OM3 is a 50 μm core diameter multimode fiber optimized by 850 nm laser. In 10 Gb/s Ethernet using 850 nm VCSEL, the fiber transmission distance can reach 300 m. OM4 is an upgraded version of OM3 multimode optical fiber, and the optical fiber transmission distance can reach 550 m.OM3 fiber comes with an aqua color jacket. Like the OM2, its core size is 50 µm, but the cable is optimized for laser-based equipment. OM3 supports 10 Gigabit Ethernet at lengths up to 300 meters. Besides, OM3 is able to support 40 Gigabit and 100 Gigabit Ethernet up to 100 meters, however, 10 Gigabit Ethernet is most commonly used.

What is the difference between OM3 and OM2?

OM2 Fiber

Likewise, OM2 fiber also comes with an orange jacket and uses a LED light source but with a smaller core size of 50 µm. It supports up to 10 Gigabit Ethernet at lengths up to 82 meters but is more commonly used for 1 Gigabit Ethernet applications.

OM3 Fiber

OM3 fiber comes with an aqua color jacket. Like the OM2, its core size is 50 µm, but the cable is optimized for laser based equipment. OM3 supports 10 Gigabit Ethernet at lengths up to 300 meters. Besides, OM3 is able to support 40 Gigabit and 100 Gigabit Ethernet up to 100 meters, however, 10 Gigabit Ethernet is most commonly used.

What is the difference between OM3 and OM4?

OM3 and OM3 share many features including an aqua colored jacket, a core size of 50um, and a data rate of 10GB at 850nm. Unlike its predecessors both OM3 and OM4 utilizes lasers as a light source in order to support 10G, 40G, and 100G Ethernet. OM3 is capable of covering distances up to 300 meters. OM3 uses fewer modes of light thus enabling increased speeds, it is able to run 40GB or 100Gb up to 100 meters utilizing an MPO connector. OM3 is generally used in larger private networks. OM4 can cover distances up to 550 meters. OM4 can run 100Gb up to 150 meters using an MPO connector. It is commonly used in high-speed networks, data centers, financial centers, and corporate campuses.

What’s the Differences Between Single Mode and Multimode Fiber?

Technical difference

Core Diameter—Single mode fiber has a small diametral core(8.3 to 10 microns) that allows only one mode of light to propagate. Multimode fiber optic cable has a large diametral core(50 to 100 microns) that allows multiple modes of light to propagate.

Light Source—Multimode devices usually use a LED or laser as a light source. While single mode devices use a laser, or laser diode, to produce light injected into the cable.

Practical Difference

Distance—Light travels a longer distance inside single mode cable than it does inside multimode. So multimode fiber is suitable for short haul application, allowing transmission distances of up to about 550m at 10Git/s. When distance is beyond 550m, single mode fiber is preferred.

Price—Multimode fiber usually cost less than single mode fiber.

Bandwidth—The bandwidth of single-mode is higher than multimode as much as 100,000 GHz.

Know more infro about single mode vs multimode fiber here: Single-mode Cabling Cost vs. Multimode Cabling Cost

Multimode Fiber Connectors Types

There are many multimode fiber connector types in circulation such as ST, SC, FC, LC, MU, E2000, MTRJ, SMA, DIN as well as MTP & MPO etc. The most commonly used fiber optic connector types include ST, SC, FC and LC. Each one has its own advantages, disadvantages, and capabilities. So what are the differences and what do they mean to your implementation? This table of common multimode fiber connectors gives an overview of strengths and weaknesses.

What’s the Difference between Multimode Fibers?

Physical Difference. Physical difference mainly lies in diameter, jacket color, optical source and bandwidth.

Practical Difference. Multimode fibers are able to transmit different distance ranges at various data rate.