In today’s world of fiber optics many choices are available when choosing fiber optic cable types. Depending on the type of fiber cable and transceiver specification, different distances are supported per technology (i.e. 100Base FX, 1 Gigabit, 10 Gigabit etc.)
Size of the fiber core, bandwidth requirements, and transceiver wavelengths (i.e. 850m, 1550nm) are some of the considerations when designing a network with fiber.
The chart below outlines some common specifications for fiber optic cables including bandwidth and typical maximum distances.
| 100Mbps Ethernet over fiber |
|
| Bandwidth (MHz/km) 850nm/1300nm
| Typical Distance |
| 62.5/125 | 200/500 | 2km |
| 50/125 | 500/500 | 2km |
|
| 1310nm/1550nm |
|
| 9/125 | >100K Gigahertz | 100km |
|
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|
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| 1 Gig Ethernet over fiber |
|
| Bandwidth (MHz/km) 850nm/1300nm
| Typical Distance |
| 62.5/125 | 200/500 | 220 meters |
| 50/125 | 500/500 | 550 meters |
|
| 1310nm/1550nm |
|
| 9/125 | >100K Gigahertz | 70km |
|
|
|
|
| 10 Gig Ethernet over fiber |
|
| Bandwidth (MHz/km) 850nm/1300nm | Typical Distance |
| 62.5/125 | 200/500 | 35 Meters |
| 50/125 | 500/500 | 65 Meter |
50/125 Laser Optimized | 2000/500 | 300 meters |
|
| 1310nm/1550nm |
|
| 9/125 | >100K Gigahertz | 40km |
|
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Always check the manufacturer’s transceiver specifications for the equipment you are buying fiber optic cables for.