Cable & Wire | High quality and excellent service at reasonable prices.
info@zion-communication.com
Author: James Publish Time: 08-08-2025 Origin: Site
As the business world is fast becoming more digitized, data centers and their network infrastructure require high Bandwidth and link stability. 25G optical modules will serve as the vital technical basis for satisfying these prerequisites. In general, SFP-25G-SR and SFP-25G-ESR are two typical modes of transmission of the 25G multimode optical modules. Although they have the same form factor and operate on the same wavelength, they still exhibit significant differences in terms of transmission performance and application areas.
Although 25G multimode optics are typically used for short to medium distances, they also have other applications. They are usually deployed with OM3 or OM4 fiber, which is ideal for the speeds required by various switches, routers, NICs, and storage devices in data centers or enterprise networks.
Form Factor: SFP28, hot-pluggable
Wavelength: 850nm, full-duplex transceiver
Transmission Distance: Up to 100m over OM1, OM2, OM4, 125m over OM4, while OM4 also supports 200m.
As for Reach, it usually forgives shorter, high-speed connections.
Functionality: Digital Diagnostic Monitoring (DDM), suitable for digital monitoring.
Form Factor: SFP28, hot-pluggable
Wavelength: 850nm, full-duplex transceiver for balanced operation over a distance
Transmission Distance: Up to 300m over OM3, up to 600m over OM4.
Common Usage: Optics links that are long
Options: DDM-supported (Digital Diagnostic Monitoring) is supported.
Specification | SFP-25G-SR | SFP-25G-ESR |
Transmission Distance | 70m (OM3) / 100m (OM4) | 200m (OM3) / 300m (OM4) |
Fiber Type | OM3, OM4 | OM3, OM4 (OM4 recommended) |
Standard Compliance | IEEE standard, widely compatible | Vendor-specific extension (Cisco, Huawei, etc.), requires compatibility check |
Cost | Lower | Higher |
Typical Applications | Data center rack-to-rack, short-reach | Campus backbone, medium-distance multimode upgrade |
When to select SFP-25G-SR:
Data center Top-of-Rack (ToR) connections
Server-to-switch interconnects (≤100m)
Such a system is considered cost-effective by the current society.
When to select SFP-25G-ESR:
Campus backbone links (200-300m)
The fiber optic cable line stretches shorter than 1m, making it impractical for telecom carriers; therefore, A1.
In the SA-MAC-X Fiber networks, it should be considered.
Q1: Can ESR replace SR?
A: Yes, but check device compatibility first. For short distances, SR offers better cost efficiency.
Q2: Can I use OM3 fiber with ESR?
A: Yes, but the maximum distance will be reduced to around 200 meters.
Q3: Future upgrade suggestions?
A: If upgrading to 100G in the future, consider modules supporting SR4 (4×25G).
The former SFP-25G-SR and SFP-25G-ESR should be used for connection. In contrast, the newly developed SFP-25G-SR and SFP-25G-ESR are capable of working at a longer distance. The primary considerations for module selection include distance requirements, hardware compatibility, budget, and future-proofing.
For expert assessment or customized solutions, reach ZION Communication. Additionally, our professional crew is ideally qualified to recommend the right 25G optical module to help you overcome the networking challenges you face.
James is a technical manager and associate at Zion Communication.
Specializes in Optical Fiber communications, FTTH Solutions,
Fiber optic cables, ADSS cable, and ODN networks.
james@zion-communication.com
+86 13777460328
