Terminology » Other Wireless » Microwave vs Terahertz vs FSO: Key Differences Compared

Microwave vs Terahertz vs FSO: Key Differences Compared

microwave terahertz free space optics wireless communication frequency

This page compares Microwave, Terahertz, and Free Space Optics (FSO) technologies, outlining the differences between them. All three occupy different portions of the electromagnetic (EM) spectrum.

Terahertz frequencies reside between the microwave and free space optical ranges.

These technologies are chosen for various applications depending on how well they propagate through different mediums.

Microwave vs Terahertz vs FSO

Let’s compare these three based on parameters like frequency, bandwidth, power, receiver noise figure and sensitivity, signal processing speed, data rate, size, power consumption, communication continuity, spreading loss, atmospheric loss, and applications.

Difference between Microwave vs Terahertz vs FSO

The following table highlights the differences between Microwave, Terahertz (THz), and FSO (Free Space Optics).

Features	Microwave	Terahertz	FSO
Frequency range	30 to 300 GHz	0.1 to 10 THz	Greater than 300 GHz
Bandwidth	MHz up to several GHz	Tens up to hundreds of GHz	Tens of GHz
Transmit power	Watts	Milliwatts	Dozens of watts
Noise figure (Receiver)	~ 5 dB	~ 15 dB	~ 15 dB
Sensitivity	-120 dBm	-48 dBm	-56 dBm
Signal processing speed	About Gbps	About 10 Gbps	About 10 Gbps
Data rate	At most 10 Gbps	About 100 Gbps	About 100 Gbps
Power consumption	High	Low	High
Size of system	Large	Small	Bulky
Communication continuity	All day	All day	Intermittent
Spreading loss	Low	Medium	High
Atmospheric loss	No clear effect at microwave frequencies	Water and oxygen molecules affect THz frequencies	Water and carbon dioxide molecules affect FSO
Applications	Television, satellite and radar communications, microwave point to point long distance LOS communication links	Spectroscopy, Pulsed imaging, communication, sensing, mine detection, security, organic material detection, bio-chemical agent detection etc.	Businesses and homes, inter-satellite communication, disaster recovery, hospitals, cellular communication back-haul, video conferencing, fiber communication backup, multi-campus connectivity in universities, links in difficult terrains, temporary links and more.