There are two basic types of Fiber - single mode and multimode. Single mode has a core diameter of 8 to 10 microns and is normally used for long distance requirements (i.e., interstate) and high bandwidth applications. Multimode, on the other hand, has a core diameter of 50, 62.5 (most common) or 100 microns and is usually used inside buildings or in a campus environment.

In both types of fiber cables, the fibers consist of two parts, a central transparent core region, through which the light travels and an outer cladding layer. The core and the cladding are typically made of pure silica glass. When you here someone talking about a 62.5 X 125 multimode fiber, they are referring to the measurements of the core and the cladding (the diameter of the core being 62.5 microns and the diameter of the cladding being 125 microns).

Today the most common fiber questions are: "How far into my building should I run fiber? What kind of limits do I have to be concerned about, especially for my Gigabit network? What level of multimode high-performance fiber do I need? When am I going to run it to the desk? With increasing speeds, how can I ensure that two, five and ten years from now I'll have the capacity I need?"

Td Communications can help answer these questions and we install, terminate and test both multi-mode and single-mode fiber optic cable.

Got a question? Contact us.