Single Mode Multimode Fiber Optic Cable

The main difference between single mode os1 and os2 is cable construction rather than optical specifications.

Single mode multimode fiber optic cable.

Fiber optic cabling and hardware products including single mode and multimode fiber patch cables of 62 5 125 50 125 and 9 125 and fiber distribution products used in high tech networking. Single mode fiber is usually 9 125 in construction. Some studies report a difference of 100 000 ghz. Designed for long distance communication a single mode fiber cable allows light signals to travel more than 10 miles a much longer distance than multimode.

The main difference between single mode and multimode optical fiber is the size of the core. The single mode gives a higher transmission and up to 50 times more distance than the multimode. Single mode fiber has a core that measures around 5um while the multimode fiber core measures 50um or more. Single mode fibers are identified by the designation os or optical single mode fiber.

While multimode fiber is usually used with led based fiber optic equipment for short distance transmissions. Compared to the multimode fiber the single mode patch cords carry a higher bandwidth but it requires a light source with a narrow spectral width. Much larger than the wavelength of the light carried in it. Because multimode fiber is thicker it can accommodate more signals for greater bandwidth.

Single mode optical fiber often costs less than multimode fiber. The main difference between multi mode and single mode optical fiber is that the former has much larger core diameter typically 50 100 micrometers. Single mode cable has a much smaller core 8 9um than multimode cable and uses a single path mode to carry the light. This means that the core to cladding diameter ratio is 9 microns to 125 microns.

While the multimode om3 or om4 fiber increases 35 in cost for sfp modules. When building a 1g fiber optic network that you want to be able to go to 10g or faster on eventually the savings on cost of fiber for single mode saves about half price. Single mode fiber needs to be used with laser diode based fiber optic transmission equipment for precise calibration required to inject light into the fiber optic cable.