Hello, dear friends!
Optical modules we commonly used can be classified into 2 categories, single-mode modules, and multi-mode modules.
· Multi-mode modules work with multi-mode fibers, they have limited transmission range so they’re commonly used only in short-range communication. The jacket of multi-mode fibers patch cords are orange.
· Single-mode modules, because they work with single-mode fibers, and can more easily deal with the interference while transmitting in fibers, it's used for long-distance scenarios. The jacket of single-mode fibers patch cords are commonly yellow.
Single-mode LC/PC fiber jumper is with yellow jackets.
Multimode LC/PC fiber jumper is with orange jackets.
Comparing to multi-mode fibers, the single-mode fiber has a smaller diameter and more precision
Multi-mode optics are named because the multi-mode fibers can tolerate multiple light modes travel through it. But due to the interference between the light modes, the effective transmit distance is limited.
Commonly seen transmitting range of multi-mode optics varies from 100m to 1km.
Generally, multi-mode optics are less expensive, especially in the high data rates scenarios, so it's a better choice while the range is not a problem for multi-mode optics.
I hope it will be helpful for you. Thank you!
