Category Archives: Cabling Solutions

How to Choose Right Category 5e Cable for Your Network?

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Category 5e Cable (Cat 5 enhanced), also know as Cat5e, is currently the most commonly used Ethernet cable in new installations. It’s designed to greatly reduce crosstalk, which means the Cat5e is better at keeping signals on different circuits or channels from interfering with each other. A step above Cat 5, it can handle 1000 Mbps speeds (gigabit Ethernet) at 100 MHz wit a maximum cable length of 328 feet (100 meters). How to choose right Category 5e Cable for your network? This article may give you the answer.

Category 5e Cable

Straight-Through or Crossover Category 5e Cable?

RJ-45 conductor Cat 5e cable contains 4 pairs of wires each consists of a solid colored wire and a strip of the same color. There are two wiring standards for RJ-45 wiring: T-568A and T-568B. The two wiring standards are used to create a cross-over cable (T-568A on one end, and T-568B on the other end), or a straight-through cable (T-568B or T-568A on both ends). To create a straight-through Cat 5e, you’ll have to use either T- 568A or T-568B on both ends of the cable. To create a cross-over Cat 5e cable, you’ll wire T-568A on one end and T- 568B on the other end of the cable.

straight-through-or-crossover-cat5e-cable

The straight-through Cat 5e cables are used when connecting Data Terminating Equipment (DTE) to Data Communications Equipment (DCE), such as computers and routers to modems (gateways) or hubs (Ethernet Switches). The crossover Cat 5e cables are used when connecting DTE to DTE, or DCE to DCE equipment, such as computer to computer, computer to router or gateway to hub connections. The DTE equipment terminates the signal, while DCE equipment do not.

Unshielded(UTP) or Shielded(STP) Category 5e Cable?

Shielded twisted cables (STP) reduce electrical noise and electromagnetic radiation. In other words, they help to keep the signal steady, and reduce interference with other devices. This is done with a shield that may be composed of copper tape, a layer of conducting polymer or a braid, and is covered with a jacket. Unshielded twisted cables (UTP) by definition do not have shielding serving them to reduce interference. They are designed to cancel electromagnetic interference with the way the pairs are twisted inside the cable.

unshieldedutp-or-shieldedstp-cat5e-cable

If you’re in any situation where you want to make sure that you get the most speed and efficiency out of your network, you’ll probably want to use shielded Cat5e cable. It’s hard to know when and where you’ll run into enough EMI to cause a problem, but if you use shielded Cat 5e in the first place you won’t have to worry about tearing the cable from the wall to replace it if you do run into that problem. Due to the design and nature of unshielded Cat 5e, it is most suitable for office LANS and similar network cabling systems. Unshielded Cat 5e are lightweight, thin and flexible. They are also versatile and inexpensive. When properly installed, a well-designed unshielded Cat 5e cable will be easier to both install and maintain than a shielded one.

Length and Color Options of Category 5e Cable

When choosing Cat 5e cable for your network, you also need to consider length and color. Cat 5e Ethernet cables come in standard lengths such as 1, 3, 5, 7, and 10 meter. Longer lengths are available, and you can also have custom cable lengths made. The distance between your various network devices and your network switch or router will determine the length you need. Cat5e cables come in all sorts of colors. This decision can be based purely on your individual tastes and preference. Blue is perhaps the most common, but you might also consider white, gray, or some other color that doesn’t clash with your walls and carpet. Pictures below shows ten colors of Cat 5e cable provided in Fiberstore.

cat-5e-color

Conclusion

Cat 5e cable supports up to 100 MHz and speeds up to 1 Gbps over 100 meters of cable. Cat 5e crossover patch cable is usually used to connect two same of type of devices. Besides, snagless boot prevents unwanted cable snags during installation and provides extra strain relief.

snagless-booted-cat5e-cable

The table below listed several most popular Cat 5e cables sold in Fiberstore for your choice.

FS P.N. Description
22831 3m Cat 5e Purple Snagless Booted Unshielded(UTP) PVC Ethernet Network Patch Cable
22842 20m Cat 5e Blue Snagless Booted Unshielded(UTP) LSZH Ethernet Network Patch Cable
13826 3m Cat 5e Green Non-booted Unshielded(UTP) PVC Ethernet Network Patch Cable
22775 1m Cat 5e Purple Snagless Booted Unshielded(UTP) PVC Ethernet Network Patch Cable
22835 2m Cat 5e Blue Snagless Booted Unshielded(UTP) LSZH Ethernet Network Patch Cable

Related Articles:

Ethernet Cable Types – Cat5e, Cat6, Cat6a, and Cat7

Quick View of Ethernet Cables Cat5, Cat5e And Cat6

Patch Cable vs. Crossover Cable: What Is the Difference?

Three Kinds of Polarity Reversal Methods of LC Uniboot Patch Cords

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As the networking environment of today becomes increasingly dependent on high-speed and high-density solutions, effective cable management is a real problem. The challenge is how to manage more cables in a smaller amount of space. The LC uniboot patch cord utilises a special “round duplex” cable that allows duplex transmission within a single 2.4mm or 3.0mm cable, which reduces cable management space by up to 70% comparing to standard LC patch cords. Besides, it has a unique polarity reversal design allows the fiber polarity to be easily switched without the use of any tools. In today’s LC uniboot patch cords market, there are usually three methods to reverse the polarity.

Method One
1. Open connector top.

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2. Switch the polarity.

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3. Close connector top.

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Method Two
1. Locate trigger housing on LC uniboot connector and pull towards the boot.

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2. Open trigger housing is resting on the boot turn each LC connector to the outside 180 degrees one at a time.

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3. Complete the polarity reversal by turning the resting trigger housing 180 degrees around boot and click into LC until you hear a click.

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Method Three
1. Connector Polarity
Uncrossed lines under the connector latch on the housing at both ends indicates uncrossed fiber polarity A-B/B-A.

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2. Unlock Front Housing on One End
Push the keys on either side to unlock the housing to remove the front section of the Uniboot housing.

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3. Remove Front Housing
Slide the front housing away from the rest of the Uniboot.

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4. Rotate Front Housing
Flip the released section of the housing. Do not rotate or twist the fiber.

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5. Attach Front Housing
Push the housing back over the ends and the rest of the Uniboot connector until it clicks back into place.

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6. Connector Polarity
Finished result should now show crossed lines under the flipped connector latch and uncrossed lines on the unaltered end. This would indicate a crossed fiber polarity A-A/B-B.

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Different kind of LC uniboot patch cords may have different polarity reversal design, therefore we must use different method to change the polarity. When you choose to use LC uniboot patch cords in your network, keep in mind to take the polarity reversal methods in to consideration. FS.COM LC uniboot patch cords (easily reverse the polarity with method one) terminated with premium grade zirconia ceramic ferrule connectors which help assure high transmission quality and low optical power loss and offer improved airflow and visibility of equipment within a high-density network environment.

Unveil Polarity of MTP/MPO Multi-Fiber Cable Solutions

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With widespread deployment of 40G and 100G networks, high-density MTP/MPO cable solutions are also become more and more popular. Unlike traditional 2‐fiber configurations LC or SC patch cords, with one send and one receive, 40G & 100G Ethernet implementations over multimode fibers use multiple parallel 10G connections that are aggregated. 40G uses four 10G fibers to send and four 10G fibers to receive, while 100G uses ten 10G fibers in each direction. MTP/MPO cable can hold 12 or 24 fibers in a connector, which greatly facilitates the upgrade to 40G and 100G networks. However, since there are so many fibers, the polarity management of the MTP/MPO cable may be a problem.

Structure of MTP/MPO Connectors
Before explaining the polarity, it is important to learn about the structure of MTP/MPO connector first. Each MTP connector has a key on one side of the connector body. When the key sits on top, this is referred to as the key up position. In this orientation, each of the fiber holes in the connector is numbered in sequence from left to right. We will refer to these connector holes as positions, or P1, P2, etc. Each connector is additionally marked with a white dot on the connector body to designate the position 1 side of the connector when it is plugged in.

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Structure of MTP/MPO Adapters
Since the MTP connectors can either key up and key down, there are two types of MPO adapters.

  • Type A: Key-up to key-down

Here the key is up on one side and down on the other. The two connectors are connected turned 180° in relation to each other.

  • Type B: Key-up to key-up

Both keys are up. The two connectors are connected while in the same position in relation to each other.

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Two Polarity of Traditional Duplex Patch Cable
Classic duplex cables are available in a cross-over version (A-to-A) or a straight-through version (A-to-B) and are terminated with LC or SC connectors. Telecommunications Cabling Standard defines the A-B polarity scenario for discrete duplex patch cords, with the premise that transmit (Tx) should always go to receive (Rx) — or “A” should always connect to “B”. Therefore, A-B polarity duplex is very common in applications.

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Three Polarity of MTP/MPO Multi-Fiber Cable
Unlike traditional duplex patch cables, there are three polarity for MTP/MPO cables: polarity A, polarity B and polarity C.

  • Polarity A

Polarity A MTP cables use a key up, key down design. Therefore, as shown in the figure below, the position 1 of one connector is corresponding to the position 1 of another connector. There is no polarity flip. Therefore, when we use polarity A MTP cable for connection, we must use A-B duplex patch cables on one end and A-A duplex patch cables on the other end. Since in this link, Rx1 must connect to Tx1. If we don’t use A-A duplex patch cable, according to the design principle of polarity A MTP cable, fiber 1 may transmit to fiber 1, that is to say Rx1 may transmit to Rx1, which may cause errors.

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  • Polarity B

Polarity B MTP cables use a key up, key up design. Therefore, as shown in the figure below, the position 1 of one connector is corresponding to the position 12 of another connector. Therefore, when we use polarity B MTP cable for connection, we should use a A-B duplex patch cables on both ends. Since the key up to key up design help to flip the polarity, which makes fiber 1 transmit to fiber 12, that is the Rx1 transmits to Tx1.

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  • Polarity C

Like the polarity A MTP cables, polarity C MTP cables also use a key up, key down design. However, within in the cable, there is a fiber cross design, which makes the position 1 of one connector is corresponding to the position 2 of another connector. As shown in the figure below, when we use polarity C MTP cable for connection, we should use a A-B duplex patch cables on both ends. Since the cross fiber design help to flip the polarity, which makes fiber 1 transmit to fiber 2, that is the Rx1 transmits to Tx1.

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Conclusion
Different polarity MTP cables may have different connection methods. No matter which type cable you choose, remember its design principle and choose the right cabling infrastructure for your network. FS.COM provides a full range of MTP cables and MTP cassettes,  polarity A, B and C are all available.

Three Types MTP Harness Cables Used in Today’s Data Center

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As we know, harness cables are generally used to connect high-density switches with LC serial transceivers installed. The transition harness connects to the pre-installed MTP backbone trunk cable and then furcates to LC connectors entering the switch. This kind of MTP-LC harness cables are usually supplied in short lengths because they are normally only used for “in-rack” connections. Transition harnesses are available for Base-8, 12 and 24 backbones and the LC tails are numbered for clear port identification and traceability.

MTP Harness Cable

Application Scene

MTP-LC harness cables application

Another harness cable type is conversion harness cables, which allow users to convert their existing MTP backbone cables to an MTP type which matches their active equipment. Conversion harnesses are a low-loss alternative to conversion modules because they eliminate one mated MTP pair across the link. Many of today’s legacy infrastructures are built using a Base-12 MTP backbone design, however experience shows us that this connector is rarely used on higher data rate switches or servers. Currently Base-8 is the preferred connector for 40G (SR4) transceivers and Base-24 is the preferred connector for 100G transceivers (SR10).

MTP Harness Cable

The final type of harness cable is MTP trunk harness cables. MTP trunk harness cables are high density multi-stranded cables which form the backbone of the data center. This kind of trunk harness cables are available in different fiber-counts up to 144 fibers, which reduce the installation time by consolidating multiple sub-units into a single cable. This approach significantly reduces the overall diameter of the cable and provides much better space utilization of cable routing channels. Just as two types harness cables mentioned, the MTP trunk harness cables are also available with 8, 12 and 24 fiber sub-units so that users can deploy Base-8, Base-12 or Base-24 infrastructures to suit their MTP connectivity requirements.

MTP harness cable

Conversion and Trunk harness Cable Application

Conversion-and-Trunk-harness-cable-Application

Have You Ever Used Traceable Fiber Patch Cords?

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Finding patch cord connections within densely populated patching areas is always a challenge. To meet the ever-growing need to quickly and easily identify and trace network connections in today’s high-density and mission-critical infrastructure environments, traceable fiber patch cords were introduced, which offer quick and accurate method of identifying the termination point of optical patch cords. Have you ever used this fiber cable type? This article may provide some knowledge about traceable fiber patch cords.

Traceable Fiber Patch Cords Design
Seen from the picture below, each end of traceable fiber patch cord features a flashing LED light allowing technicians to visually trace individual patch cords from one end to another without pulling or affecting the patch cord. In terms of power driving, the size of the power adapter will be changed with the variation of length of the cable.

Traceable Fiber Patch Cord

How Do Traceable Fiber Patch Cords Work?
Traceable fiber patch cord features a LED component inside each connector end. Pushing the activation button causes the LED on both ends begin to flash rapidly, as a result, the connector on the distant end of the patch cords start reflecting the flashing light and can be quickly and easily identified without interruption of service.

Traceable Fiber Patch Cable

Traceable Fiber Patch Cords Features and Benefits
Traceable fiber patch cord is targeted toward high-density and high congestion areas of the telecommunication fiber optic network. Areas of use spans across the network where passive and active fiber management elements are located. The features and benefits of the traceable fiber patch cords are displayed in the table below.

Feature Benefit
LED indicator at both ends of jumper Visual indication of the far end of the jumper
Simple LED tool to apply power to one end of jumper to easily identify the far end of a jumper in connected area Eliminates errors due to mislabeling, missing labels or confusion in high density frames
Assemblies are available in Singlemode Bend Insensitive Fiber (BIF) and multimode OM3 and OM4 fiber types Reduced insertion loss while routing cable through congested fiber trough and tray, dense frames or between equipment
All assemblies meet TIA/EIA and IEC intermateability standards.
RoHS compliant
Reduce OPEX cost by reducing installation, maintenance and trouble shooting time
Available in a wide variety of connector types and lengths.
Custom configurations available upon request, including multiple boot styles, colors and angle options
Simplify and speed up deployment and cross connect
Eliminate errors during move and adds of fiber capacity
Simple ordering process of the right product for the application

FS.COM offers traceable fiber patch cords in 10G (OM3 and OM4) performance for 10-Gbit applications, as well as single mode or OM1 and OM2 performance for Gbit applications. FS.COM’s traceable fiber patch cords feature an integrated and exceptionally bright LED light that enables easy identification of where the cord is connected. For more information, please contact at sales@fs.com.

250um Bare Fiber vs. 900um Tight Buffer Fiber

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Ever wonder the difference between loose-tube 250um bare fiber and tight-buffered 900um fiber? Loose-tube 250um and tight-buffered 900um fiber cables actually start with the same 250um bare fibers that feature the same size fiber core (i.e., 50um for multimode and 9um for singlemode), 125um cladding and soft 250um coating. The difference between these two cables all lies in the cable construction.

900um Fiber Adds an Additional Layer
Tight-buffered 900um fiber includes an additional 900um layer of hard plastic over the 250um fibers for protection. Within the cable, several of these color-coded 900um tight buffered fibers are situated around a central strength member and then covered with Kevlar or aramid yarn for protection, a rip cord and then the jacket.

250um Bare Fiber vs. 900um Tight Buffer Fiber
Tight-buffered 900um fiber cable comes in various fiber counts that typically range from 2 to 144 fibers, with larger fiber counts featuring fiber subunits of 6 or 12 fibers within the cable. For example, a 144-fiber cable usually has twelve 12-fiber subunits while a 36-fiber cable could have six 6-fiber subunits or three 12-fiber subunits.

900um fiber cable

250um Fiber Is Enclosed in Tubes
Loose-tube 250um fiber places up to 12 bare 250um fibers inside a flexible plastic tube, which are also color coded and situated around a central strength member with Kevlar or aramid yarn for protection. Buffered loose-tube cables feature an outer waterblocking tape around the tubes, beneath the outer jacket.

 250um fiber cableThe tubes themselves are gel-filled to prevent water migration, or they are available with a dry waterblocking technology—sometimes referred to as gel-free cable. Both of these materials are vital to prevent water from migrating into the tubes and potentially freezing, expanding and breaking the fiber. Dry waterblocking technology significantly reduces installation time by eliminating the need to clean off the gel prior to termination.

Loose-tube 250um fiber cable comes in various fiber counts that typically range from 6 to 144. With the exception of a 6-fiber cable, the fibers are grouped into sets of 12 for maximum density. Speaking of density, without the 900um plastic coating, loose-tube 250um fiber cables are less than half the size of 900um fiber cables—1.4 inch (35.6 mm) for a 144-fiber tight buffer cable and only 67 inch (17 mm) for an outdoor 144-fiber loose-tube cable.

From Outdoor to Indoor Applications
Generally speaking, tight-buffered 900um fiber cables are used for indoor applications, including intra-building riser and plenum applications and in the data center. Loose-tube 250um fiber cables are typically used in outside plant (OSP) applications, such as inter-building duct, aerial and direct buried installations.

cable terminationWhile indoor/outdoor cables are popular for eliminating the need for service entrance splicing to in-building cable, OSP loose-tube 250um cabling must be terminated within 50 feet of entering a facility. To accomplish this, breakout kits are used to build the 250um cable up for protection and termination to 900um connector boots. The problem with breakout kits is that they add additional material costs and a significant amount of labor. One option is to terminate the 250um fiber directly to 250um connector boots. This can speed network deployment in the data center and fiber-to-the-home applications.

What’s the Difference Between Twisted Pair vs Coaxial Cable vs Fiber Optic

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As we know, communication system usually uses a wire or cable to connect sending and receiving devices. Currently, the most common network cable types deployed in communication system are twisted pair vs coaxial cable vs fiber optic cable. Since each of them can be equally applied into network communication, what’s the difference between twisted pair vs coaxial cable vs fiber optic? This article may give some answers.

Twisted Pair Cables
Twisted PairTwisted pair cable consists of a pair of insulated wires twisted together, which is adapted in the field of telecommunication for a long time. With the cable twisting together, it helps to reduce noise from outside sources and crosstalk on multi-pair cables. Basically, twisted pair cable can be divided into two types: unshielded twisted-pair (UTP) and shielded twisted-pair (STP). The former serves as the most commonly used one with merely two insulated wires twisted together. Any data communication cables and normal telephone cables belong to this category. However, shielded twisted pair distinguishes itself from UTP in that it consists of a foil jacket which helps to prevent crosstalk and noise from outside source. It is typically used to eliminate inductive and capacitive coupling, so it can be applied between equipment, racks and buildings. There exist following several different types of twisted pair cables:

Twisted Pair Cables

Coaxial Cables
Coaxial-CableCoaxial cable acts as a high-frequency transmission cable which contains a single solid-copper core. A coaxial cable has over 80 times the transmission capability of the twisted-pair. It is commonly used to deliver television signals and to connect computers in a network as well, so people may get more familiar with this kind of network cable. There are two coaxial cables: 75 Ohm and 50 Ohm. What’s the application of them respectively?

  • 75 Ohm coaxial cable

The primary use of a 75 Ohm cable is to transmit a video signal. One of the typical applications is television signals over network cable, sometimes called signal feed cables. The most common connector used in this application is a Type F. Another application is video signals between components such as DVD players, VCRs or Receivers commonly known as audio/video (A/V) cables. In this case BNC and RCA connectors are most often found. In both of these applications RG59 with both solid center conductor (RG59B/U) and stranded center conductor (RG59A/U) as well as RG6 are often found.

75 Ohm coaxial cable

  • 50 Ohm coaxial cable

The primary use of a 50 Ohm coaxial cable is transmission of a data signal in a two-way communication system. Some common applications for 50 Ohm coaxial cable are computer ethernet backbones, wireless antenna feed cables, GPS (Global Positioning Satellite) antenna feed cables and cell phone systems.

50 Ohm coaxial cable (1)

Fiber Optic Cable

Picture of optical cables pluged in network server

Computing and data communications are fast-moving technologies. There comes a new generation of transmission media—fiber optic cable. It refers to the complete assembly of fibers, which contain one or more optical fibers that are used to transmit data. Each of the optical fiber elements is individually coated by plastic layers and contained in a protective tube. Fiber optic cable transmits data as pulses of light go through tiny tubes of glass, the transmission capacity of which is 26,000 times higher than that of twisted-pair cable. When comparing with coaxial cables, fiber optic cables are lighter and reliable for transmitting data. They transmit information using beams of light at light speed rather than pulses of electricity.

Nowadays, there are two fiber optic cable types widely adopted in the field of data transfer—single mode fiber optic cable and multimode fiber optic cable. A single-mode optical fiber is a fiber that has a small core, and only allows one mode of light to propagate at a time. So it is generally adapted to high speed, long-distance applications. While a multimode optical fiber is a type of optical fiber with a core diameter larger than the wavelength of light transmitted and it is designed to carry multiple light rays, or modes at the same time. It is mostly used for communication over short distances because of its high capacity and reliability, serving as a backbone application in buildings.

Singlemode-vs-Multimode Fiber Optic Cable

Conclusion of Twisted Pair vs Coaxial Cable vs Fiber Optic
As the technology in the field of the network is developing rapidly, network cable seems to become the trend for the increasing demand of the market. After learning the difference between twisted pair vs coaxial cable vs fiber optic, we know how to choose network cable. However, whether to choose twisted pair cables, coaxial cables or fiber optic cables still depends heavily on applications, which is subject to the cost, transmission distance and performance.

Related Article: Which Patch Cable Should I Choose for My Optical Transceiver?

Fiber Optic Cable vs Twisted Pair Cable vs Coaxial Cable

6 Steps Help to Choose Right Fiber Patch Cord Types

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There are many fiber patch cord types, such as OM1, OM2, OM3, OM4 multimode fiber and OS2 single mode fiber types. Both ends of the cable are terminated with a high performance hybrid or single type connector comprising of a SC, ST, FC, LC, MTRJ, E2000 connector in simplex and duplex. These are typically not ruggedized, depending on the application, making them suitable for internal use. How to choose right fiber patch cord types for your network? Just follow these 6 steps.

Step 1: Choose the Right Connector Type (LC/SC/ST/FC/MPO/MTP)

Different fiber patch cord typesOn both ends of the fiber optic patch cord are terminated with a fiber optic connector (LC/SC/ST/FC/MPO/MTP). Different connector is used to plug into different device. If ports in the both ends devices are the same, we can use such as LC-LC/SC-SC/MPO-MPO patch cables. If you want to connect different ports type devices, LC-SC/LC-ST/LC-FC patch cables may suit you.

LC SC ST FC MPO MTP fiber optic patcah cable

Step 2: Choose Single-mode or Multimode Cable Type?
Single-mode fiber patch cord uses 9/125um glass fiber, Multimode fiber patch cord uses 50/125um or 62.5/125um glass fiber. Single-mode fiber optic patch cord is used in long distance data transmission. multimode fiber optic patch cord is use in short distance transmission. Typical single-mode fiber optic patch cord used yellow fiber cable and multi mode fiber optic patch cord used orange or aqua fiber cable.

single-mode multimode fiber optic patch cable

Step 3: Fiber Patch Cord Types – Choose Simplex or Duplex?
Simplex means this fiber patch cable is with one cord, at each end is only one fiber connector, which is used for Bidirectional (BIDI) fiber optic transceivers. Duplex can be regarded as two fiber patch cable put side by side, which is used for common transceivers.

simplex duplex fiber optic patch cable

Step 4: Choose the Right Cable Length (1m/5m/10m/20m/30m/50m)
Fiber optic patch cables are made in different lengths, usually from 0.5m to 50m. You should choose an appropriate cable length according to the distance between the devices you want to connect.

Step 5: Choose the Right Connector Polish Type (UPC/APC)
Since the loss of the APC connector is lower than UPC connectors, usually, the optical performance of APC connectors is better than UPC connectors. In the current market, the APC connectors are widely used in applications such as FTTx, passive optical network (PON) and wavelength-division multiplexing (WDM) that are more sensitive to return loss. But APC connector is usually expensive than UPC connector, so you should weigh the pros and cons. With those applications that call for high precision optical fiber signaling, APC should be the first consideration, but less sensitive digital systems will perform equally well using UPC. Usually, connector color of APC patch cable is green, and of UPC patch cable is blue.

UPC APC fiber optic patch cable

Step6: Choose the Right Cable Jacket Type (PVC/LSZH/OFNP/Armored)
Usually, there are three cable jacket types: Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC), Low Smoke Zero Halogen (LSZH) and Optical Fiber Nonconductive Plenum (OFNP). You can see there features in figure below and choose the right one for your network.

PVC LSZH OFNP Fiber Optic Patch Cable
Besides the three cables mentioned above, there is another common cable—Armored Cable. The double tubing and steel sleeve construction make these patch cables completely light tight, even when bent. These cables can withstand high crushing pressures, making them suitable for running along floors and other areas where they may be stepped on. The tubing also provides excellent cutting resistance, abrasion resistance, and high tensile strength.

Armored Fiber Optic Patch Cable

FS.COM provides all kinds of fiber optic patch cables to meet demands of various customers!

Related Article:

 Common Types of Fiber Patch Cables

What Kind of Fiber Patch Cord Should I Choose?

How to Ensure MTP/MPO Polarity of the Patch Cable Is Always Right?

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As we know, in order to ensure the right MTP/MPO polarity, transmit signal (Tx) at one end of the cable must match the corresponding receiver (Rx) at the other end of the cable. In some complex cabling deployment, it seems not much simple. Now this article may give you some golden rules to help you ensure the right MTP/MPO polarity of Patch Cables.

You’d Better Use the Same Type Patch Cable
When fiber optic patch cables have different polarity (for example, MTP or MPO polarity), we must to be very careful when replacing patch cables in our network. If you don’t understand polarity and use the wrong polarity patch cables, it may influence the transmission the damage your device. To decrease this risk, we recommend that you’d better use the same patch cables in your network.

Type A/B LC Duplex and Type B Female-to-Female MPO Patch Cables Are Common
Two types of duplex fiber patch cord are defined in the TIA standard: A-to-A (cross-over) type and A-to-B (straight-through) type. Note: A-to-A patch cords are not commonly deployed and should be used only when necessary as part of a polarity method (See ANSI/TIA-568-C.0).

Type A/B LC Duplex cable

The three methods for proper polarity defined by TIA 568 standard are named as Method A, Method B and Method C. To match these standards, three type of MPO trunk cables with different structures named Type A, Type B and Type C are being used for the three different connectivity methods respectively. As shown in the figure below, type A MPO cables just like the A-to-A duplex cables, Tx can’t match the Rx. Type C MPO cables use a pair flip design, which aren’t suitable for 40GBASE-SR4 and 100GBASE-SR4 standard. Therefore, we should use Type B MPO cables for connection.

MPO_to_MPO_Polarity
For MTP/MPO cables, gender is a big problem. MTP/MPO interfaces on optical transceivers are always male (pinned). To avoid damage to the optical module, MTP/MPO polarity must always be female-to-female (unpinned). Besides, there is a rule must be obeyed if we want to connect an MPO patch cable to another cable. That is a male patch cable must be connected to a female patch cable. Never connect a male to a male one or a female to a female one.

MPO patch cable male female polarity

Three Connection Methods Help Keep the Right MTP/MPO Polarity
1. Type A connection
One end of Type A MPO/MTP patch cord is A-B normal patch cord, the other end A-A. Between MPO/MTP patch cord and normal patch cord is Type A MPO/MTP cassette and Type A MPO/MTP adapter (The two keys of type A adapter is opposite levels)

Type A connection

2. Type B connection
Both ends of Type B MPO/MTP patch cord are A-B normal patch cord. Between MPO/MTP patch cord and normal patch cord is Type B MPO/MTP cassette and Type B MPO/MTP adapter (The two keys of type B adapter is same level)

Type B connection

3. Type C connection
Both ends of Type C MPO/MTP patch cord are A-B normal patch cord. Between MPO/MTP patch cord and normal patch cord is Type A MPO/MTP cassette and Type A MPO/MTP adapter (The two keys of type A adapter is opposite levels)

Type C connection

All kinds of duplex patch cables and MPO patch cables are available and in stock for same-day shipping in FS.COM. For more information, you can contact us at sales@fs.com.

Related Article:

Unveil Polarity of MTP/MPO Multi-Fiber Cable Solutions

Polarity and MPO Technology in 40/100GbE Transmission

10G SFP+ and 40G QSFP+ Transceivers Cabling Solutions

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This article will discuss different connection methods between parallel Quad Small Form-factor Pluggable (QSFP+) transceivers and Small Form-factor Pluggable (SFP+) transceivers. As we know, a 40G QSFP+ transceiver can be either an 8-fiber parallel link or a 2-fiber duplex link. In this document when QSFP is used we will be discussing an 8-fiber parallel link. A SFP+ transceiver is usually an 2-fiber duplex link. According to standard, since QSFP+ is 40G interface, SFP+ is 10G interface, therefore four SFP+ transceiver must be needed to connect to one QSFP+ transceivers to achieve 40G transmission.

40G QSFP+ to 10 SFP+ Direct Connectivity Solutions
When directly connecting a QSFP port to the four corresponding SFP ports, an eight fiber MTP-LC breakout cable is required. The harness will have four LC Duplex connectors and the fibers will be paired in a specific way, assuring the proper polarity is maintained. This type of direct connectivity is only suggested for short distances within a given row or in the same rack/cabinet.

10G SFP+ and 40G QSFP+ direct connection

  • Polarity Drawing for Above Scenario 

Polarity Drawing for Direct Connectivity Solutions

40G QSFP+ to 10 SFP+ Interconnect Solutions
The 40G QSFP+ to 10 SFP+ interconnect solution shown in figure below shows one link with a breakout of the QSFP with the use of an MTP-LC module to four SFP links. A Type-B non-pinned MTP to non-pinned MTP cable is used between MTP-LC modulethe MTP-LC module and QSFP transceiver. The connection to the SFP transceivers is accomplished with Uniboot LC duplexed jumpers. This is a solution that is only recommended for short distances, where the patching takes place within a given row of racks/cabinets. This solution does present some disadvantages which are that ports 5 & 6 of the module are not being used thus reducing the patch panel density. It may also create some confusion when patching occurs since these two ports are dark.

SFP+ QSFP+ Interconnect Solutions

  • Polarity Drawing for Above Scenario Polarity Drawing for 10G SFP+ and 40G QSFP+ Interconnect Solutions

Unlike the patching approach in figure above, the solution shown in figure below has no dark fibers oLC-LC adapter panelr ports. The Type-B jumper is replaced with an eight-fiber harness. The modules are replaced with the LC-LC adapter panel. Using this approach allows full patch panel density that was lost in the previous example. Only two LC-LC adapter panels will be required for every three 8-fiber harnesses. All ports on the LC-LC adapter panels will be used and the connections to the 10GbE ports will be completed with an Uniboot LC duplexed jumper. This solution should also be deployed when there is a short distance between active components (within the same row). Note the LC panel does not support the LC Uniboot connector, only LC Duplex connectors with the triggers removed to avoid clearance issues with the panel cover.

10G 40G Interconnect Solutions

  • Polarity Drawing for Above Scenario 

Polarity Drawing for 10G SFP+ and 40G QSFP+ Solution

Fiberstore (FS.COM) provide all the products mentioned above, including 10G SFP+ transceivers, 40G QSFP+ transceivers, MTP patch cables, MTP-LC harness cable, MTP-LC module and LC-LC adapter panel. All in stock and can be shipped the same day.

Related article: It’s Time to Use MTP Cassettes in Your Network!