Fiber Optic Patch Cable Overview
Fiber optic patch cable, also known as fiber optic jumper or fiber optic patch cord, is an optical cable capped at both end with connectors. The optical connectors on the end of these patch cords shall be compatible with the connectors furnished on the optical device transmit and receive cards. Fiber optic patch cords are designed to interconnect or cross connect fiber networks within structured cabling systems. When a company is investigating an upgrade to a fiber-optic network, one of the most basic questions to answer is "which kind of fiber patch cable do I need to use?" According to the optical fiber used, fiber optic patch cable can be divided into two types: single mode fiber patch cable and multimode fiber patch cable.
Single mode fiber patch cable is generally yellow, with a blue connector. Single mode fiber patch cable has a small diametral core of 8 to 10 microns, which allows only one mode of light to propagate, that is to say, light travels toward the center of the core in a single wavelength, which lowers the number of light reflections created as the light passes through the core, thus improving the ability for the signal to travel fast over long distance. Therefore, single mode patch cable is popular in long-distance situations spanning hundreds of kilometers such as those required in long-haul telephony and cable TV applications.
Multimode fiber patch cable is generally orange or gray, with a cream or black connector. It uses 62.5/125 micron or 50/125 micron bulk multimode fiber terminated with multimode fiber optic connectors at both ends. Multimode fiber patch cable which supports more than one mode of light to propagate is mostly used for communication over short distances, such as within a building or on a campus. Multimode fiber patch cable is popular in LANs because it can be powered by low-cost LEDs. Typical multimode links have data rates of 10 Mbit/s to 10 Gbit/s over link lengths of up to 600 meters.
Fiber optic cables find many uses in a wide variety of industries and applications. Some uses of fiber optic cables include:
- Medical
Used as light guides, imaging tools and also as lasers for surgeries - Defense/Government
Used as hydrophones for seismic and SONAR uses, as wiring in aircraft, submarines and other vehicles and also for field networking - Data Storage
Used for data transmission - Telecommunications
Applications include communication rooms, FTTH (Fiber to The Home), FOS(fiber optic sensor), Fiber Optic Communication System, Optical fiber connected and transmitted equipment, Defense combat readiness, etc. - Networking
Used to connect users and servers in a variety of network settings and help increase the speed and accuracy of data transmission - Industrial/Commercial
Used for imaging in hard to reach areas, as wiring where EMI is an issue, as sensory devices to make temperature, pressure and other measurements, and as wiring in automobiles and in industrial settings - Broadcast/CATV
Broadcast/cable companies are using fiber optic cables for wiring CATV, HDTV, internet, video on-demand and other applications
As a professional manufacturer and supplier for optical fiber products, Fiberstore offer various types of fiber optic cables including single-mode, multimode as well as plenum cable, PVC/LSZ cable, Push-Pull MPO patch cable to meet your specific applications and needs. With the higher bandwidths, flexibility, and security, all these fiber optic cables offer a promising solution to current networking challenges.
