How does an optical fiber router convert the incoming light signal to an electrical signal? If the router doesn't convert the light signal, then which device does?

Generally speaking the device that transforms one form of signal (or energy) into another is called a transducer.

If a router is equipped with an optical transducer it will be able to directly use fiber optic cable to convert light signal into an electrical signal. If not you'll need another device that takes fiber optic cable as input and gives out a signal over an ethernet cable that can be plugged into the router.

Going into a bit more detail just like there are RJ45 interfaces for ethernet cables in routers fiber optic cables have special interfaces that handle light signals.

These interfaces plug into specific cards on the motherboard of the device. Many companies build these cards with a PCIe or M.2 slot interface that you can place in a motherboard. For fiber channels the cards contain SFP slots.

SFP stands for small form factor pluggable. As the name suggests these are pluggable(swappable) network interfaces for different physical layers. There is an ethernet SFP, there is a fiber channel SFP.

The cards containing SFP slots are widely available. For example check out these links.

https://www.amazon.in/Cheetah-Ethernet-Chipset-Intel-JL82599ES/dp/B07W5VTLTR/ref=asc_df_B07W5VTLTR/

https://www.startech.com/Networking-IO/Adapter-Cards/pcie-fiber-network-card-mm-sc~PEX1000MMSC2

And more on Intel's website

https://www.intel.in/content/www/in/en/products/network-io/ethernet/10-25-40-gigabit-adapters.html

Many server grade switches come with sfp slots for fiber optic cables and RJ45 ports for ethernet cables.

However consumer grade router may or may not contain SFP and may instead have a "fixed" port dedicated for fiber optic. Many GPON routers in the market today are available in this configuration.

At the end of the day all communication inside the computer is electronic. Fiber optic cables simply transmit that electronic information as light, very effici

ently over large distances.

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