

“Single mode vs multimode fiber cost” is a hot topic in some forums. In addition, OS2 single mode fiber could support longer distances in 40G and 100G links, which is not listed in the table. That’s the essential difference between them. Because multimode optical fiber has a large core size and supports more than one light mode, its fiber distance is limited by modal dispersion which is a common phenomenon in multimode step-index fiber.
#Multimode fiber connector types Patch
Then when it comes to single mode vs multimode fiber distance, what’s the quantifiable differences?ĥ50m (mode conditioning patch cable required)įrom the chart, we can see that single mode fiber distance is much longer than that of multimode fiber cables at the data rate from 1G to 10G, but OM3/OM4/OM5 multimode fiber supports a higher data rate. It’s known that single mode fiber is suitable for long-distance applications, while multimode optical fiber is designed for short-distance runs.
#Multimode fiber connector types code
Find more details about the Fiber Optic Cable Color Code here. Color SheathĪccording to the TIA-598C standard definition, for non-military applications, single mode cable is coated with yellow outer sheath, and multimode fiber is coated with orange or aqua jacket. While single mode fiber bandwidth is unlimited theoretically because it allows only one light mode to pass through at a time. Multimode fiber bandwidth is limited by its light mode and the maximum bandwidth at present is 28000MHz*km of OM5 fiber. And the commonly used single mode fiber wavelength is 1310 nm and 1550 nm. While the single mode fiber often uses a laser or laser diodes to produce light injected into the cable. The fiber core of single mode cable is very narrow, so the light that passes through these fiber optical cables is not reflected too many times, which keeps the attenuation to a minimum.ĭue to the large core size of multimode fiber, some low-cost light sources like LEDs (light-emitting diodes) and VCSELs (vertical cavity surface-emitting lasers) that works at the 850nm and 1300nm wavelength are used in multimode fiber cables. The attenuation of multimode fiber is higher than SM fiber because of its larger core diameter. The cladding diameter of single mode and multimode fiber is 125 µm. And multimode fiber core diameter is 50 µm and 62.5 µm typically, which enables it to have higher "light gathering" ability and simplify connections. Its typical core diameter is 9 µm even if there are others available. Single mode fiber core diameter is much smaller than multimode fiber. The differences between single mode and multimode fiber optic cable mainly lie in fiber core diameter, wavelength & light source, bandwidth, color sheath, distance and cost. While multimode means the fiber can propagate multiple modes. Single mode means the fiber enables one type of light mode to be propagated at a time. Overview of Single Mode vs Multimode Fiber Optic Cable
