Differences and similarities between OM and OS classes

The section of the fiber optic cable inside the cable (which is the medium through which the signal travels) in the OS2 (Singlemode) standard is 9 microns, in OM1 it is 62.5 microns while OM2, OM3, OM4 and OM5 is of 50 microns. Both have a coating with the same diameter of 125 Microns, in fact 9/125 means section/sheath.

The Multimode cable transmits the light signal in different modes, allowing you to transmit more types of data but at a shorter distance than singlemode.

Singlemode cable transmits only one wavelength. The signal then travels to the center of the fiber instead of bouncing off the edges as is the case with multimode. It has less signal overlap so it is capable of reaching distances of up to 40 km, much higher than Multimode

When choosing, it must be considered that the devices to which Multimode cables are connected are much cheaper than Singlemode devices, furthermore Multimode cables can reach up to 550 meters (OM4) at 10 Gigabit.

Performance of Multimode Standards