Fiber optic cabling is essential for high-speed, reliable connectivity in modern data centers. Multimode fiber is widely used among the different fiber types, and understanding its distance limits is crucial for optimizing network performance and ensuring scalability. This article discusses multimode fiber distance limits, the types of multimode fiber and their respective distance capabilities, and solutions to overcome these limitations.
Understanding Multimode Fiber Distance Limits
Multimode fiber is designed to carry multiple light rays at the same time. Its core, measuring 50–62.5 microns, is significantly larger than the 9-micron core of single mode fiber. This larger size allows light to reflect off the walls as it moves through. However, the larger core also increases its susceptibility to modal dispersion.
When light travels through a fiber optic cable, modal dispersion happens. This means the light spreads out, and the signal quality gets worse. This problem is more noticeable in multimode fiber because light takes different paths that aren’t the same length. The longer the distance, the more the signal spreads. Eventually, the signal becomes too weak and jumbled for devices to distinguish. As a result, the distance limitation of multimode fiber is based on how far it can send data before the signal breaks down.
