Hubbell DFPCSNLCS1SM LC/LC OM2 Duplex Plenum Fiber Patch Cord

Overview

The Hubbell DFPCSNLCS1SM is a 1-meter, multimode duplex fiber optic patch cord terminated with LC connectors on both ends. The plenum-rated jacket makes it the correct choice for horizontal cable runs through air-handling spaces — NFPA 90A requires plenum-rated cabling in these environments, and substituting riser-rated cord here is a code violation, not a cost saving. If your telecom room or MDA connects to equipment racks through a raised-floor or ceiling plenum, this is the jacket rating you need. Browse the full Hubbell structured cabling line for compatible panels, cassettes, and enclosures.

Key Features

• OM2 Multimode Fiber: 50/125µm multimode glass supports Gigabit Ethernet at up to 550 meters and Fast Ethernet beyond 2 kilometers — at 1 meter, bandwidth is never the constraint; attenuation on this run will be negligible, so the connection budget is essentially determined by your transceiver and the patch panel, not the cord itself.
• LC Duplex Connectors: LC is the dominant small-form-factor connector in modern data centers and telecom rooms. Its 1.25mm ferrule and latch mechanism fit SFP and SFP+ transceivers directly, and the compact footprint lets you pack high port-density panels without fighting connector bulk. One fiber carries TX, the other RX — the duplex configuration handles full-duplex links without adapters or polarity gymnastics on a standard LC-keyed transceiver.
• Plenum-Rated Jacket (CMP): The low-smoke, flame-retardant outer jacket meets CMP (Communications Multipurpose Cable, Plenum) fire code requirements. Running this cord through a ceiling plenum serving HVAC return air is code-legal; running a standard PVC or riser-rated cord in the same path is not. If your building inspector or AHJ ever audits the installation, jacket markings are the first thing checked.
• 1-Meter Length: At 1 meter, this cord is sized for within-rack or top-of-rack connections — patch panel port to switch SFP, cassette to active equipment, or cross-connect within a compact MDA. It is intentionally short to keep cable management clean; if you need inter-rack or inter-row runs, longer fiber patch cords in the same family are the correct pick.
• Yellow Jacket Color: The yellow outer jacket follows the TIA-598 color convention for single-mode fiber — however, OM2 multimode is conventionally orange or aqua. Verify your site's color-coding standard before deployment; yellow may indicate a site-specific convention or a non-standard color assignment for this product family. Do not rely on jacket color alone for fiber-type identification in mixed-fiber environments.

Integration & Compatibility

The DFPCSNLCS1SM terminates in standard LC UPC connectors compatible with LC-keyed SFP ports, LC fiber patch panels, and LC-loaded patch panel cassettes. OM2 50/125µm multimode glass is backward-compatible with OM1 infrastructure at reduced distances but is not interchangeable with single-mode fiber — confirm your transceivers specify multimode operation before ordering. This cord is compatible with Hubbell LGX Max modular fiber enclosures and other vendor-neutral LC-loaded housings. Duplex orientation follows standard polarity Method A (straight-through) — verify polarity with your transceiver documentation if you are connecting equipment with non-standard polarity assignments.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Can the DFPCSNLCS1SM be used in a riser-rated (CMR) application?

A: Yes. Plenum-rated (CMP) cable is always acceptable in riser applications — plenum is the higher fire rating. The reverse is not true: do not substitute a riser-rated cord in a plenum space.

Q: What fiber type does the DFPCSNLCS1SM use?

A: OM2 multimode, which is 50/125µm glass. It supports Gigabit Ethernet up to 550 meters and 10G Ethernet up to 82 meters per TIA-568 specifications, though at 1 meter neither limit is a practical concern.

Q: Is the DFPCSNLCS1SM compatible with single-mode SFP transceivers?

A: No. OM2 multimode fiber is not compatible with single-mode transceivers. Single-mode SFPs require OS1 or OS2 9/125µm fiber. Using multimode patch cord with a single-mode transceiver will result in excessive loss and a failed link.

Q: What does the yellow jacket color indicate on the DFPCSNLCS1SM?

A: TIA-598 assigns yellow to single-mode fiber. OM2 multimode is conventionally orange or aqua. Verify your site's color-coding policy — yellow on this cord may reflect a site-specific or product-family convention. Always confirm fiber type by the printed jacket marking, not color alone.

Q: Does the DFPCSNLCS1SM work with LC/APC connectors?

A: No. This cord uses LC UPC (flat-polished) connectors. APC connectors have an angled ferrule and a green jacket by convention — mating an APC to a UPC connector degrades return loss significantly. Match connector polish type end-to-end.

Marty Allison

The DFPCSNLCS1SM is a straightforward spec-match problem: plenum jacket, LC duplex, OM2 multimode, 1 meter. Get one of those wrong and you either have a code violation (wrong jacket in a plenum path), a dead link (single-mode transceiver on multimode glass), or a cable-management headache (wrong length). At 1 meter, this cord lives inside a rack or between adjacent patch panels — it is not a horizontal run cable.

Technical Highlights:

• CMP Plenum Jacket: Meets the higher fire code standard for air-handling spaces — acceptable in both plenum and riser pathways, unlike CMR which is restricted to riser-only environments. One jacket rating, two legal deployment contexts.
• LC Duplex Termination: Standard small-form-factor connector for SFP/SFP+ ports and modern LC-loaded patch panels. The 1.25mm ferrule fits high-density port arrays without the physical interference issues of SC duplex in tight panel rows.
• OM2 50/125µm Multimode: At 1 meter, the fiber grade is effectively irrelevant to link budget — the connector insertion loss (~0.3 dB typical for LC UPC) will dominate. The OM2 designation matters when you are planning a future infrastructure upgrade: OM2 is the minimum grade for 1GbE and supports 10GbE to 82 meters, but if the site is migrating to OM3 or OM4, document the OM2 cords now to avoid mixed-grade troubleshooting later.

Deployment Considerations:

• Confirm the patch panel cassette or bulkhead adapter is loaded with LC UPC (not APC) couplers — the key indicator is coupler body color: beige or off-white for UPC, green for APC. Mating UPC to APC on either end creates a return loss problem that may not fail a link immediately but will degrade performance under load.
• Yellow jacket on an OM2 cord is non-standard per TIA-598. Label both ends with fiber type and port assignment at installation — do not rely on color coding alone in any environment where single-mode and multimode fiber share the same rack or panel.

The DFPCSNLCS1SM is the right cord for a plenum-rated, within-rack LC-to-LC OM2 connection in a structured cabling environment where fire code compliance is non-negotiable — data centers with raised floors feeding into ceiling plenums, or telecom rooms in commercial buildings under strict AHJ review.