What type of fiber is commonly used for short-distance applications, such as within buildings?

Multi-mode fiber is commonly used for short-distance applications, such as within buildings, due to its design and capabilities. This type of fiber has a larger core diameter compared to single-mode fiber, which allows multiple light modes to propagate through the fiber simultaneously. The larger core enables the transmission of data over shorter distances more effectively, making it an ideal choice for applications such as local area networks (LANs) and connections between different equipment within the same building.

Additionally, multi-mode fiber is typically more cost-effective than single-mode fiber, primarily because it uses less complex technology. In environments where the transmission distance is relatively short, such as within a building, the signal loss and dispersion issues associated with multi-mode fiber are minimized, making it an efficient option for high-speed data communication over these shorter runs.

In contrast, single-mode fiber, while great for long-distance applications due to its ability to reduce signal loss over great lengths, is not typically necessary for shorter connections. Plastic fiber, while often used in certain consumer-level applications because of its flexibility and ease of handling, does not offer the same performance characteristics as glass multi-mode fiber in terms of bandwidth and distance. Graded-index fiber is a specific type of multi-mode fiber designed to improve performance further, but