Hubbell DFHRCLCSCF3MM OM4 Duplex LC-SC Fiber Patch Cord

Overview

The Hubbell DFHRCLCSCF3MM is a 3-meter OM4 duplex fiber optic patch cord terminated with LC connectors on one end and SC connectors on the other. OM4 multimode fiber supports 10 Gigabit Ethernet at distances up to 550 meters and 40/100 Gigabit applications up to 150 meters — making this the right choice when you need reliable high-bandwidth links between switches, patch panels, and active equipment in the same equipment room or MDA. The duplex configuration carries simultaneous transmit and receive paths on a single cable assembly, which is standard for full-duplex transceiver modules on 10GbE and above.

Key Features

• OM4 Multimode Fiber: Rated for 10GbE to 550m and 40/100GbE to 150m — gives you headroom for future speed upgrades without recabling the fiber plant.
• LC-to-SC Connector Pairing: Bridges equipment with LC ports (typical on SFP+ transceivers and high-density fiber panels) to legacy or mid-tier gear with SC ports — eliminates the need for a separate adapter coupler and the insertion loss that comes with it.
• Duplex Construction: Two fibers in a single jacketed assembly for full-duplex operation, keeping transmit and receive organized and reducing cable management complexity at high-density patch panels.
• 3-Meter Length: Sized for within-rack or adjacent-rack cross-connects in a standard equipment room — long enough to reach across a half-width bay without slack loops, short enough to avoid tray congestion.
• Commercial-Grade Assembly: Factory-terminated and 100% end-face inspected at manufacture; no field polishing means consistent insertion loss and repeatable performance across every port.

Compatibility

The DFHRCLCSCF3MM is compatible with any OM4-rated multimode fiber infrastructure. LC ports are standard on Cisco, Juniper, Arista, and most SFP+/SFP28 transceivers. SC ports appear on older Cisco Catalyst switching platforms, some PON equipment, and legacy fiber patch panels. Confirm your transceiver wavelength (typically 850nm VCSEL for OM4 multimode) before ordering — this cord does not support single-mode (OS1/OS2) applications. For fiber optic patch cables in other connector formats or lengths, review the full Hubbell structured cabling line. If you are planning a high-density fiber cross-connect, pair with a fiber optic patch panel sized for your port count. See the structured cabling planning guide for OM3 vs OM4 selection criteria and bend-radius best practices.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What fiber type does the DFHRCLCSCF3MM use — OM3 or OM4?

A: OM4. OM4 multimode fiber has a higher bandwidth rating than OM3, supporting 10GbE to 550m and 40/100GbE to 150m over the same 50-micron core diameter.

Q: Can this patch cord be used with single-mode transceivers?

A: No. OM4 is a multimode fiber optimized for 850nm VCSEL sources. Single-mode transceivers (1310nm or 1550nm) require OS1 or OS2 single-mode fiber. Using this cord with a single-mode transceiver will produce very high insertion loss and unreliable links.

Q: Is the duplex design standard for SFP+ connections?

A: Yes. Most SFP+ and SFP28 transceivers use duplex LC connectors for the transmit and receive paths. The duplex assembly on the DFHRCLCSCF3MM keeps both fibers managed as a single cable, which is standard practice for these applications.

Q: What is the connector configuration on this cord?

A: LC connectors on one end, SC connectors on the other. This hybrid configuration is used when interconnecting newer equipment with LC-port SFP+ transceivers to older or legacy equipment using SC-port interfaces.

Q: Is 3 meters long enough for a cross-rack run?

A: 3 meters covers within-rack and immediately adjacent rack connections — typically 0.5 to 2.5 meters of actual cable path. For cross-row or longer runs, consider a 5-meter or 10-meter variant in the same family.

Marty Allison

The DFHRCLCSCF3MM is a straightforward OM4 duplex LC-SC patch cord, but the LC-to-SC hybrid termination is the detail that matters most here — it signals a very specific use case. You are bridging a modern LC-based SFP+ switch or transceiver to an older SC-ported device, and this 3-meter assembly does that without an inline coupler or adapter, which would add 0.2–0.5 dB of insertion loss per mated pair on top of the connector loss you already have.

Technical Highlights:

• OM4 Fiber Grade: 50-micron laser-optimized multimode rated for 10GbE to 550m — well above the 3-meter span here, so link budget is essentially a non-issue at this length.
• Duplex LC-SC Termination: Factory-polished connectors on both ends eliminate the variability of field terminations; typical insertion loss on factory-assembled OM4 LC/SC connectors runs under 0.5 dB per mated pair.
• 3-Meter Length: Sized for within-rack or single-bay-adjacent runs — the most common interconnect distance in a structured cabling IDA or MDA environment.

Deployment Considerations:

• Confirm the SC-ported device is multimode-compatible (SC connectors are used on both single-mode and multimode equipment — the connector type alone does not confirm fiber compatibility; check the transceiver datasheet for wavelength and fiber type).
• OM4 aqua jacket can be visually confused with OM3 aqua in a crowded tray — label both ends at installation to prevent accidental substitution during future maintenance.

This cord is the right pick for a structured cabling room where a new LC-based ToR switch needs to patch back to a legacy SC-port fiber panel or SC-terminated uplink device — a common scenario during phased switch refreshes where not all equipment is replaced simultaneously.