What do OM1, OM2, OM3, and OM4 Fiber Mean?

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What do OM1, OM2, OM3, and OM4 Fiber Mean?
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Introduction

• Fiber optic cables are replacing the outdated
  copper cable ethernet networks in most place.
• They not only provide superior data speed but the
  larger data bandwidth.
• Since light signals is the medium, fiber optics
  are safe from electromagnetic interferences.
• Yet, when choosing the Pre-Terminated Single Mode
  Multimode Fiber Optic Cables, there are
  multiple factors to consider.

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Types of Fiber Optic Cables
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Types of Fiber Optic Cables

• Multimode Cable
• Ideal for small to medium network infrastructure
  (lt500mtrs)
• Prefixed with OM
• Multiple light beams travel via the principle of
  reflection and refraction
• Thicker 50-62.5 micron core

• Single Mode cable
• Great for long range data transmission (gt40kms)
• Prefixed with OS
• Single beam of light travels without any
  deviation
• Thinner 9-micron core

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Multimode Fiber Classification
According to ISO 11801 standard, multimode fiber
optic cables can be bifurcated into five grades

• OM1 fiber
• OM2 fiber
• OM3 fiber
• OM4 fiber
• OM5 fiber (released recently)

These fibers can be differentiated on the basis
of core size, data rate, bandwidth, color,
distance, and optical source
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OM1 Fiber

• Covered with an orange jacket.
• Has core size of 62.5 micrometers.
• Supports 10 Gigabit Ethernet at lengths up to 33
  meters.
• Often used for 100 Megabit Ethernet Applications.
• Uses LED light source.

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OM2 Fiber

• Jacket color is orange.
• Has core size of 50 micrometers.
• Supports 10 Gigabit Ethernet at lengths up to 82
  meters.
• Commonly used for 1 Gigabit Ethernet
  Applications.
• Uses LED light source.

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OM3 Fiber

• Jacket color is aqua.
• Has core size of 50 micrometers.
• Runs 10 Gigabit Ethernet at lengths up to 300
  meters.
• Commonly used for 10 Gigabit Ethernet
  Applications.
• Optimized for laser band equipment.

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OM4 Fiber

• Has the Aqua jacket color.
• Has core size of 50 micrometers
• Holds 10 Gigabit Ethernet at lengths up to 550
  meters.
• Supports 40/100 Gigabit
• Ethernet at lengths up to 150 meters utilizing an
  MPO connector.
• Specifically developed for VSCEL laser
  transmission.

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OM5 Fiber

• It was released in 2014 and is also known as
  Wideband Multimode Fiber (WB MMF).
• The color of the jacket is lime green.
• Have similar characteristics to OM4
• Supports a minimum of four WDM channels at the
  slightest speed of 28 Gbps per channel through
  the 850-953 micron window.

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Advantages of Multimode Fiber

• Multi-user framework
• Multi-mode fiber carries multiple signals at the
  same time in the same line without any
  interference and alteration.
• Support of multiple protocols
• Multimode fiber can be used for high-value
  applications as it can support various data
  transfer protocols such as Ethernet, Infiniband,
  and Internet protocols.
• Cost-effective
• Multimode fiber can work with optical components
  like fiber connectors and fiber adapters and are
  easy and cost-efficient to install, operate and
  maintain.

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Contact Us
FalconTech specializes in providing a large
portfolio of leading brands for IT, voice, video,
and data network cables and connectivity products.
Business Details Falcon Technologies, Inc. St.
Louis Office and Showroom Location 2631 Metro
Blvd. Maryland Heights, MO 63043
Business Hours Office Monday - Friday 730 am -
500 pm CST Will Call / Receiving Monday -
Friday 700 am - 500 pm CST
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