: low loss, high reliability, RS232 and RJ45 interfaces, modularized design, and an epoxy-free optical path. But what actually matters is how these things behave in the real world.

    Loss was consistent. We measured insertion loss across several units, and they all fell well within the claimed range. No surprises, no unit-to-unit variation that made us question the batch. When you’re building protection switching into a ring network, that kind of consistency matters—you don’t want one switch eating up more power budget than another.

    The parallel interface options saved us time. One deployment required Ethernet control because the equipment was in a remote site without serial access. The RJ45 version worked straight out of the box. In another case, we used RS232 to integrate with an older test system that didn’t have network capabilities. Having both options in the same product family made procurement simpler—no need to hunt down a separate model for each project.

    Epoxy-free optical path is one of those specs that most people ignore until they’ve dealt with field failures. In temperature-cycled environments—like outdoor cabinets or unventilated labs—epoxy can degrade over time and cause drift or even permanent loss. This switch doesn’t have that problem. It’s a detail, but a meaningful one if you care about long-term stability.

Three Applications Where This Switch Actually Shines

1. Ring Network Protection

    Ring topologies rely on the ability to switch traffic to a backup path when something fails. The 1×2 switch sits at key nodes, toggling between the primary and secondary routes. We’ve used it in a small-scale metro ring deployment, and it handled the switching reliably without adding noticeable loss.

2. Remote Monitoring

    One of the bigger time-savers was setting up remote monitoring across several sites. Instead of sending a technician to manually tap into fibers for testing, we connected the switch to a remote management system via RJ45. From there, we could sample signals on demand and run diagnostics without rolling a truck. That alone paid for the hardware in a few months.

3. Fiber Component Testing

    In the lab, we’ve used these switches to automate test sequences for passive components. Instead of manually reconnecting fibers between each test case, we scripted the switch to cycle through paths. It cut test time by more than half and eliminated the variability that comes with hand-terminating connections repeatedly.

Modular Design and Ordering

    The modularized design is another practical detail. In a test rack, we have multiple 1×2 units stacked together. If one needs to be swapped for maintenance or reconfiguration, it takes a few minutes—no need to tear apart the whole setup.

    The ordering code is OSW-1XN-A-B-C-D-E. The “N” in 1XN indicates the port count—in this case, 1×2. The other letters cover fiber type, connector, interface, and so on. If you’re ordering, just make sure you pick the correct interface (RS232 or RJ45) for your control setup.