Panduit FZ8RP5NLSQNM010 OM4 8F MPO-LC Harness Cable

Panduit FZ8RP5NLSQNM010 OM4 8-Fiber MPO-to-LC Plenum Harness Cable Assembly

The Panduit FZ8RP5NLSQNM010 QuickNet™ harness assembly delivers pre-terminated OM4 multimode connectivity for high-density datacenter and enterprise network deployments. This 10-meter cable features an MPO-8 female connector on one end breaking out to four duplex LC connectors via individual 60cm (24-inch) legs, enabling clean 4:1 fan-out from spine switches or patch panels to rack-mounted equipment. Factory-terminated and 100% insertion-loss tested, the assembly eliminates field termination labor and variability while meeting OFNP plenum rating requirements for installation in air-handling spaces above drop ceilings and under raised floors.

Key Features

• OM4 50/125μm multimode fiber supports 10GBASE-SR up to 550m, 40/100GBASE-SR4 up to 150m, enabling current 10GbE infrastructure with headroom for 40G/100G migration
• MPO-8 female to 4× duplex LC breakout consolidates eight fibers into a single trunk, reducing congestion in cable pathways and simplifying moves/adds/changes
• Plenum-rated OFNP jacket meets NEC Article 770 requirements for installation in environmental air spaces without conduit, supporting compliance in commercial buildings and datacenters
• 60cm (24-inch) equal-length breakout legs provide sufficient slack for organized routing to adjacent rack units while minimizing excess cable bulk in vertical managers
• QuickNet™ harness design with integrated strain relief and color-coded connectors accelerates deployment, reducing installation time by up to 70% compared to field-terminated alternatives
• Factory testing to TIA-568-C.3 insertion loss and return loss specifications ensures Day 1 link performance without field certification of individual terminations
• Aqua jacket color follows TIA-598-C coding standard for OM4 fiber, enabling instant visual identification during troubleshooting and adds
• RoHS-compliant construction supports green building certifications and corporate sustainability requirements

The OM4 laser-optimized fiber in this assembly is engineered for 850nm VCSEL transceivers common in short-reach datacenter applications. The 50μm core diameter and optimized modal bandwidth (minimum 4700 MHz·km @ 850nm) support error-free 10 Gigabit Ethernet transmission up to 550 meters—sufficient for intra-building backbone links and longer campus runs that exceed OM3 fiber's 300-meter limit. For 40GBASE-SR4 and 100GBASE-SR4 applications using parallel optics, the same fiber delivers 150-meter reach, comfortably spanning typical datacenter row-to-aggregation distances while providing margin against future transceiver sensitivity variations. This performance headroom protects the physical layer investment as network speeds increase, avoiding costly re-cabling when migrating from 10G to 40G or 100G.

The MPO interface has become the de facto standard for high-density switch ports, blade server modules, and structured cabling trunk applications. This assembly's MPO-8 female connector (also called MPO ferrule with pins removed) mates directly with male MPO ports on Cisco, Juniper, Arista, and Dell switches, as well as fiber enclosures and cassettes from Panduit, CommScope, and Corning. The key-up orientation and white connector body follow TIA-604-5 (FOCIS-5) polarity Method B, ensuring correct fiber pairing when used with Method B cassettes or adapter panels. On the equipment side, the four duplex LC connectors provide the familiar form factor used in SFP+, QSFP+, and QSFP28 transceivers, simplifying technician training and reducing the risk of incorrect insertion. Each LC connector is independently strain-relieved and features a low-profile boot that fits in tight spaces between adjacent transceivers in high-density line cards.

The 60cm breakout leg length strikes a balance between routing flexibility and cable management discipline. In a typical implementation, the MPO end connects at a mid-rack patch panel or enclosure, while the four LC duplex pairs route vertically or horizontally to servers, switches, or storage arrays within a few rack units. The equal-length design prevents the "spaghetti" effect of widely varying leg lengths, maintaining clean pathways in vertical cable managers and horizontal troughs. For deployments requiring longer breakout distances—such as routing from a top-of-rack enclosure to equipment at the bottom of a 42U cabinet—Panduit offers variants with 1.5m and 3.0m legs; for tighter spaces such as blade chassis internal connections, 30cm versions are available. The fanout ratio of 4:1 (one MPO trunk to four LC duplex pairs) aligns with common cassette and module architectures, though 12-fiber and 24-fiber harness variants support denser switch configurations.

Plenum rating is a critical requirement for structured cabling installed in the horizontal pathways above suspended ceilings or below raised floors—spaces classified as environmental air plenums under NFPA 90A and referenced in NEC Article 770. Non-plenum cables in these spaces pose a fire hazard due to PVC jacket combustion releasing toxic smoke that can spread rapidly through air-handling systems. The OFNP (Optical Fiber Nonconductive Plenum) rating on this assembly certifies that the jacket material has passed UL 910 (Steiner Tunnel) flame and smoke tests, producing minimal smoke and self-extinguishing when exposed to flame. This allows installation in plenum spaces without metallic conduit, reducing material and labor costs while maintaining code compliance during building inspections and insurance audits. For non-plenum applications such as conduit runs or riser shafts, Panduit offers OFNR-rated versions of the same assembly at lower cost; specifying OFNP in all cases simplifies inventory and ensures compatibility with any installation environment.

Factory termination eliminates the single largest source of fiber link failures: inconsistent field terminations. Each connector on this assembly is epoxy-polished and inspected under magnification at the Panduit manufacturing facility, then tested for insertion loss, return loss, and end-face geometry per TIA-568-C.3 and IEC 61300-3-35 standards. The test results are traceable to the assembly serial number, providing documentation for warranty claims and performance audits. In contrast, field terminations—whether fusion-spliced pigtails or mechanical connectors—depend on technician skill, cleanliness discipline, and tool calibration, introducing variability that often requires rework and re-testing. Pre-terminated harnesses shift that quality control to the factory, allowing installation crews to focus on pathway preparation and cable routing rather than connector assembly. For a typical 10-rack deployment requiring 80 fiber links, the labor savings alone can offset the assembly cost premium within a single project, while the reduction in installation errors and callbacks delivers ongoing operational savings.

The QuickNet harness construction integrates the breakout point, strain relief, and leg bundling into a single molded assembly rather than using heat-shrink tubing or loose fanout kits. This design provides superior pull strength and crush resistance during installation, protecting the fibers from damage when pulled through crowded cable trays or secured with cable ties. The aqua jacket color is a visual cue for OM4 fiber per TIA-598-C, preventing accidental cross-connection with orange OM1, orange OM2, or lime green OM5 cables that may coexist in legacy installations. Each LC connector is color-coded and numbered (A1/A2, B1/B2, C1/C2, D1/D2) to indicate the fiber pair mapping back to the MPO connector, simplifying troubleshooting when a specific lane fails or when verifying polarity during acceptance testing.

Compliance with ISO/IEC 11801, TIA-568-C.3, and TIA-604 connector standards ensures interoperability with equipment from any vendor adhering to the same specifications. The assembly meets or exceeds the Category OM4 channel insertion loss budget of 1.5 dB per connector pair plus 3.0 dB per kilometer of fiber, providing margin for aging and additional connections as the network evolves. RoHS compliance supports LEED certification and corporate environmental policies by eliminating lead, mercury, cadmium, and other restricted substances from the cable materials. For deployments in seismically active regions or vibration-prone environments such as mechanical rooms, the robust strain relief and connector retention force maintain reliable connections under conditions that would unseat push-pull connectors or crack poorly terminated fibers.

This 10-meter length is well-suited for rack-to-rack connections within the same row, aggregation layer uplinks, or horizontal runs in small to mid-sized server rooms. Panduit manufactures the same harness configuration in lengths from 1 meter to 100 meters, allowing precise length selection that minimizes cable slack and excess coiling in pathways. Ordering the correct length reduces material waste, improves airflow in hot aisle/cold aisle layouts by eliminating cable dams, and simplifies future troubleshooting by reducing the number of service loops and hidden cable bundles. The assembly ships in quantities of one per package and ten per carton, with each unit individually bagged and labeled with UPC 61305686054 for inventory control and automated checkout at the job site.

The Panduit FZ8RP5NLSQNM010 is engineered for IT professionals and cabling contractors who refuse to compromise on quality, compliance, or installation speed. Pre-terminated QuickNet harnesses eliminate field termination variables, accelerate deployment timelines, and deliver factory-certified performance that supports both current 10 Gigabit Ethernet infrastructure and future 40G/100G migration paths without re-cabling.