As you can see from the image above that there are several types of fiber, to be accurate, the image above shows us different types of sheathing, the actual fiber is usually one of two kinds: multi-mode or single-mode. Please note we will only discuss indoor fiber from this point forward. Older multi-mode cable is 62.5 micron, and is usually orange, while newer multi-mode cable is 50 micron, it is aqua in color. Single-mode is yellow. Multi-mode is designed to have several frequencies pass through it concurrently, while single-mode is designed to have 1 frequency. Single-mode has further distance limits and higher bandwidth ratings than multi-mode. More about multi-mode and single-mode from TLNetworx.com If you are in need of choosing the right fiber optic cable for your business, please Contact Us and we can help with choosing a future-proof solution.

As you can see, there are a dozen or so types of fiber connectors, but the most common ones found in businesses (excluding data centers, telecommunications providers, large scale enterprise) are the LC and SC connectors. LC is the smaller of the two, and is usually used on the actual device, while it is common to find either LC or SC in the fiber patch panel/enclosure, and it is worth mentioning LC is becoming the preferred choice for that too. If you need help choosing the right connectors, or need fiber connectors terminated or replaced, we can help, please Contact Us to discuss your needs in more detail.

Well, just like the types of fiber and connectors, which both come in different types, so does the patch cords for fiber. We recommend reading about those two topics, as patch cords is simply the two combined. You get patch cords in either the multi-mode or single-mode types, along with what kind of connectors you want on each end. IE. you might want a patch cord that goes from SC to LC, or you may want an LC to LC patch cord. When we talk about copper patch cords, we usually use feet, as in 3ft., 7ft, etc. But with fiber patch cords, their length is always in meters, IE. 1M,3M, etc. Please Contact Us for any questions you may have.