Category Archives: Fiber Optic Connectors

MTP vs MPO Connector for Dater Center’s High-density Demand

High density has been a hotly contested subject in the world of data centers for years. Today’s cyber world is moving ahead at an incredible speed, we’ve seen an unprecedented the demand for high-speed and high-density in data center. And 40Gb/s and 100Gb/s are more commonplace and now become a trend and hotspot for data-center cabling system. In such a circumstance, we can predict that MTP fiber connector and MPO fiber connector will eventually replace the standards for fiber optics as known.

MTP vs MPO Connector for High Density Needs

High density networking is based on two components. One, being able to have concentrated port density. Two, being able to have large numbers of fibre cores connecting nodes of the network. Most connectors (LC, SC, FC) have one fiber through them. The MTP/MPO connector has been designed as a “multi-fiber” connector. Going through the MTP connector wiki and MPO connector wiki, the MPO connector and subsequent standard were developed in the late 1980’s by the NTT-AT corporation. The MTP by US Conec corporation soon came after that with some additional features like a removable housing, elliptically shaped alignment pins, and the ability to change the connector’s gender. Current MPO connectors now offer these features. The main thing to remember is that the MTP connector adheres to the MPO standard. Therefore, MTP and MPO connectors are interchangeable.

40G-transceiver-with-mtp-and-LC-interface

The MTP connector is the same size as a traditional SC connector. However, the MTP connector has 12 fibers to the SC’s one fibre. This 12 fold increase in density enables a much greater port density at any point on the network. There are also 24 fibre and 48 fibre connectors within the MTP range that are also the same size as an SC connector.

MTP vs MPO for Multi-Fiber Solution

The MPO fiber connector and MTP fiber cable connector can offer up to 12 times the density of standard connectors, providing significant space and cost savings. Due to this fact and its excellent performance in various applications, many manufacturers now offer a wide range of MTP/MPO products, such as MTP / MPO Cable Assemblies, Fanout / Breakout Cables, MTP / MPO Trunk Cables, MTP / MPO Fiber Optic Plug-N-Play Cassettes, MTP / MPO Adapters, MTP / MPO Fiber Optic Loopbacks and etc.

mtp cable assemblies

With its higher port density, MTP/MPO fiber is easier to install – just pull 1 cable with 12, 24, or more fibers for one easy plug-in. Delivers big savings in installation time and cost. And High density MTP/MPO trunk cables can come with up to 288 fibers in a single cable.

Summary

MPO fiber connector and MTP fiber cable connector offer ideal solution to set up a high-density and high-performance data networks with the advantages of time saving and cost saving. Considering the huge benefits it they have brought and their special role in the migration to 40/100 Gigabit Ethernet, MTP/MPO connector will definitely gain more and more popularity among data centers.

Fiber Optic Connector Selection Guide

For the past few decades since 1980s, many different types of fiber optic connectors such as MTP connector and MPO connector, have been provided by various manufacturers. Despite the fact that these types of optical connector varies greatly in mechanical design, the most basic components a fiber connector are more or less the same. They all have a fiber ferrule,  connector sub-assembly body, connector housing, and stress relief boot, etc. Next, part of the most commonly seen connectors will be introduced to you one by one.

LC connector

It works in both simplex and duplex with 1.25mm ferrule. Available in single mode and multimode. Externally LC connectors resemble a standard RJ45 telephone jack. Internally they resemble a miniature version of the SC connector. LC connectors use a 1.25mm ceramic (zirconia) ferrule instead of the 2.5mm ferrule. LC connectors are licensed by Lucent and incorporate a push-and-latch design providing pull-proof stability in system rack mounts. Highly favored for single mode applications.

LC connector

MTP connector and MPO connector

MTP connector and MPO connector are compatible ribbon fiber connectors based on MT ferrule which allow quick and reliable connections for up to 12 fibers. They are intended for installations that require many fiber connections. Up to 12 fibers in a ribbon are stripped to 125um cladding and inserted into 250um spaced parallel grooves. The ferrule also includes two 0.7mm diameter holes, running parallel to the fibers on the outer side of the ferrule. These two holes hold precision metal guide pins which align the fibers with tight tolerances.

MTP connector

MTP connector and MPO connector feature male and female connector design. Male connectors have two guide pins and female connectors do not. Both connector types need an adapter to mate a pair of male and female connectors. Because MTP connector and MPO connectors are trying to align so many fibers at once, their coupling loss are typically bigger than single fiber connectors.

ST Connector

ST connector comes in simplex with a twist-on mechanism, and it is available in both single mode and multimode. It is the most popular connector for multimode fiber optic LAN applications . It has a long 2.5mm diameter ferrule made of ceramic (zirconia), stainless alloy or plastic. Unlike MTP connector and MPO connector it mates with a interconnection adapter and is latched into place by twisting to engage a spring-loaded bayonet socket.

ST connector

Summary

Whether you are installing a brand new fiber optic network or repairing a legacy system using , hope this fiber optic connector selection guide will help you determine what kind of connector you are looking at or what type of connector you need to replace.