Fiber Optic Connector ST

ST (an AT&T Trademark) is probably still the most popular connector for multimode networks (ca. 2005), like most buildings and campuses. It has a bayonet mount and a long cylindrical 2.5 mm ceramic (usually) or polymer ferrule to hold the fiber. Most ferrules are ceramic, but some are metal or plastic. A mating adapter is used to mate two connectors (shown below.) And because STs are spring-loaded, you have to make sure they are seated properly. If you have high loss, reconnect them to see if it makes a difference.

The ST/SC/FC/FDDI/ESON connectors have the same ferrule size – 2.5 mm or about 0.1 inch – so they can be mixed and matched to each other using hybrid mating adapters. This makes it convenient to test, since you can have a set of multimode reference test cables with ST or SC connectors and adapt to all these connectors.