Indoor fiber optic cable and data cable

The difference between FTTH indoor optical cable and data optical cable is that the optical cable structure of the two applications is different.

The application fields of data optical cables mainly require the use of multimode. Depending on the application, 62.5/125 micron and 50/125 micron are available. Multimode data lines mainly adopt tight buffer design. That is 0.9 mm coated fibers. The paint to be reused depends on the plenum or riser application. For Plenum, PVC or LSOH materials with fireproof properties are used. There are polyester elastomer materials for riser applications. For example, multi-die has good bandwidth for short distance data communication up to 2 km.

The application of FTTH is slightly different. FTTH requires single-mode to comply with ITU T G.657A recommendation. G.657A is often referred to as bend insensitive and is used to reach the last mile of optical networks. The field of application requires small fiber optic cables with low bending capability because there are many bends in a house or apartment. Fiber optic cables should be small enough to fit in a Rosette or wall outlet. Indoor cables without bend insensitivity are not a good solution for FTTH applications.

Multimode data cable

Both single-mode and multi-mode can be used to transfer data from one location to another, which is called communication. The basic use of fiber optic cables is communication. It all depends on the distance of the network and the amount of data to be transmitted and the cost of the overall system in order to decide which type to use in the fiber optic cable.

Typically, multimode and G.657A are in the last mile of the network. Multimode data cables are used for short-distance data transmission. For example, networks within 2 kilometers or buildings.

Why do installers prefer short-range multimode?

Due to the multimode nature, they cannot go much further, as many modes propagate simultaneously, becoming confused due to mode dispersion over long distances. In addition, optical components, light sources and detectors etc. are cheaper compared to single mode.

Although multimode is more expensive, the data optical cable costs about 200 to 500 yuan per kilometer, and requires a certain number, such as 4 to 24 optical cables. For short-range communications, the overall system cost using multimode is lower.

The installer needs to determine the power budget and total system cost to determine which is right for his system. Of course, for long-distance data transmission, he must choose single mode. For short-range data communications, the cost of optical components dominates. Single-mode can carry large amounts of data, but LAN does not need to carry large amounts of data like long-distance communication. LAN data can be carried in multiple modes.

The installation system engineer will consider all these points to decide on the type. For long-distance, metropolitan area networks, backbone networks and access networks, single-mode is used. In all these cases, the distance from the OLT point to the end user distribution center will be more than 2 to 4 km.