Why multimode fiber

However, there are still times when single mode may be recommended for short cable runs. It depends on the installation! Each grade of multimode fiber has a different bandwidth and distance limitation, with OM4 and OM5 providing the greatest bandwidth over longest distance and OM1 providing the lowest. At the moment, our general grade recommendation for installations suitable for multimode is OM3.

As can be seen in the table below, OM3 provides good options for bandwidth over distance, and it is generally more cost-effective than OM4. Single mode electronics and connectors only work with single mode fiber, and multimode, likewise, only works with multimode. This is due to the difference in core diameters between fiber types, as well as light wavelengths used for transmission.

Both single mode and multimode fibers provide excellent solutions for durable, high bandwidth installations. Being aware of the differences between the two types of fiber will allow you to select the fiber most appropriate for your installation and data requirements.

Download your printable copy of this guide to Single Mode vs Multimode fiber, including all the charts and diagrams!

Donovan, James. Gannon, Mary. Kartalopoulos, Stamatios V. Rosenberg, Paul. Skip to content Single Mode vs. Multimode Fiber Optic Cables. Access Now.

Some businesses, especially those dealing in very large data sets, are starting to simply roll out Multi-Mode throughout their office. If your employees are regularly sending gigabyte-sized files around, this is currently one of the best options for boosting their transmission speeds. Obviously, this is an expensive approach, but at least it's future-proofed. Optical is currently the fastest cabling we have, and it's likely to remain so for years in the future.

A local fiber network today would be ready for virtually any speed upgrades you'd install for years, at least. As a compromise between the two above options, some companies split it down the middle.

The fiber connection continues past their server, and goes to a "Telecommunications Enclosure" TE which is in a central location, near to the employees connected to it. It's an affordable way to deliver fiber, almost all the way to the desktop, without the higher expenses of a full wiring job. The main drawback is that your TE is nearly as vulnerable as your server room in terms of security, and would have to be tightly protected from intrusion.

That's the key takeaway here. As we'll discuss in our follow up post, Single-Mode fiber is more specialized and mostly used for long-distance data transmission.

For local wiring, it's likely to be Multi-Mode. Need more advice on your upgrade options? Hummingbird Networks is one of the west coast's premiere networking consultants, with decades of experience upgrading networks large and small.

Multimode transceivers also consume less power than single-mode transceivers, an important consideration especially when assessing the cost of powering and cooling a data center.

Finally, the fact that multimode optical fiber is easier to install and terminate in the field is an important consideration for enterprise environments, with their frequent moves, adds and changes. The way in which these two fiber types transmit light eventually led to their separate names.

Generally designed for systems of moderate to long distance e. This tiny core requires precision alignment to inject light from the transceiver into the core, significantly driving up transceiver costs. The larger core makes it much easier to capture light from a transceiver, allowing source costs to be controlled. Similarly, multimode connectors cost less than single-mode connectors as a result of the more stringent alignment requirements of single-mode optical fiber.

Single-mode connections require greater care and skill to terminate, which is why components are often pre-terminated at the factory.

On the other hand, multimode connections can be easily performed in the field, offering installation flexibility, cost savings and peace of mind. For these reasons, multimode optical fiber systems continue to be the most cost-effective fiber choice for enterprise and data center applications up to the — meter range.

Beyond the reach of multimode optical fibers, it becomes necessary to use single-mode optical fiber. However, when assessing single-mode optical fibers, be sure to consider newer options. A bend-insensitive, full-spectrum single-mode optical fiber provides more transceiver options, greater bandwidth and is less sensitive to handling of the cables and patch cords than is conventional single-mode optical fiber.