What is the NovaStar CVT320?
If your screen sits kilometres from the controller rather than metres, the NovaStar CVT320 is the single-mode fiber converter that carries that one Ethernet run out to 20 km. Nothing else in NovaStar’s fiber range reaches as far, and you get it from the cheapest unit in the family.
You are trading bandwidth for distance. The CVT320 carries your one Gigabit Ethernet port over a 1.25 Gb/s optical link, where the ten-port models push 10G and stop at 10 km. If your screen needs a single controller output at the far end of a long route, this is the part that fits.
What you are buying is the single-mode build of the same small box as the CVT310. Enclosure, power draw, indicators and setup are identical; only the optical module and the fiber it wants are different.
CVT320 key features
20 km, which no other model in the range matches
Your screen might be a city display on leased fiber, a sign at a depot across town, or a campus wall two postcodes from the media suite. Routes like that get treated as impossible without a second equipment room. A CVT320 link covers up to 20 km at 1310 nm on single-mode twin-core fiber. Nothing else here goes past 15 km.
Long routes are single-mode, and so is this
The fiber already running between your buildings is almost always single-mode, because that is what carriers and campus infrastructure install. If you order a multimode converter for a route like that, you have bought yourself a return trip and a restocking conversation. The CVT320 takes 1310 nm single-mode twin-core fiber on LC connectors, which is usually what is already in the ground.
Nothing inside it to go wrong at a site nobody visits
You can lose any setting a remote box holds, and the far end of a 20 km link is not somewhere you drive on a hunch. NovaStar states the CVT320 is ready to use once connected, with no drivers required. It stores no configuration, so a replacement unit works the moment you power it.
3.5 W, so the remote end’s power plan ignores it
You size backup power at an unattended position around the receiving cards and the screen supplies, so an extra load out there is an unwelcome surprise. A CVT320 draws 3.5 W and weighs 0.53 kg. It rounds to nothing on a UPS calculation, and it mounts on a shelf or a plate rather than in a rack.
NovaStar CVT320 specifications
Your cable order comes off the optical rows below. The environmental rows tell you whether the remote position needs a heated or ventilated enclosure.
| Ethernet port | 1 × Gigabit RJ45 |
|---|---|
| Optical port | 1 × single-mode twin-core LC, with the optical module installed at the factory and hot pluggable |
| Optical rate and wavelength | 1.25 Gb/s at 1310 nm |
| Optical distance | Up to 20 km |
| Indicators | POWER, FX/ACT for the fiber link, TP/ACT for the copper link, DATA flashing while the Ethernet port passes traffic |
| Setup | None. Ready to use once connected, with no drivers required |
| Power | AC 100–240 V, 50/60 Hz, 0.35 A; rated current 0.7 A |
| Rated power consumption | 3.5 W |
| Operating environment | −20°C to +70°C, 10% to 90% RH, non-condensing |
| Storage environment | −30°C to +80°C |
| Dimensions and net weight | 149.0 × 135.0 × 38.0 mm, 0.53 kg |
| Certifications | CE, RoHS, PSE, FCC, IC, NTRA; FCC Class B |
| Supplied in the box | Power cord and certificate of approval. Fiber, patch leads and mounting are separate |
One row is easy to skim past. That 20 km is what the optics can drive across clean glass, so if your route has several joints and a panel at each end, it is worth light-testing before you sign it off at that length.
How far each NovaStar fiber converter reaches
Your reach is set by the optical module, not by the price or the port count, which is why the smallest unit in the range travels the furthest.
| Model | Fiber | Reach | Ethernet ports |
|---|---|---|---|
| CVT320 | Single-mode, 1310 nm | 20 km | 1 |
| CVT-Rack320 | Single-mode, 1310 nm | 15 km | 16 |
| CVT10-S, CVT10 Pro-S | Single-mode, 1310 nm | 10 km | 10 |
| CVT4K-S | Single-mode, 1310 nm | 10 km | 16 |
| CVT8-5GS | Single-mode, 1310 nm | 10 km | 8 at 5G |
| CVT310 | Multimode, 850 nm | 550 m | 1 |
| CVT10-M, CVT10 Pro-M, CVT4K-M | Multimode, 850 nm | 300 m | 10 or 16 |
| CVT8-5GM | Multimode MPO, 850 nm | 100 m on OM3, 150 m on OM4 | 8 at 5G |
The reach column matters to you before the port column does. Distance rules a model in or out, and no upgrade path buys extra kilometres from a model built for 300 m.
If your route is longer than 15 km, the CVT320 is the only answer in the range, and a wall that needs several ports at that distance takes one CVT320 link per controller output.
Two units per link, both of them CVT320
You buy these in pairs. One CVT320 sits at your controller and puts an Ethernet output onto the fiber; the second sits at the screen and hands it back as copper for the receiving cards.
You cannot shortcut this through a controller’s own fiber output. NovaStar’s optical-equipped controllers publish 10G ports, while the CVT320 publishes a 1.25 Gb/s port, and two ports at different rates do not form a link. A CVT320 talks to a CVT320.
Your mode has to match as strictly as the rate. A CVT310 facing a CVT320 will not pass data, because one is 850 nm multimode and the other 1310 nm single-mode. Order the same model for both ends, and keep your spare in the same family.
Before you order, confirm your remote end has mains power and a dry position, because a converter at the far side of a 20 km route is the one part of your system nobody can reach quickly.
Where a CVT320 is used on an LED display system
You reach for a CVT320 on the routes people call impossible. One controller output, one screen, and a distance you measure in kilometres rather than metres.
Two things decide whether this is the right part for you. Your screen must need one Ethernet run rather than several, and your fiber must be single-mode; neither is negotiable by choosing a different converter.
If your route stays inside one building and your fiber is multimode, the CVT310 is the same box for less. It reaches 550 m, which covers most indoor work.
NovaStar CVT320 manual, datasheet and specifications
You need one document to order a CVT320. There is no software, no firmware package and no stored configuration, so the specification sheet is where you take the fiber grade, wavelength and 20 km from when you price the cabling.
NovaStar CVT320 FAQ
How far will a CVT320 reach?
Your CVT320 link reaches up to 20 km on single-mode twin-core fiber at 1310 nm. That is further than any other converter in the NovaStar fiber range.
Why does the cheapest unit go the furthest?
The cheapest unit goes the furthest because it carries the least. One Gigabit port over a 1.25 Gb/s optical link travels further than ten ports over 10G optics, so the ten-port models stop at 10 km.
Do I need one CVT320 or two?
You need two CVT320 units, one at each end. Its 1.25 Gb/s optical port has no matching port on a NovaStar controller, so it pairs with another CVT320 rather than plugging into a fiber output.
How many Ethernet ports does it have?
One Ethernet port. If your screen is fed by three controller outputs, you need three CVT320 links, each with a unit at both ends.
Can a CVT320 use multimode fiber?
No, a CVT320 cannot, because its module is 1310 nm single-mode. If your route is multimode, you want the CVT310, which reaches 550 m.
Does it need software or configuration?
No software and no configuration. NovaStar states it is ready to use once connected, with no drivers required, and it holds no settings you would have to copy into a replacement unit.
What do the indicators show?
The indicators give you POWER for a healthy supply, FX/ACT for a good fiber connection, TP/ACT for a good Ethernet connection, and DATA flashing while traffic moves. If FX/ACT is dark on both units, the fiber route is where the fault sits.
Can it live in an outdoor cabinet?
It can live in an outdoor cabinet within −20°C to +70°C and 10% to 90% RH, non-condensing, as long as your enclosure keeps it dry. The unit itself has no published ingress rating.
What warranty covers a CVT320?
Your CVT320 carries three years of serial-tracked manufacturer coverage, because these units come through our authorized US NovaStar channel.
Can I get volume pricing or Net 30 terms?
Yes. Because every link takes two units, quantities build quickly on a multi-screen site. Purchase orders and Net 30 terms may be available for approved schools, government buyers, venues and established integrators.
How do I order CVT320 units?
You order CVT320 units in pairs: the listed price covers one unit, so count two per Ethernet run and add a spare for your remote end. Orders placed before 3 PM ET on in-stock items ship the same business day. Contact us to confirm current availability.
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