How to Select the Perfect Fiber Jumper Cables?

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Fiber jumper cables are mainly used for
connection in the context of optical fiber communications including
applications like cable TV (CATV), inside buildings and in fiber to the home
(FTTH) installations. Nowadays, optical fiber jumpers are varied in cables and
connector types. It is hard to determine the differences between one fiber
optic cable jumper and another. This article would put emphasis on guiding you
to select the perfect fiber jumper cables from the following six perspectives.

 

Cable Type of Fiber Jumper Cables

Fiber jumper cables comes in two general
types, singlemode and multimode optical fiber jumper. They are different in
fiber diameter, classifications of fiber strands, jacket color, transmission
speed and etc.

 

Singlemode
fiber jumper cable
generally has a 9 micron diameter glass fiber. There are two sub groups
(referred to as OS1 and OS2) but most cable is “dual rated” to cover both
classifications. Multimode optical fiber jumper can have several different
diameters and classifications of fiber strands. The two diameters currently in
use are 62.5 Micron and 50 Micron. Within the 50 Micron diameter multimode
cable, there are three different grades (referred to as OM2, OM3, and OM4). The
cable types used in the patch cord should match that of the network cabling to
which they are attached via the patch panel.

 

Jacket Diameters

The fiber optic cable jumpers may be
available in different “jacket diameters” (such as 2mm or 3mm). Thinner diameters
(1.6 or 2mm) may be preferable in dense installation within a single rack since
they take up less space and are more flexible. Fiber optic cable jumpers that
route from rack to rack (especially via cable tray) may be more suitable if
they have the thicker jacket that results in larger diameters thus making them
more rigid.

 

Jacket Material

Flammability of the jacket material
could become an issue if the area they are in has special requirements for
flame spread or products of combustion in case of a fire. In these cases,
optical jumpers may have to be classified as “Plenum Rated” (OFNP) rather than
“Riser Rated” (OFNR).

 

Connector Type

See the connector type descriptions
below. Some fiber jumper cables may have different connector types on each end
to accommodate interconnection of devices with dissimilar connectors. In some
cases, there may be a connector on only one end, and bare or unterminated fiber
on the other. These are usually referred to as “pigtails” rather than “patch
Cords”.

 

Simplex or Duplex

Unlike copper patch cords which send
information in both directions (having multiple pairs of conductors with which
to do so), most fiber jumper cables have a single strand of fiber allowing for
signal flow in one direction only.

 

Connecting equipment so that it can
send and receive information requires two strands of fiber (one to transmit and
one to receive information). This can be accommodated by using two “simplex”
(single strand of fiber) cables for each equipment interconnection or a
“duplex” cable, with conductors and/or connectors bonded together in pairs.

 

Length

Overall length of the fiber jumper
cables may be specified in feet or meters, depending on your preference.

 

Conclusion

In this article, we mainly introduce
six factors attaching to the fiber jumper cables—cable type, jacket diameters,
jacket material, connector type, type of communication service as well as the
length. You can select the proper patch cord you need through considering those
six attributes. Hope this post is helpful for you to fully understand optical
fiber jumper.