A fiber optic network card replaces the copper RJ45 port of a standard adapter with an optical cage — SFP, SFP+ or QSFP28 — so the server connects directly to the fiber infrastructure. The benefits are physical: galvanic isolation between racks, immunity to electromagnetic interference in electrically noisy halls, and reach measured in kilometres on single-mode fiber instead of the 100-metre ceiling of copper.
Within the GRT range, optical-port cards span the same speed ladder as the wider server NIC family: gigabit fiber cards for access and management networks, 10G SFP+ cards as the data-centre workhorse, 25G SFP28 for current-generation servers, and 100G adapters at the top — the FF-1102E with QSFP28 ports on our own G810-2Q controller, and the F1102EBPLR bypass model with dual LC optical ports. Because GRT also manufactures the transceivers that populate these cages, card and optics can be specified together from one range.
Choosing an optical port type
- SFP (1G): management networks, fiber-to-the-desk, legacy plant
- SFP+ (10G): the default server uplink for a decade of installed base
- SFP28 (25G): pin-compatible evolution of SFP+ for newer servers
- QSFP28 (100G): spine and high-bandwidth node connections
If your servers sit within a few metres of the top-of-rack switch, compare the DAC cable route on our cabling pages; beyond that, or wherever isolation matters, the optical card plus transceiver combination is the durable choice.
Do the cards ship with transceivers included?
The F1102EBPLR bypass card is supplied with two 100G single-mode 10 km modules. For other models, tell us your fiber type and distance and we will quote the card and matched GRT transceivers together.
Can a fiber card work with third-party transceivers?
Cage interfaces follow the SFP/SFP+/SFP28/QSFP28 standards, but hosts differ in how strictly they check module identity data. For a known combination we recommend modules from the GRT range; if a third-party switch is involved, name its model with your inquiry and evaluate the pairing with a loaner unit under our free testing service.