Comparison of Multimode Patch Cable and Single-mode Patch Cable

Fiber optic patch cables are also referred to as fiber optic patch cords or fiber optic jumper cables, which are designed to connect the optical transmitter, receiver and terminal box in a simple way. With the greater advantages, the fiber optic patch cables become an inevitable choice to set up large-scale network, instead of copper cables. To meet the requirement of fiber optics market, the types of fiber optic patch cables are being more and more diversifying, which can be classified by fiber cable mode, fiber cable structure, connector types, etc.

When selecting the fiber optic patch cables, you’ll find many types of fiber optic patch cables in your list and you may feel a little confused about the selection. In this article, it will mainly introduce the differences between single-mode patch cable and multimode patch cable, which will help you have a good knowledge of this classification.

Structure Difference

In general, the fiber optic patch cable is composed of fiber optic cable and connectors in the view of the external structure. As for the internal structure, it has one transparent glass core with the property of high refractive index in the center of fiber optic patch cable, which makes optical signal transmitted as long as possible with low loss. Meanwhile, the core is covered by a protective cladding with the property of low refractive index, which strengthens the function of low signal loss. Besides, the fiber optic patch cable has a thick jacket outside to protect its core and cladding from the damage of external environment.

However, in addition to the similarities, there is a true structural difference between single-mode patch cable and multimode patch cable. Detailedly, the core diameter of the multimode patch cable is always 50 μm or 62.5 μm, while the core diameter of the single-mode patch cable is much smaller, 9μm. From the following picture, we can know exactly what the core diameter difference is between single-mode patch cable and multimode patch cable.

Color Difference

Fiber optic patch cables are always differently colored, such as, yellow, orange. Is there any classification according to distinct color? In principle, the color of the single-mode patch cable is yellow, as the multimode patch cable is orange, aqua or light blue. That’s to say, yellow optic patch cable would be a single-mode patch cable, and the aqua fiber patch cable is usually a multimode patch cable. The following figure provides the color difference between single-mode patch cable and multimode patch cable for your reference.

Application Difference

For its small core diameter, the single-mode patch cable can only carry the single optical signal in the same mode with different frequencies, which has little modal dispersion in the signal transmission. Meanwhile, its light source is provided by laser, which means that the signal power in single-mode patch cable is very strong. Therefore, the single-mode patch cable is commonly used in the applications for long distance transmission. What should be noted is that, due to its advantages of wide transmission band, big capacity and high speed, it is much more expensive than the multimode patch cable.

As for the multimode patch cable, it is clearly different from the single-mode one. It can carry more than one light signals in the different modes, which requires a much longer core diameter. Under this condition, it seriously causes the disadvantage of large dispersion. The longer the distance the signal is transmitted through multimode patch cable, the larger the dispersion is. Besides, its light source is provided by LEDs and the signal power in multimode patch cable is not so strong as in single-mode patch cable accordingly. Hence, the multimode patch cable is designed for short distance transmission with lower cost.

Conclusion

It can be concluded from this article that different fiber patch cables are designed for specific aims. If you want the high-speed and long-distance transmission, you are suggested to choose the single-mode patch cable; if low cost and short-distance transmission is demanded, the multimode patch cable must meet your needs. Just choose the suitable one for your network.