Choosing a pre terminated fiber cable for your installation can sometimes be confusing given all of the choices. In this article, we will attempt to clear up some of the confusion. Basically there are two attributes that you will need to consider and those are “cable material and construction” and “fiber type”. First we will talk about cable material and construction. The types of material and construction include the following:
Cable Material and Construction
Indoor Plenum: Use this for all indoor installations. The cable can be run directly in all indoor applications. Installation in conduit or innerduct is not required but does offer additional security for the possibility of the cable from being cut. Most installations do not use conduit of innerduct. A cable rated for plenum installation will have low-smoke characteristics as defined by the NFPA (National Fire Protection Agency).
Outdoor: Outdoor cables are filled with a water blocking jell and are rated for all outdoor applications except for "direct bury". This cable is suitable for underground installation in conduit, overhead lashed to a guy wire, or secured to a building or other permanent outdoor structure. The drawback of the jell-filled cable is that it is mandated at a maximum of 50 feet run indoors due to fire-code regulations.
Indoor/Outdoor: Indoor/Outdoor cables are approved for use in underground conduits, even if the possibility of water infiltration exists. Indoor/Outdoor cables are not recommended for aerial installations. The advantage of using Indoor/Outdoor over standard Outdoor cable is that it does not have the 50 foot restriction for indoor installation that standard outdoor cable has. This cable has an overall PVC sheath and is not rated for plenum spaces.
Interlock Armor Indoor Plenum: This cable has all of the attributes of Indoor Plenum cable with the additional benefit of the armor which protects it from accidental cutting.
Interlock Armor Indoor/Outdoor Plenum: This cable has all of the attributes of Indoor Plenum and Indoor/Outdoor cable with the additional benefit of the armor which makes it suitable for direct bury.
Outdoor Aerial with Messenger: This cable has a steel messenger for use spanning from building to building or pole to pole etc. Due to the fact that it contains a jell-filled cable, it is limited to a maximum of 50 feet running indoors.
Fiber Type
The 62.5/125 µm (AKA: OM1) has been the most popular multimode fiber choice throughout the 80's, 90's and into the early 2000's and was the most common multimode fiber used and yet it has the lowest data carrying capacity and shortest distance limitations as compared with other Multimode fiber types. It is generally accepted that 62.5/125 Multimode will soon be obsolete for the purpose of new installations.
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