What is CWDM/DWDM?

CWDM (Coarse Wavelength Division Multiplexing) is a technology that multiplexes multiple optical carrier signals onto a single optical fiber by using different wavelengths (colors) of light for each signal. CWDM uses wider channel spacing than DWDM, allowing for less expensive components, but with a lower overall capacity. It's commonly used for short to medium-range communications (up to 80km) in metro networks.