Benefits of Single Mode Fiber Optic Cable
Multi-Mode fiber optic cables are best used on a local basis. They can be used as the network backbone or for delivering super fast connections. These cables have a very high-speed data transmission capability, because of which it is difficult for them to transmit through long distances.
Single-Mode fiber optic cables are ideal for long-distance transmission, but they are not easy to deploy within a local area. They are also far more expensive than multi-mode cables. Also, you cannot get the same speed from them as with multi-mode cables.
As far as possible you should never interchange between Single-Mode and Multi-Mode fiber. That’s because the cables and the hardware used in them are not compatible. The cables need an extra piece of hardware for any type of translation. That’s why you should lay the right kind of cable at the start itself.
How Single Mode Fiber Optic Cables Work
The central glass core of single mode fiber optic cables is very thin, typically around 9 microns. This is only a little wider than the photons transmitted by them. A human hair is, for example, is 75-100 microns.
Single-Mode optical cables function with little or no internal reflection or refraction. These cables essentially send a laser beam through the core with no loss of power.
The laser beam goes through an optical switch at the receiving end of these cables. The switch, with the help of a transceiver decodes the laser beam into a more suitable format, which can then be used by the local network.
Cases in which single-mode cables are used instead of multi-mode cables…
The main issue with single mode cables is that they are more expensive than multi-mode cables, which is why they should not be used when transmitting data at 10 GBPS or more. You need very precise tooling to make these cables work for you. In optimal conditions, researchers have been able to send data at a much higher GBPS rate over single mode cables.
Don’t hesitate to ask questions before determining whether single mode cables are suitable for your purposes. You will have to determine factors such as speed, cost and distance of the transmission.
Where are Single-Mode Fibers used?
1 – Long Distance Deployments
These cables are used in situations where you need to physically wire two locations that are a mile apart together. With these cables, the data can get from Point A to Point B very fast. This makes them ideal for a single large location, such as a university or an IT campus.
2 – Telecommunications Networks
Most telecom companies make use of single-mode optical cable fiber in their backbone systems. This is something you should be doing as well, especially if your enterprise lacks a truly powerful in-house communications system. This works best with video conferencing as well.
3 – Local Wiring
There are a number of large companies that use these cables to wire up an entire building or a corporate office. This is something you can consider, as these cables are future proof, compared to the multi-mode option. You could certainly save a lot of money on the hardware by purchasing these cables in bulk.
Final Thoughts
The fact is, Ethernet and copper wiring are being replaced with fiber optic cables. So you might have to upgrade at some point to single-mode fiber optic cables, to make your facility future proof.