Deciding which cabling solution is best for your project can be quite overwhelming. Here we explore the difference between single-mode and multi-mode fibre options.

What is single-mode fibre?


Single-mode fibre is a type of fibre optic cabling that has a small core diameter (typically 9 microns) that allows only one mode of light to propagate. This makes it ideal for long-distance applications, as it can transmit data over longer distances without compromising on signal strength. In comparison to Multi-mode cabling, Single-mode cabling can carry more data at the same time.

What is multi-mode fibre?


Multimode fibre is a type of fibre optic cabling that has a larger core diameter (typically 50 or 62.5 microns) that allows multiple modes of light to propagate. This makes it ideal for shorter-distance applications. It can transmit data over shorter distances without loss of signal strength. Multimode cabling is also less expensive than single-mode cabling.

Single-mode vs Multi-mode

Core Diameter:

Single-mode – 9 microns

Multi-mode – 50 or 62.5 microns

Maximum transmission distance:

Single-mode: Up to 40 km

Multi-mode: Up to 550 m

Bandwidth efficiency:

Single-mode: High

Multi-mode: Low

Applications:

Single-mode: Long-distance telecommunications, data centres, enterprise networks

Multi-mode: Enterprise networks, data centres, LANs, high-definition video transmission, SANs, VoIP

Contact a member of our team to discuss your project in further detail: info@icexperts.co.uk | 020 3442 1066

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