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What is the fastest cabling that can be used to connect the transceiver that Meraki calls the 1GbE SFP SX Fiber Transceiver?

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Source: meraki.cisco.com/products/switches/accessories

I'm trying to purchase fiber cabling between two switches that are 459 feet (140 meters) apart.

Even though the switches themselves are limited to 1GbE, I want to purchase the fastest cabling that will function with these switches' transceivers. My priority is on flexibility (not price): When the day comes, that these switches are upgraded to ones capable of much faster speeds, the cable I purchase now should accommodate those speeds.

Currently, the two switches are Meraki MS120-8, and they are equipped with 4 of the transceivers that are pointed out in the top screenshot of this post.

Ultimately, I'll be running two separate fiber cables (both 150 meters long) to hopefully get closer to 2GbE speed (via link aggregation). These cables will take different physical paths between these two switches, to reduce the likelihood of both cables being damaged at the same time.

Meraki won't advise me on the cabling at all. For example, I couldn't even get my Meraki rep to even speculate as to whether or not this [OM4 cable][5] would work. I need someone with experience to advise me. Otherwise, I'm just going to have order short strands of each prospective type I'd want, and just see which ones work before buying longer strands.

What is the fastest cabling that can be used to connect the transceiver that Meraki calls the 1GbE SFP SX Fiber Transceiver?

UPDATE: OM4 fiber cable was purchased and is now installed. It is working perfectly. Thanks for everyone's confirmation!

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    OM3/4 will work just fine for what you need.
    – Cow
    Commented Sep 13, 2019 at 18:28
  • If you're unable to locate the exact specs of the cable I purchased, review the edits that have been made to this question.
    – Lonnie Best
    Commented Sep 25, 2019 at 2:50
  • Please do not recommend any product here on NE.
    – Zac67 ♦
    Commented Sep 25, 2019 at 3:25

2 Answers 2

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As per IEEE 802.3 Clause 38, 1000BASE-SX requires OM2 (500 MHz·km for 850 nm) for max. 550 m reach. As a superset, OM4 is fine as well (there's little point buying OM2). With 10GBASE-SR the reach over OM4 is reduced to 400 m, so you're also good for an upgrade later on.

There's also OM5 but it's only for higher speed WDM, not for longer reach with 850 nm.

For a longer run, you might want to consider single-mode fiber with a 1000BASE-LX transceiver now and with an upgrade path to 10GBASE-LR later on - good for up to 10 km over SMF.

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  • They ask about 550ft (167m but with odd punctuation) though?
    – cpt_fink
    Commented Sep 21, 2019 at 4:49
  • I've updated the question with more exact measurements. Thanks for your answer. See the update at the bottom of the question too. It worked! Thank you!
    – Lonnie Best
    Commented Sep 24, 2019 at 14:12
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My priority is on flexibility (not price): When the day comes, that these switches are upgraded to ones capable of much faster speeds, the cable I purchase now should accommodate those speeds.

How much faster is much faster?

Going with OM4 will work with the transceivers you linked and give you an upgrade path to 10G, but beyond 10G multimode at the distances you quote seems to be a dead end.

If you think at any time in the lifetime of the link you may need it to run at more than 10G then singlemode (with suitable transcievers) is likely the way to go.

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