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Difficulty: MediumNetwork Hardware Devices

A technician is configuring network connectivity for a remote branch office. The Internet Service Provider (ISP) delivers a fiber optic handoff terminating with an LC connector inside the equipment rack. However, the firewall installed in the rack only features standard RJ-45 copper Ethernet interfaces for its WAN connections. Which network hardware device should the technician install to connect the ISP fiber line to the firewall's WAN port?

  1. Media converterAnswer
  2. B
    Patch panel
  3. C
    PoE injector
  4. D
    Wireless access point

Answer

A media converter should be installed to bridge the physical media gap between the fiber optic handoff and the copper RJ-45 Ethernet interface.
A media converter is an active device operating at Layer 1 that receives light signals from a fiber optic line and converts them into electrical signals compatible with copper Ethernet (RJ-45) ports, allowing devices with different transceiver interfaces to communicate seamlessly.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the physical layer incompatibility presented in the scenario.
The ISP handoff uses fiber optic cabling (LC connector), whereas the firewall WAN interface requires copper twisted-pair cabling (RJ-45 connector).
Networking hardware devices must match the physical cabling medium (light signals vs electrical pulses) to establish link layer communication.
2
Evaluate hardware devices based on their primary function at the Physical (Layer 1) network boundary.
A media converter is specifically designed to convert optical signals from fiber cabling into electrical signals for copper Ethernet cabling.
Connecting disparate cabling types without replacing host equipment requires a dedicated media conversion device.

Key Concept

Media converters perform physical layer signal translation between different cabling technologies, such as fiber optic and copper Ethernet.
Estimated Time:1m 0s
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Topics

Network Hardware Devices

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