Tag Archives: OM4 multimode fiber

What are OM1, OM2, OM3 and OM4?

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There are different types of fiber optic cable. Some types are single-mode, and some types are multimode. Multimode fibers are described by their core and cladding diameters. Usually the diameter of the multimode fiber is either 50/125 µm or 62.5/125 µm. At present, there are four kinds of multi-mode fibers: OM1, OM2, OM3 and OM4. The letters “OM” stand for optical multimode. Each type of them has different characteristics.

Standard

Each “OM” has a minimum Modal Bandwidth (MBW) requirement. OM1, OM2, and OM3 fiber are determined by the ISO 11801 standard, which is based on the modal bandwidth of the multimode fiber. In August of 2009, TIA/EIA approved and released 492AAAD, which defines the performance criteria for OM4. While they developed the original “OM” designations, IEC has not yet released an approved equivalent standard that will eventually be documented as fiber type A1a.3 in IEC 60793-2-10.

Specifications

  • OM1 cable typically comes with an orange jacket and has a core size of 62.5 micrometers (µm). It can support 10 Gigabit Ethernet at lengths up 33 meters. It is most commonly used for 100 Megabit Ethernet applications.
  • OM2 also has a suggested jacket color of orange. Its core size is 50µm instead of 62.5µm. It supports 10 Gigabit Ethernet at lengths up to 82 meters but is more commonly used for 1 Gigabit Ethernet applications.
  • OM3 fiber has a suggested jacket color of aqua. Like OM2, its core size is 50µm. It supports 10 Gigabit Ethernet at lengths up to 300 meters. Besides OM3 is able to support 40 Gigabit and 100 Gigabit Ethernet up to 100 meters. 10 Gigabit Ethernet is its most common use.
  • OM4 also has a suggested jacket color of aqua. It is a further improvement to OM3. It also uses a 50µm core but it supports 10 Gigabit Ethernet at lengths up 550 meters and it supports 100 Gigabit Ethernet at lengths up to 150 meters.

OM1, OM2, OM3 and OM4 multi-mode fiber

Differences

There are several differences between four kinds of multi-mode fiber, and we can see them clearly from the table below:
OM1, OM2, OM3 and OM4 multi-mode fiber

  • Diameter: The core diameter of OM1 is 62.5 µm , however, core diameter of the OM2, OM3 and OM4 is 50 µm.
  • Jacket Color: OM1 and OM2 MMF are generally defined by an orange jacket. OM3 and OM4 are usually defined with an aqua jacket.
  • Optical Source: OM1 and OM2 commonly use LED light source. However, OM3 and OM4 usually use 850 nm VCSELs.
  • Bandwidth: At 850 nm the minimal modal bandwidth of OM1 is 200MHz*km, of OM2 is 500MHz*km, of OM3 is 2000MHz*km, of OM4 is 4700MHz*km.

OM3 & OM4 are Superior to OM1&OM2

10G OM3Both OM1 and OM2 work with LED based equipment that can send hundreds of modes of light down the cable, while OM3 and OM4 are optimized for laser (eg. VCSEL) based equipment that uses fewer modes of light. LEDs can not be turned on/off fast enough to support higher bandwidth applications, while VCSELs are capable of modulation over 10 Gbit/s and are used in many high speed networks. For this reason, OM3 and OM4 are the only multi-mode fibers included in the 40G and 100G Ethernet standard. Now OM1 and OM2 are usually used for 1G which are not suitable for today’s higher-speed networks. OM3 and OM4 are used for 10G mostly at present. But in the future, since OM3 and OM4 can support the 40G and 100G, which may make them the tendency.

Related article: Singl-mode vs. Multimode Fiber Cable

Specifications for MTP and MPO Trunk Cable

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Along with the recent addition of new MTP and MPO trunk cable products for sale from FiberStore. Our company manufactures and distributes a wide range of MTP/MPO products including single mode or multimode MPO and MTP fiber patch cable.  Multi fiber ferrule connections used in high-density backplane and Printed Circuit Board (PCB) applications in data and telecommunications systems.  High density MTP/MPO trunk cables with up to 288 fibers in a single cable.  The MPO fiber cable connector offers up to 12 times the density of standard connectors, providing significant space and cost savings. The MTP/MPO patch cables and fanouts are designed to support high-speed, short-reach, data center applications.

mpo trunk cable

MPO/MTP Trunk Cable Specifications:

MPO trunk cable connectors utilize precision molded MT ferrules, with metal guide pins and precise housing dimensions to ensure fiber alignment when mating. Fiberstore MPO/MPT trunk cables using a compact and rugged microcable structure, according to different colors divided into SM, MM and 10G MM (such as OM4 MPO cable). The fiber ranges from 12 to 144, MTP polarity options are TIA way is Style A(up), Style B(down) and Style C(up/up).

The MPO/MTP Trunk cable is designs for Data Center Applications. It is divided into round cable and flat cable with the outer diameter of 3.0 mm or 4.5 mm. The connector where this cable is terminated on is the so called MPO/MTP connector. 10Gb, 40Gb and 100Gb configurations are also available.

MPO cables can fan-out to other connections such as SC or LC to interconnect with standard-density products or services, generally using 12 or 24 fibre cassettes.

The MPO system uses ribbon-fibre cables and typically has 6 or 12 cores housed in one high-density MPO connector. MPO cables can fan-out to other connections such as SC or LC to interconnect with standard-density products or services, generally using 12 or 24 fibre cassettes.

MTP/MPO Trunk Cable Assemblies are designed for high density application which offers excellent benefits in terms on-site installation time and space saving. These plug and play solutions uses micro core cable to maximize bend radius and minimize cable weight and size. MPO/MTP Trunk Cable are factory pre-terminated, tested and packed along with the test reports. Available in 12 core configuration, these space saving assemblies comes with either MTP Male or MTP Female Connectors on both the other end. They are available in lengths of 5, 10, 20, 50, 100 meters, custom lengths are available on request. MPO/MTP Trunk Cables are available in Single mode, Multimode OM1, OM2, OM3 or OM4 with LSZH or PVC Jackets.

MPO/MTP Trunk Cable Features:

  •     Used in 12-fiber or 24-fiber cabling systems
  •     Available in OM1, OM2, OM3 multimode fiber and OM4 multimode fiber
  •     Available in FC,LC, SC, ST, MU, and MTP
  •     Interface polished type has PC, UPC and APC
  •     Available in 12 / 24 / 36 / 48 / 72 / 96 / 144-fibers
  •     Up to 70% faster install than field-terminated trunks
  •     Optional pulling eye protects connectors and eases installation
  •     100% factory tested, with test results included for each assembly
  •     Discrete connectors are heat-cured and use ceramic ferrules and sleeves
  •     Fan-out fibers from MPO/MTP connectors into individual simplex or duplex
  •     Customized for length, staggering, connector type, breakout style, fiber count, and labeling fiber

Packaging:
The MPO patch cable is supplied protected in a plastic bag and packed in a carton box. Each cable has two identification labels, each containing: barcode, part number, factory order number, cable lengths and unique serial number.

For more MTP and MPO trunk cable products,or want to know kinds of fiber optic cable specifications, pls click fiber optic shop.The cable length can up to 999 ft, and breakout length from 12-99 inches. Actually, it belongs to a custom product, please kindly email your requirements to us!

OM3 OR OM4 Cable Which One Do You Need

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Many types of fiber optic cable in the online company supply.It has many choices in the internet.How to choose the right fiber optic cables if you needed? Such as the OM3 multimode fiber OR OM4 multimode fiber.The first we must know fiber optic cable specifications,and  know their different,and finally to determine which one is the most suitable.

10G Ethernet:

The 10G Ethernet basic power budget is about 6dB but this is degraded for longer link lengths due to signal distortions such as modal dispersion. These distortions mean that the detector requires more power to operate. The way this extra power is accommodated in channel planning is through a “power penalty”. In our example, the power penalty increases from 0 to almost 5dB for the maximum channel length. The penalty is not linear and increases dramatically as the maximum length is reached. In designing the channel, a key factor is the power budget available for connection loss. This is the total power budget inclusive of penalties reduced by the cable attenuation, leaving that portion of the power budget that may be used to cover connector insertion loss, splice loss, bend loss and contamination.The table opposite shows that at 300m with OM3 the loss available for all connections is only 1.79dB. On the other end OM4 allows up to 4.55dB, an increase of 2.76dB. A typical data centre channel may have eight connections. For OM3, the average loss must be less than 0.24dB,including all factors which means premium terminations must be used and there is no margin for installation faults, pinched cables or any other channel problem With a budget of 0.57dB per connection, OM4 allows considerable headroom to support a stable network. Know more OM3 and OM4 in this blog ,it can help you to choose the best cable in your project.

OM3 multimode fiber:

OM3 10G fiber optic cables which are used for 10Gigabit Ethernet applications. These cables are also called multimode OM3 10G Aqua fiber optic cables. Our OM3 10G cables are various types including different connector types, cable structure and cable length. Our OM3 multimode fiber that are compliant to ISO/IEC 11801 standards. These cables are used for 10Gbps networks to meet the requirement of continuous growing of high data rates.Typically 10 Gigabit applications are run on 9/125 Single Mode fiber, which require costly single mode transceivers. By utilizing the FOB501B series cables, you can implement low cost multimode transceivers or VCSEL’s (Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Lasers) resulting in greater overall system cost savings.

OM4 multimode fiber:

OM4 is the latest high modal bandwidth high performance 50/125 Graded Index Multimode (GIMM) cabled fibre specification. OM4 fibre enables extended range performance over high bit rate links such as 8 Gigabit Fibre Channel and 10 Gigabit Ethernet compared to existing fibre types. FiberStore offer a wide range of OM4 compliant cable assembly products in both standard OM4 and Reduced Bend Sensitivity (RBS) OM4 variants.

What is the difference between OM3 and OM4 fiber?

First, OM stands for optical multi-mode. Both OM3 an OM4 are  50/125 core fiber but they have different internal construction that allows the OM4 fiber to provide the same performance as OM3 but for longer distances. The reason for this is the difference in bandwidth, OM3 has 2500 megahertz bandwidth , OM4 has 4700 megahertz bandwidth. What this translates to is longer transmission distances for the OM4 fiber. So you will need to know the distance of the fiber run in order to help decide which kind of fiber and fiber accessories need to be used.

For more fiber optic cable specifications,pls contact with fibre optic cable suppliers.

Overview of Fiber Optic Cable Specifications

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Many questions tell us that it is important to protect the fibers.But how to protect the fiber cables,the first one is to know the fiber optic cable specifications,when we know it,we can protect it best. Cable’s job is to protect the fibers from the hazards encountered in an installation. Will the cables be exposed to chemicals or have to withstand a wide temperature range? What about being gnawed on by a woodchuck or prairie dog? Inside buildings, cables don’t have to be so strong to protect the fibers, but they have to meet all fire code provisions. Outside the building, it depends on whether the cable is buried directly, pulled in conduit, strung aerially or whatever.

Since the plan will call for a certain number of fibers, consider adding spare fibers to the cable – Cost of fiber optic cable is cheap! That way, you won’t be in trouble if you break a fiber or two when splicing, breaking-out or terminating fibers. And request the end user consider their future expansion needs. Most users install lots more fibers than needed, especially adding single mode duplex fiber to multimode duplex fiber optic cable for campus or backbone applications.Now, let’s go to know the standard fiber optic cable.

A standard fiber optic cable is comprised of four specific parts:

Core – A fiber optic’s center is made of glass, and this tube carries the cable’s light signals. Depending on the type of fiber optic cable (single mode or multi mode), the core varies in size. Single mode duplex fiber consist of a tiny glass core that typically has a diameter between 8.3 and 10 microns. This type of cable is usually installed for transferring high speed data over long distances. For multi mode fibers, the core is larger. Their core size ranges from 5 to 7 times larger than single mode cores. With a diameter ranging between 50 to 62.5 microns, multimode duplex fiber optic cable is perfect for high data applications. Multi mode cables are typically used over shorter distances than single mode fiber optic cables.FiberStore provide the hot seller multimode cable–OM4 multimode fiber and OM3 multimode fiber.

Cladding layer – Also constructed of glass, this “core cover” is used to keep the light in the core. When transmitting data (especially over long distances), light rays can reflect off each other and travel in different directions. The cladding keeps those signals straight.

Buffer – Also called the buffer coating, this sleeve protects the core and cladding from foreign material (FM) such as outside light, moisture, dirt and other substances. More often than not, the buffer is made of plastic.

Jacket – The fiber optic’s cable exterior is typically made of tough, durable polyurethane. Its job is to protect the overall integrity of the fiber optic cable. The jacket is the first line of defense in a fiber optic cable. Routing cables can put stresses on a fiber optic cable (kinks, knots, etc.) and a jacket sometimes contains an extra layer to avoid these potential hazards.

Fiber Optic Cable Based on Fiber Types

Based upon fiber types in a cable, fiber optic cables can be categorized as three types.

Single Mode Fiber Optic Cable
All fibers in the cable are single mode fibers.

Multimode Fiber Optic Cable – Multi Mode Fiber Optic Cable
All fibers in the cable are multimode cables.

Hybrid Composite Cable
Both single mode and multimode fibers are packaged in one cable, such as 4 multimode fibers and 4 single mode fibers in a single cable.

For more info about the fiber optic cable,pls focus on fiber optic cable manufacturerFiberStore.Thank you!

Some Question And Answer About OM4 Multimode Fiber

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The burst out in demand for bandwidth in enterprise networks is driving an urgent need for higher Ethernet network speeds. There are several factors, including broadband penetration fueled by video-rich content, Data Center demands, and exponential growth in super computer and R&D computing activities.

Laser Optimized Fiber:
Laser optimized multimode fiber is recognized as the medium of choice to support these high speed data networks. With next-generation 40 and 100 Gigabit Ethernet speeds on the horizon, the industry is developing a new type of multimode fiber, called OM4, there is now a standard that is specifically targeted at this product. Prior to the standardization of OM4, these higher bandwidth fibers were sold as a part of OM3.Which will offer a minimum effective modal bandwidth of 4700 MHz-km at 850 nm, compared with 2000 MHz-km for OM3 fiber optic cable.

What is OM4 fiber?
OM4 fiber is a 50 μm laser-optimized fiber with extended bandwidth. It is designed to enhance the system cost benefits enabled by 850 nm VCSELs for existing 1 and 10 Gb/s applications as well as future 40 and 100 Gb/s systems.
OM4 fiber supports Ethernet, Fiber Channel, and OIF applications, allowing extended reach upwards of 550 meters at 10 Gb/s for ultra long building backbones and medium length campus backbones. With an Effective Modal Bandwidth (EMB, also known as laser bandwidth) of 4700 MHz-km (more than double the IEEE require-ment for 10 Gb/s 300 meter support), OM4 fiber is also especially well suited for shorter reach data center and high performance computing applications.
Why is it called OM4 and the relationship with OM1,OM2,OM3?
Multimode fibers are identified by the OM (“optical mode”) designation as outlined in the ISO/IEC 11801 standard:
• OM1, for fiber with 200/500 MHz-km over filled launch (OFL) bandwidth at 850/1300 nm (typically
62.5/125 μm fiber)
• OM2, for fiber with 500/500 MHz-km OFL bandwidth at 850/1300 nm (typically 50/125 μm fiber)
• OM3, for laser-optimized 50 μm fiber having 2000 MHz-km effective modal bandwidth (laser band-width), designed for 10 Gb/s transmission.
For many years 62.5/125 µm (OM1) and conventional 50/125 µm multi-mode fiber (OM2) were widely deployed in premises applications. These fibers easily support applications ranging from Ethernet (10 Mbit/s) to Gigabit Ethernet (1 Gbit/s) and, because of their relatively large core size, were ideal for use with LED transmitters. Newer deployments often use laser-optimized 50/125 µm multi-mode fiber (OM3). Fibers that meet this designation provide sufficient bandwidth to support 10 Gigabit Ethernet up to 300 meters. Optical fiber manufacturers have greatly refined their manufacturing process since that standard was issued and cables can be made that support 10 GbE up to 550 meters. Laser optimized multi-mode fiber (LOMMF) is designed for use with 850 nm VCSELs. Today, this evolution continues with the development of OM4 multimode fiber as the industry prepares itself for speeds of 40 and 100 Gb/s.

What are the standards that define the use of OM4 fiber?
There are a number of standards under development that will define the use of OM4 fiber for high-speed transmission. Within the TIA, work is progressing on TIA-492AAAD, which will contain the OM4 fiber performance specifications. Similarly, IEC is working in parallel to adopt equivalent specs that will be documented in theinternational fiber standard IEC 60793-2-10 as fiber type A1a.3.

What role will OM4 fiber play in next-generation speeds?
IEEE continues to work on standards for next-generation speeds, where OM4 fiber is likely to play a large role.For short reach 40 Gb/s and 100 Gb/s applications on multimode fiber, it appears the IEEE 802.3ba Task Force has defined a Physical Medium Dependent (PMD) solution involving already proven parallel optics technology. This will help preserve the low cost advantage of today’s 850 nm VCSEL light sources. These parallel systems will transmit one 10 Gb/s signals on each of 4 or 10 fibers (for 40 Gb/s and 100 Gb/s, respectively). Each 10 Gb/s signal will be aggregated in an arrayed transceiver containing 4, or 10, VCSELs and detectors.
For these parallel systems, IEEE set an objective of a minimum reach of 100 meters (m), specifically on OM3 fiber (OM1 and OM2 fibers will not be supported in the 40 Gb/s and 100 Gb/s standard). Because the 100 m distance is expected to cover only about 85 percent of data center links, the Task force subsequently adopted OM4, capable of reaching 125 m. Although the additional 25 m may seem insignificant, it will support the majority of the remaining access to distribution and  distribution to core links in large data centers.

Note: FiberStore is a professional fiber optic cable manufacturer. We supply many kinds of 10G fiber cables. They are used for different applications, one must do a thorough research before buying fiber cables for network cabling. If you have some questions with 10G fiber cable, pls contact us in FiberStore website or via sales@fs.com.