Should I consider using fiber optic cable?

While I wouldn't recommend running Fiber Optic Cable to every port on a network because it is uneccesary and expensive, fiber does make an excellent backbone cable. It is also the perfect solution to connecting two locations that are over 100m (328ft) apart on the same network. Also, the bandwidth on fiber optic cable is much greater than it's copper counterparts (Cat 5e & Cat 6) and will help facilitate any future upgrades to your network.

To connect two copper (meaning Cat 5e or Cat 6) networks together with fiber to make one network, you'll need two fiber-fed switches or two media converters. A fiber-fed switch is the same as any other switch except that one of the ports accepts a fiber connector. A media converter simply converts electrical signals (which run over copper) to optical signals (which run over fiber) and vice versa.

If you already own quality switches that meet your needs, you'll probably want to go with the media converters. They'll allow you to use all of your existing equipment, otherwise you can just purchase a switch that has fiber fed ports. With either of these options you will have to fork over a little money, but the good news is that the prices on these items have dropped tremendously over the last couple of years.