Fibre Cable – let me explain what OM1 means?

The first thing you need to know that the OM prefix stands for Optical Multimode.

OM1 Fibre Cable is one of five OM Cable types described by the Telecommunication Industry Association standards.

These standards define the guaranteed performance of various cables. https://www.tiaonline.org/

OM1 Duplex Fibre Patch cables typically come with an orange nylon jacket, allowing you to identify it by colour. 

https://www.andcorp.com.au/product/fibre-optic-patch-cables/

With Indoor/Outdoor Cable being black and Loose Tube Cable being blue you need to rely on the markings on the cable itself to identify the fibre type.

https://www.andcorp.com.au/rapidconnect-fibre-optic-cable/

If there are no markings on the cable, then you will need to rely on good old visual inspection to identify the Optic Cable.

This is made easier as the core size of OM1 Optic Cables is 62.5 microns, other OM Optic Cables core size measuring in at 50 microns.

You will be able to see the larger core size easily using a V5000.

http://www.andcorp.com.au/product/v5000-wifi/

Advantages of the larger core size in an OM1 Fibre Cable.

– The larger core size of the OM1 Optic cable allows for greater numerical aperture when compared to Singlemode fibre cable.

– Simplifies connections and increases the bend resistance of the cable.

– allows the use of LED’s instead of VCSEL’s light sources, cutting costs dramatically.

What is the disadvantage of using an LED light source in an OM1 Fibre Cable?

There is a disadvantage to the use of LED light sources.

Mainly the LED’s inability to rapidly switch on and off, which severely limits the bandwidth of the Fibre Optic link.

OM1 cable can only support 10 Gigabit Ethernet in short-haul networks, Local Area Networks and Private Network applications with a cable length of up to 33 meters.

OM1 cable is, therefore, most commonly used for 100 Megabit Ethernet applications in which it can travel up to 2Km.

Another thing to note is that OM1 cable has been manufactured with a maximum attenuation value of 3.5 decibels per km at the 850-nanometer wavelength and 1.5 decibels per km at the 1300 nanometer wavelength.

Why is OM1 Cable on the decline?

Since the introduction of the other Multimode cables, OM1 Cable has slowly declined in popularity. 

This is due to the lack of upgradeability of the OM1 cable.

OM1 Cable simply cannot keep up with the demand, which results in severe limitations to a network.

Conclusion

With legacy installations in abundance, the need for OM1 Optical Cable will remain.

Fibre Optic installers are now however opting for the other OM cable standards when it comes time to upgrade the network.

The other OM Fibre Optic Cable types are designed to handle higher speeds and greater bandwidth, thus allowing the installer to future proof the network.

You might also be interested in:

Fibre Optic Patch Cables, What to know when selecting