MTP® Elite Male-Male Patch Cord | Base-12 | Single Mode G651.OM4 | 3.0mm

Overview

This is a Base-12 Male-to-Male MPO/MTP® OM4 Multimode Patch Cord, engineered for high-density, high-speed data center applications. It provides a direct, plug-and-play connection between two active devices, such as switches or servers equipped with 40GBASE-SR4 QSFP+ transceivers. The Male connectors on both ends feature guide pins, ensuring precise alignment when plugging into Female equipment ports.

Constructed with 12 strands of laser-optimized OM4 multimode fiber, this cable is ideal for transmitting data over short to medium distances. The MTP® Elite connectors offer superior mechanical and optical performance with extremely low insertion loss, safeguarding your network’s signal integrity. This single cable replaces multiple duplex fiber pairs, dramatically simplifying installation and reducing cable congestion in racks.

Key Features

• Terminated with two Male (pinned) MTP® Elite connectors for low-loss, high-performance links.
• Engineered with a Base-12 fiber configuration, the standard for 40G and 100G parallel optics.
• Built with premium laser-optimized OM4 multimode fiber (50/125µm) for 40G/100G transmission.
• Aqua-colored jacket (OFNP/LSZH) clearly indicates OM4 multimode fiber type.
• Slim 3.0mm cable diameter simplifies cable management in dense environments.
• 100% factory-terminated and tested to guarantee reliable performance out of the box.

Applications

This Male-to-Male cable is primarily used for direct equipment-to-equipment connections. Its most common application is linking two 40G switches by plugging the cable directly into the 40GBASE-SR4 QSFP+ transceivers on each end. It is also used to connect servers to a top-of-rack switch or to link network hardware within a single rack or adjacent racks. It is the fundamental building block for parallel optic links.

Specifications

Cross-Platform Compatibility

This cable is designed to plug directly into network equipment and MPO/MTP® adapter panels. Its Male MTP® connectors mate with the Female (unpinned) ports found on most transceivers and cassette modules. Polarity is critical; a Type B cable is standard for connecting two identical transceivers (e.g., QSFP+ to QSFP+), as it ensures the transmitter on one end maps to the receiver on the other.

Fiber Structure for 40G Transceiver Modules

For a 40GBASE-SR4 link, a Base-12 MPO/MTP® connector uses 8 of its 12 available fibers. Four fibers are dedicated to transmitting (Tx) data and four are dedicated to receiving (Rx) data, leaving the middle four fibers dark (unused). This parallel transmission scheme is how a single MPO/MTP® interface achieves a 40G data rate.

FAQ (Technical & Product Questions)

1. What is a Male-to-Male MPO/MTP® cable primarily used for?

It is primarily used for direct connections between two pieces of network equipment, such as linking two switches together by plugging the cable directly into the 40G QSFP+ or 100G QSFP28 transceivers on each end.

2. Can I use this cable to extend another MPO/MTP® cable?

No. This Male-to-Male cable cannot connect to another Male cable. To extend an existing Male-ended trunk cable, you need a Female-to-Female extension cable or an MPO/MTP adapter coupler.

3. What does Base-12 mean and why are 4 fibers unused in a 40G link?

Base-12 means the connector contains 12 individual fibers. The 40GBASE-SR4 standard only requires 8 fibers (4 for transmitting, 4 for receiving). The middle 4 fibers in the connector are therefore unused (dark) in this specific application.

4. What is the advantage of OM4 fiber for this cable?

OM4 is a laser-optimized multimode fiber that supports higher bandwidth over longer distances than OM3. It allows this cable to support 40GBASE-SR4 links up to 150 meters and 100GBASE-SR4 links up to 100 meters, which is ideal for most data center environments.

5. Why is the MTP® connector “pinned”?

“Pinned” signifies a Male MPO/MTP® connector. It features two metal guide pins that insert into the guide holes of a Female port (like on a transceiver) to ensure precise and stable physical alignment of all 12 fibers.

6. Can I use this Base-12 cable for 100G applications?

Yes. This cable is fully compatible with 100GBASE-SR4 applications, which also use a Base-12 connector with 8 active fibers (4 transmit, 4 receive) to achieve a 100G data rate over multimode fiber.

7. What is the difference between an MPO and an MTP® connector?

An MTP® connector is a high-performance version of a standard MPO connector, manufactured by US Conec. It has enhanced mechanical features for better durability, alignment, and repeated connections, leading to more stable and lower-loss performance.

8. Which polarity do I need for a direct QSFP+ to QSFP+ connection?

For a direct connection between two identical transceivers (like QSFP+ to QSFP+), you need a Type B “crossover” polarity cable. This ensures the transmit fibers on one end correctly align with the receive fibers on the opposite end.