This guide explains the five generations of multimode fiber - OM1, OM2, OM3, OM4, and OM5 - covering their physical characteristics, color coding, bandwidth, maximum distances at different data rates, optical sources (LED, VCSEL, SWDM), and real-world applications in. This guide explains the five generations of multimode fiber - OM1, OM2, OM3, OM4, and OM5 - covering their physical characteristics, color coding, bandwidth, maximum distances at different data rates, optical sources (LED, VCSEL, SWDM), and real-world applications in. There are two main types of fiber optic cables: single mode and multimode. Although they can do the same job in some instances, the different construction methods make each of them better suited to certain tasks and budgets. That makes picking between single mode and multimode fiber optic cables an. Multimode fiber works well for short to medium distances, providing scalable capacity and cost-effective deployment for data centers, office buildings, and campuses. This small diameter core, typically around 9 microns in diameter, allows only one mode of light to pass through, resulting in a narrower beam of light. Single mode fiber has a very narrow core (around 8–10 microns in diameter), so it only allows one light signal (or "mode") to pass through at a time. It allows just one light signal – typically lasers – to pass through at a time. Line drivers for multimode fiber-optic cabling use light-emitting diodes (LEDs) to generate the light signals that carry the data down the fiber. Multimode fiber, which has a glass core whose.