Fiber-optic patch cord

The coating's lower refractive index causes light to be reflected back toward the core, minimizing signal loss.

Multi-mode fiber is generally orange or grey, with a cream or black connector, and a shorter transmission distance.

Connector design standards include FC, SC, ST, LC, MTRJ, MPO, MU, SMA, FDDI, E2000, DIN4, and D4.

[6] A mode-conditioning patch cord[7] is required where Gigabit 1000 Base-LX routers and switches are installed into existing multimode cable plants.

The transceiver modules launch only single-mode 1300 nm signals but the existing network is built with multimode cables.

This spreading in time is called differential mode delay (DMD) and limits the fiber length for Gigabit Ethernet sigalling.

A mode-conditioning patch cord eliminates these multiple signals by aligning the single-mode launch away from the center of a multimode fiber core.