Panduit FW2ELQ1Q1NNM040 OM4 Multimode Fiber Patch Cable
The Panduit FW2ELQ1Q1NNM040 is a 40-meter duplex LC-to-LC fiber optic patch cable engineered for high-bandwidth data center and enterprise network deployments. Built on OM4 laser-optimized 50/125μm multimode fiber, this assembly supports 10GBASE-SR up to 400 meters, 40GBASE-SR4 up to 150 meters, and 100GBASE-SR10 up to 100 meters—making it ideal for spine-leaf architectures, storage arrays, and switch-to-switch interconnects where cable reach extends beyond standard 3-5 meter patch cords. The aqua OFNR-rated jacket meets NEC requirements for riser applications, and the factory-terminated LC duplex connectors deliver <0.2 dB insertion loss per Panduit's controlled-polish process. At 40 meters, this cable bridges distribution frames to core switches in mid-sized datacenter rows or connects remote aggregation points in campus fiber backbones without requiring fusion splicing or field terminations.
Key Features
- OM4 50/125μm laser-optimized multimode fiber—certified for 10G/40G/100G Ethernet over extended distances compared to OM3
- Duplex LC connectors with ceramic ferrules—pre-polished to <0.2 dB insertion loss, <-40 dB return loss per TIA-568 standards
- 40-meter (131-foot) length—purpose-built for datacenter row interconnects, aggregation layer uplinks, and raised-floor cross-connects where standard 3-10m cables fall short
- OFNR (riser-rated) jacket—UL listed for vertical cable runs between floors without requiring plenum-rated cable cost premium
- Aqua jacket color—industry-standard OM4 identification per TIA-598 color coding for rapid visual verification during MACs
- Factory testing and certification—each assembly shipped with insertion loss test data, eliminating field verification labor on day-one deployments
Datacenter Aggregation and Storage Connectivity
The 40-meter reach of the FW2ELQ1Q1NNM040 solves the most common cable-length gap in modern datacenter designs: connections between end-of-row aggregation switches and core switches located in adjacent rows or MDA/HDA spaces. Standard 3-meter and 5-meter patch cables force rack-adjacency constraints or require costly MPO trunk-to-breakout cassette assemblies; conversely, 100-meter cables create cable-management bulk and bend-radius challenges in overhead ladder rack. This cable hits the middle ground—long enough to cross 10-12 racks or span a 35-meter raised-floor diagonal, short enough to dress cleanly in vertical cable managers without service loops. The OM4 fiber specification supports 40GBASE-SR4 and 100GBASE-SR4 optics at distances that exceed the cable length, preserving upgrade headroom when leaf switches transition from 10G to 40G uplinks. Panduit's LC connector bodies are pull-proof rated to 25 lbf per TIA-568.3-D, surviving the lateral stress that occurs when cables are routed through horizontal wire trays with 90-degree transitions—a failure point for economy patch cords that use injection-molded boots without strain relief.
Specification and Standards Compliance
The cable meets TIA-568.3-D transmission requirements for OM4 multimode fiber: 4700 MHz·km effective modal bandwidth at 850 nm, enabling 10GBASE-SR to 400 meters and 40GBASE-SR4 to 150 meters per IEEE 802.3 distance specifications. The duplex LC connectors use 1.25mm ceramic ferrules polished to an 8-degree physical-contact endface geometry, ensuring the <0.2 dB maximum insertion loss that datacenter network engineers rely on when calculating power budgets for 10G and 40G SR optics. Panduit's OFNR jacket is UL 1666 riser-rated—suitable for vertical building risers and general-purpose horizontal datacenter cable trays where plenum rating is not mandated by local code. The aqua jacket complies with TIA-598-D color coding (aqua = OM4 multimode), and the cable's 2.0mm zipcord construction allows easy separation of the two fibers when connectors must be routed to separate bulkhead adapters in redundant-path designs. Each cable ships with a serialized test report showing insertion loss measured at 850 nm and 1300 nm wavelengths, traceable to NIST-calibrated reference standards—critical documentation for TIA-942 Rated-3 and Rated-4 datacenter audits.
Why This Cable for Aggregation-Layer Deployments
Integrators deploying leaf-spine fabrics or collapsed-core enterprise networks face a recurring problem: the 3-10 meter patch cords that ship with optics are too short to reach aggregation switches in the next row, but 100-meter trunk cables are overkill and create cable-management debt. The FW2ELQ1Q1NNM040's 40-meter length directly addresses this gap—long enough to eliminate MPO cassette costs and fusion-splice labor, short enough to avoid the excess cable storage that triggers airflow-obstruction failures during DCIM audits. The OM4 fiber type preserves 40G and 100G upgrade paths without re-cabling, and the LC duplex form factor integrates with the installed base of Cisco, Arista, Juniper, and Dell enterprise switch optics. Panduit's controlled factory termination process eliminates the 0.5-0.75 dB insertion-loss variability common with field-installed connectors—when you're chaining three fiber links to reach a 9 dB power budget on 10GBASE-SR, that consistency matters. This is the cable you specify when you need guaranteed performance, documented test results, and a length that matches real datacenter topology—not a compromise driven by commodity patch-cord stock lengths.
