What Do Fiber Optic Cable Colors Mean?

Fiber Optic Cable Colors tell you what kind of cable you have, whether it's a yellow single mode cable or blue multi mode cable. You can also purchase your fiber optic cable in custom colors from Cables.com.

What Types of Fiber Optic Cable Are There?

There are two different types of fiber optic cords - multi mode fiber, and single mode fiber. Fiber optic cable jackets are color-coded depending on the specific type of cable they are, and they're meant to help you identify the cable more easily. Cables.com carries primarily yellow OS2 single mode fiber optic cable and blue OM3 and OM4 aqua fiber optic cable. But did you know we also stock some orange OM1 and green OM5 fiber optic cables, too? 

Single Mode Fiber

It's easy to believe that more = better. For that reason, you might think that it's better to go with multi mode fiber optic cables rather than single mode. But believe it or not, single mode fiber's single transmission mode is capable of carrying higher bandwidth. When it comes to transmission distance, single mode emerges the victor by a long shot - its single glass fiber strand transmit 1 to 10 gigs of data and 1080p resolution up to twice as far as OM1, OM2, OM3, or OM4 fiber optic cables.  Though a single mode cable's fiber core is significantly smaller than a multi mode cable core, it packs a real punch. 

Singlemode LC to LC 9/125 Micron fiber optic cables are built to ensure that your network functions reliably. These cables contain ceramic ferrules designed for optimal data transfer and include the highest quality corning glass available, meeting industry standard loss in Insertion and Return, in lengths from 1 meter to 20 meters. You can find these fiber optic cables here at Cables.com for the lowest prices online, delivered with the best service you'll find from any other retailers.

You can also find Singlemode LC to SC cables, as well as LC to ST cables, SC to SC cables, SC to ST cables, and ST to ST UPC Cables. You'll be hard pressed to find this variety in configurations with customizable options  

Multi Mode Fiber

Multi mode fiber optic cables usually feature a standard aqua blue jacket, which might make them hard to distinguish from each other. Datacomm manufactures both our OM3 and OM4 cables in the US, and they're assembled using high-quality materials for optimum performance. But there are different types of multi mode fiber cables! 

OM3 fiber optic cable is rated for 10GB up to 300 meters. It's capable of transmitting at speeds at 40GB up to 150 meters, or even 100GB up to 100 meters. Meanwhile, our OM4 fiber optic cords can achieve 40G performance over 150 meters, and 100G over 100 meters. Like our OM3 cables, these fiber patch cables are a big step up from copper cables. They're available in the same variety of configurations as the OM3 cables, but it's important to keep in mind that whichever cable you decide on for your data network, you'll always have the option of purchasing in custom colors and lengths from Cables.com. 

OM5 fiber optic cables utilize some of the latest technology in the networking industry. These cables were specifically designed to handle high-speed data center applications and can transfer up to 100gb of data with ease. Cables.com has the latest standard in OM5 fiber optic cables, available for quick shipment. 

Questions?

Here at Cables.com, we're committed to taking the guesswork out of purchasing fiber optic cables for your home or business network. If you're still not sure of where to start, we're here to help! Our Quick Patch Finder was built with Network Cables in mind. It walks you through the step-by-step process of identifying a cable that might suit your needs. But if you still have doubts, feel free to Contact Us through our web form or shoot us an email at sales@cables.com. We look forward to hearing from you! 

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