Multimode

A type of fiber optic mostly used for communication over short distances, such as within a building or on a campus.

Multimode fiber is optical fiber that is designed to carry multiple light rays or modes (beams) of light concurrently, each at a slightly different reflection angle within the optical fiber core.

Multimode fiber has a larger core than singlemode, large enough to propagate more than one mode of light, with the typical diameter of 62.5 micrometers or 50 micrometers. Typical multimode links have data rates of 10 Mbit/s to 10 Gbit/s over link lengths of up to 600 meters (2000 feet) - more than sufficient for the majority of premises applications.

Multimode fiber transmission is used for relatively short distances such as LANs because the modes tend to disperse over longer lengths. For longer distances, singlemode fiber is used.