Mode Conditioning Cable - Mode Conditioning Fiber Patch Cord

:: Why do you need a mode conditioning cable?

1. You want to use Gigabit 1000Base-LX equipment with your existing multimode cable plant

2. 1000BASE-LX is specified to work over a distance of up to 5 km over 9 µm single-mode fiber. But 1000BASE-LX can also run over multi-mode fiber with a maximum segment length of 550 m.

3. For any link distance greater than 300 m, the use of a special launch mode conditioning cable (or called mode conditioning fiber patch cord) may be required.

:: How does mode conditioning cable work?

Mode conditioning cable launches the laser at a precise offset from the center of the multimode fiber. This causes the laser to spread across the diameter of the fiber core, reducing the effect known as differential mode delay which occurs when the laser couples onto only a small number of available modes in multi-mode fiber.

:: Why Mode conditioning cable should be ordered in pairs?

Mode conditioning cable are normally used in pairs. That means that you will need a MC cable at each end to connect the equipment to the cable plant. So then these cables are usually ordered in even numbers. The usual reason why someone may order one cable is so they may keep it as a spare.

:: How do you connect the mode conditioning cable?

If your gigabit 1000Base-LX switch is equipped with SC or LC connectors, please be sure to connect the yellow leg (Singlemode) of the cable to the transmit side, and the orange leg (multimode) to the receive side of the equipment.

It is imperative that this configuration be maintained on both ends. The swap of transmit and receive can only be done at the cable plant side.