Which fiber optic type is suitable for buildings 400 meters apart using 10 Gig Ethernet?

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Multiple Choice

Which fiber optic type is suitable for buildings 400 meters apart using 10 Gig Ethernet?

The long-distance capability at high speeds is the key idea here. For 10 Gig Ethernet over fiber, singlemode fiber is the preferred choice when the link distance grows to hundreds of meters. Its tiny core (about 8–9 micrometers) supports only one light mode, which minimizes modal dispersion and allows signals to travel much farther with lower distortion. The wavelengths used in 10G Ethernet (roughly 1310 nm or 1550 nm) propagate cleanly through singlemode fiber, making 400 meters a reliable, under-spec run. In contrast, multimode fibers have larger cores (such as 50/125 or 62.5/125 micrometers) and support multiple propagation paths. Those multiple paths cause modal dispersion, which becomes a limiting factor at 10 Gbps over longer distances. While some multimode types (OM3/OM4) can push closer to 300–400 meters, reliability and margin often favor using singlemode for a 400-meter link. The less-common multimode option listed isn’t well suited for this speed/distance combination, reinforcing why the singlemode fiber is the appropriate choice.

The long-distance capability at high speeds is the key idea here. For 10 Gig Ethernet over fiber, singlemode fiber is the preferred choice when the link distance grows to hundreds of meters. Its tiny core (about 8–9 micrometers) supports only one light mode, which minimizes modal dispersion and allows signals to travel much farther with lower distortion. The wavelengths used in 10G Ethernet (roughly 1310 nm or 1550 nm) propagate cleanly through singlemode fiber, making 400 meters a reliable, under-spec run.

In contrast, multimode fibers have larger cores (such as 50/125 or 62.5/125 micrometers) and support multiple propagation paths. Those multiple paths cause modal dispersion, which becomes a limiting factor at 10 Gbps over longer distances. While some multimode types (OM3/OM4) can push closer to 300–400 meters, reliability and margin often favor using singlemode for a 400-meter link. The less-common multimode option listed isn’t well suited for this speed/distance combination, reinforcing why the singlemode fiber is the appropriate choice.

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