Why Should We Keep Fiber Optic Connectors Clean?

Fiber optic technicians are aware that dirty connections can cause attenuation, but they may not realize that it can also cause bit errors or slowdown of the network. Therefore, keeping the fiber optic connector endfaces clean is one of the most overlooked aspects of fiber optic maintenance and troubleshooting. Today’s article will describe the detailed information about how dirty fiber optic connector can cause slowdown of the network.

Brief Overview of Fiber Optic Connectors

A fiber optic connector is urgently needed to the industry owing to the lower loss, lower cost, easier to terminate or solved some other perceived problem. As a result, about 100 fiber optic connectors have been introduced to the marketplace, but only a few represent the majority of the market. Commonly used fiber optic connector types like the SC, FC, LC, ST, MU, E2000, MTRJ, SMA , DIN as well as MTP & MPO etc, which are widely used in the termination of fiber optic cables, such as fiber optic pigtail, fiber optic patch cables and so on.

How Does the Dirty Fiber Optic Connector Cause Bit Errors?

Of course, the dirty fiber connection will cause bit errors as the contamination degrades the signal quality. In fact, the signal comes in a beam of light traveling through the fiber’s core. When the light travels through the fiber core, it has a refractive index value. But when the light beam comes into contact with end face contamination, it will enter a second medium which has different refractive index value. That’s the reason why it causes the bit error rates.

Figure 1: dust particles under the microscope

Sometimes, in fiber optic network, we need to mate two fiber optic connectors together. Will the mating prevent fiber optic connector from contamination? The answer is yes. There is no need to worry about dust with physical contact connectors as long as they were cleaned before the mating process. When the two ferrules are physically mated, the mating force for most single fiber industry standard connectors is around 1kg or about 2.2lbs. If you calculate the force of what 2.2lbs in a 200μm, that comes to 45,000psi which is why contaminate migration is not a problem even in a dusty environment. The following part will provide some answers to some common questions of end users.

Will the Dust Cap Make Fiber Endface Clean?

No, customers should never assume that a capped cable assemblies is clean when taking out of the bag. Dust and mold release agents are the two common contaminates but nearly invisible for the human eyes. The primary purpose of the end cap is to protect the ferrule end face from scratch and pitting defects. It does not protect the ferrule end face from contamination.

If a customer buys a new fiber jumper from the manufacturer and inspects it after taking the end caps off, it would not be uncommon to see some small amount of on contamination on the endface. This does not mean that the jumper manufacturer’s quality process are lacking. All manufacturers experience this. The customer just needs to work smartly and realize that the end cap is just for protecting against scratches. The best practice is to inspect the ferrule, clean if necessary and re-inspect before mating. If the customer does not have a ferrule scope available, then cleaning both connectors end faces before mating will significantly reduce the likelihood of damage and cross contamination.

How to Keep the Fiber Optic Connectors Clean?

Keeping fiber connections clean is different from any other type of cleaning due to the relative sizes of the connectors compared to the particles and contaminants that typically reside on them. Also we need to be diligent in their maintenance by cleaning the connectors every time before they are mated and after each un-mating. Static charges attract dust to the fiber connectors and prevent them from falling off even when blown with a can of compressed air. As we have discussed in the above article, dust caps are primarily used to protect the ferrule and can actually make a clean connector dirty due to their tendency to keep a static charge.

Figure 2: use one-click cleaner to clean the MPO cable

The mechanical cleaning tools like the One-Click cleaners are widely used in the optical fields. . One-click cleaner is designed to clean male connectors, female bulkhead adapters, fiber patch cables and test equipment. It cleans the ferrule endface removing from dust, oil and other contamination without scratching the endface. Although it is the most cost-effective and time-saving solution for cleaning fiber optic connectors, it has a limited contact region and will never be able to clean the connector’s end face. Therefore, another fiber optic cleaner has given to birth—Fiber Optic Cassette Cleaner. The cassette cleaner can wipe away contamination from optical connector endface with ease. I’s very easy to use and suitable for LC/MU/SC/FC/ST/MPO/MTRJ connectors. Usually, the body of this cleaner is made from antistatic materials which will not produce dust.

Is Dry Cleaning a Better Solution?

Besides the mechanical cleaning tools, there are two basic methods :dry cleaning and wet cleaning. There are two distinct advantages a wet cleaning process has over the dry process. The first process is static dissipation and the second is the cleaning solvent’s ability to loosen up harden contaminates from the ferrule end face without causing permanent defects to the end face.

On the other hand, the dry wiping process that an operator would do using a Fiber Optic Cassette Cleaner or One-Click cleaner relies on contact friction to remove contamination. When two materials are rubbed together, there is a transfer of electrons between the two surfaces and the imbalance on the surface creates a charged electric force we call static electricity. The two surfaces, one charged positive and the other negative, will try to pull in surrounding particles to being the charge back into a neutral balance. This attraction pulls in the dust particulates in the air and the wear debris on the connector body and adapter. The introduction of a cleaning solvent during a wet-dry cleaning process introduces static dissipative medium for the charge so that it does not stay on the ferrule surface.

Conclusion

End users should be wise to think of the environment his connectors are being exposed before learn to keep fiber optic connector clean. Because a large enough piece of dust particulate residing somewhere on either ends will create problems. The best practice to avoid long-term problems and extend the life of your optical assemblies is to always inspect and remove any contamination regardless of the connector type. FS.COM offers a full range of fiber optics that can cater to your specific requirement. Bulk Ethernet cable, fiber jumpers, transceivers  and DAC/AOC cables are in great selection. Please feel free to contact us.

Using HDMI Cables for High-Quality Transmission

As audio video systems and installations have become more complex over time, it is common for people to use HD TVs, HD media players, and other home theater systems. Additionally there seemed to be a big variance in quality between brands, especially when it came to extending HDMI signals. Therefore, the introduction of HDMI technology is a game changer and highly appreciated by overall users in this days. Just as fiber jumper connecting optical equipment, HDMI cables offer long-distance HD audio and video signals transmission playing an important role in achieving brilliant performance. Today’s article will have a brief introduction to this cable.

HDMI Cable

HDMI ((High-Definition Multimedia Interface) cable is composed of four shielded twisted pairs with several separate conductors for transferring data over video/audio devices. A HDMI cables are defined into two cable categories: one is the Category 1-certified cables, known as standard HDMI cables, the other is Category 2-certified cables, also called high speed HDMI cables. HDMI cables has not been specified the transmission length. A cable of about 5 meters (16 feet) can be manufactured to Category 1 specifications easily and inexpensively by using 28 AWG conductors. With better quality construction and materials, including 24 AWG conductors, an HDMI cable can reach lengths of up to 15 meters (49 feet). HDMI cables are expensive than the regular Cat6/Cat7 cables. Just as anything else, whether you want to use the expensive but high-performance HDMI cables or cheap but low-performance Category copper cables like Cat5e/Cat6, it depends on what inputs you tech has. The below part lists the current usage of HDMI cables, and you can look at the solutions that interest you. The following image shows the image of a HDMI cables connecting box and HDMI socket of TV.

Difference Between an HDMI Cable and a DVI Cable

HDMI cable and DVI cable as two two input-output media interfaces in home network are posing difficulty in distinguishing them. In fact, the biggest difference between these two transmission media lies in their layout. An HDMI cable is more compact and resembles a USB cable, while a DVI cable is usually bigger in size. Another major difference is in capability: the HDMI supports audio and video, whereas the DVI is strictly video-only.

Applications of HDMI Cables

• Boosted HDMI: HDMI cables, with a booster integrated into their structure use the 5v power rail of the HDMI signal to carry the data further without loss of fidelity. This cable, compared with the normal HDMI cable, is intended to make longer cable runs, but it can also be used to make a short cable thinner and much more flexible. HDMI cables with integrated booster chipsets are more expensive than their basic counterparts, and so far only cater to 1080p content due to the loss of bandwidth over the extended length, but they can reach 40 meters.
• HDMI over CAT: It is not a new concept to use Cat5 or Cat6 cables to extend an AV source. HDMI recently make use of this technology for stable extended runs—sometimes even using existing network cabling. Due to bandwidth limitations, most CAT extenders only support 1080p, but some can handle 3D, too. Configuration is more complex than regular cables, and interference can be a big problem in some environments, but with a good HDMI over Cat5/6 Extender, you can run 50 meters.

• HDMI over Fiber Optics: Fiber optics for HDMI, compared with HDMI over CAT, carries the highest price premium, but they have the much better capacity to outstrip copper based cables for distance by a large margin. The added benefit to this cable type is flexibility with a maximum distance of 45 meters. The optical core is much smaller than Boosted HDMI, but can go the same distances. Note that some companies have kits which run much longer, but it of course will cost far more!
• HDMI over Wireless: Wireless technologies vary between models, but one thing they have in common is they don't generally go as far as cables do. Line of sight is 10 to 15 meters, and through walls can be as low as 5 to 8 meters. Unless you can't run a cable at all, a lead will beat Wireless every time. Wireless is also limited by bandwidth to 1080p, and only the best units can handle 3D.

Some Terms Appeared in the Above Part

1080p refers to an HDTV format which has 1080 horizontal lines of resolution. The p stands for progressive scan. The traditional analog video uses an interlaced scan, which draws the odd lines, then even lines of each frame in sequence.

AWG is short for American Wire Gauge, which is a common unit of wire measurement. AWG expressed in a HDMI cable refers to the size of the conductors within the cable. With wire gauges, smaller numbers actually refer to larger wires. This means a 24 AWG cable has a thicker conductor than a 28 AWG cable. The benefit of a thicker conductor is the ability to effectively transmit an HD signal.

Plenum refers to the air-handling spaces in building construction above the ceiling and beneath the floors. Some building codes require Plenum-rated cable, which has a low-smoke jacket that burns slower in the event of a fire and emits less toxic smoke.

Summary

This article isn’t a definitive guide to HDMI cables, but for the sake of simplicity we just provide some basic information about industrial and commercial applications of HDMI cables. If you are on the fence to install a fiber optic network, always use the shortest length of cable you can live with, and ensure they're certified by the industry bodies. What’s more, it is advisable for you to save your money for other home network components and get your HDMI cables as cheaply as possible. FS.COM offers a full range of optical products including fiber optic cables (e.g. SC to LC patch cable), copper cables (like Cat5e, Cat6), optical transceivers and so on. If you want to know more information about our products, please send your request to us.

Color Code Standard of Ethernet Cable – T-568B and T-568A

Ethernet cables are the standard cables used for almost all purposes that are often called patch cables or fiber jumper. In an article “How to Choose Ethernet Cable”, we know that Ethernet cables can be categorized into many types, like straight-through and crossover Ethernet cable, UTP or STP, Cat5 or Cat6, etc. But we know little about the pins and wiring in Ethernet cables and RJ45 plugs.

RJ-45 conductor cable contains 4 pairs of wires, each consisting of a solid colored wire and a strip of the same color. There are typically two wiring standards for RJ-45 wiring: T-568A and T-568B. What do they mean, and why they are important? This post will discuss the color diagram of straight-through and crossover Ethernet cable to help you figure out.

Straight-Through and Crossover Cables

Straight-through refers to the Ethernet cables that have the pin assignments on each end of the cable—Pin 1 connector A goes to Pin 1 on connector B, Pin 2 to Pin 2 etc. Straight-through wired cables see in Figure 1 are most commonly used to connect a host to client. For example, the straight-through wired cat5e patch cable is used to connect computers, printers and other network client devices to the router switch or hub (the host device in this instance).

While an crossover cables are similar with straight-through cables, except that TX and RX lines are at opposite positions on either end of the cable, in other words, Pin 1 on connector A goes to Pin 3 on connector B. Pin 2 on connector A goes to Pin 6 on connector B ect. Crossover cables are most commonly used to connect two hosts directly.

What’s more, the color code diagram of these two cables are different. To create a straight-through cable, you will use either T-568B or T-568A on both ends, while to create a cross-over cable, you will wire T-568A on one end, and T-568B on the other end.

T-568B and T-568A Standard

T-568A and T-568B are the two wiring standards for RJ-45 connector data cable specified by TIA/EIA-568A wiring standards document. T-568A standard ratified in 1995, was recently replaced by the T-568B standard in 2002. The difference between the two is the position of the orange and green wire pairs. It is preferable to wire to T-568B standards if there is no pre-existing pattern used within a building.

Both the T-568A and T-568B standard Straight-through cables are used most often as patch cords for your Ethernet connections. If you require a cable to connect two Ethernet devices directly together without a hub or when you connect two hubs together, you will need to use a Crossover cable instead.

Looking at a T-568A UTP Ethernet straight-through cable and an Ethernet crossover cable in the above image with a T-568B end, we see that the TX pins are connected to the corresponding RX pins, plus to plus and minus to minus. You can also see that both the blue and brown wire pairs on pins 4, 5, 7, and 8 are not used in either standard. What you may not realize is that, these same pins 4, 5, 7, and 8 are not used or required in 100BASE-TX as well. So why bother using these wires, well for one thing its simply easier to make a connection with all the wires grouped together. Otherwise you’ll be spending time trying to fit those tiny little wires into each of the corresponding holes in the RJ-45 connector.

Conclusion

Ethernet cable color-coded wiring standard allows optical technicians to reliably predict how Ethernet cable is terminated on both ends so they can follow other technicians' work without having to guess or spend time deciphering the function and connections of each wire pair. There is no technical difference between the T568A and T568B wire standard, so neither is superior than the others. FS.COM offers a full range of optical devices including fiber optic cables like LC-SC fiber cable, copper cables (Cat5/5e, Cat6), etc. If you have any requirement of our products, please send your request to us.

10 Frequently Asked Questions About Fiber Optics

Fiber optical technology typically presumes a service life of nearly 30 years. It is not a revolutionary or a new technology, in fact it is only about carrying light from one point to another. The questions that frequently asked around the industry are the art of mysticism, thus this post has collected questions made by professional during seminars, forum and projects. Solutions are also provided respectively to help readers to form the general understanding of this system.

Do signals really travel faster in fiber optics?

The speed here doesn’t refer to the the speed of signals in fiber optic cable, but the bandwidth potential of the fiber. Because you know that the speed of light in glass is about 2/3 C, but you might be surprised to know that signals in UTP (unshielded twisted pair) cables like Cat 5e travel at about the same speed (2/3 C). Coax, meanwhile, has a faster NVP (nominal velocity of propogation), about 0.9C, due to it's design.

What do I need for connecting Optic Fiber Cable to a Cat 5 Cable?

You need a media converter available from a number of companies for nearly $100-200.

Do you see any real serious problems in splicing together fiber cables from different manufacturers, as long as the cable is manufactured to the same specifications?

No, not as long as they are the same type and size, for example, multimode 62.5/125 or 50/125 and single mode should be normal (non-dispersion shifted) or dispersion shifted. Some single mode fibers are made for 1300 nm only, 1550 nm only or both, and they should not be mixed. Note that there are some other single mode fibers that have special coatings that cannot be mixed with others. Therefore you are supposed to ask your fiber vendors, splicer supplier or try it first before going into the field!

Will a single mode connector work on multi-mode cable?

The answer is maybe you can use SM connectors on MM but not the reverse. SM connectors are made to tighter tolerances—as is SM fiber—so the ferrule hole may be too small for some MM fibers. MM connectors have bigger holes for the fiber and will have high loss (>1dB) with SM. Also MM connectors may not be PC (physical contact) polish - terrible for return loss. MM fiber may not fit the smaller hole in SM connectors.

If you have a 50 micron fiber backbone, can you use 62.5 fiber jumpers on each end?

NO! On the receiver end it is OK, but on the transmitter end, the larger core of 62.5 into smaller 50 micron fiber will have fiber losses of 2-4 dB.

What is your view on using fiber optic connectors? Is it a better terminating method than fusion splice?

Of all the SFF (small form factor connectors), LC connector is the one that has become the most popular. In fact, it is the de facto standard connector for gigabit and 10 gigabit networks. Indeed the design is very well thought out. The smaller ferrule of a LC to LC fiber cable is easy to polish well and has excellent mating performance—which leads to low loss and back reflection. It is also easy to terminante and test.

What is the theoretical lifetime of optical fiber and optical fiber cables?

There is no “theoretical lifetime” of optical fibers. There is no industry accepted “wear out” mechanism for optical fiber. So there is no physical-chemical reach to test and accelerate in order to predict an eventual failure mechanism and corresponding failure reaction rate.

Can the same fiber-optic transceivers that are used with Om3 fiber, like SFP+ pluggable modules, be used with Om4 fiber or are there new transceiver types that need to be used?

Yes, you can use the same fiber optic transceivers for both Om3 and Om4 fibers because the two fiber types are basically the same except that Om4 fiber has higher bandwidth. The IEEE 10G Ethernet standard states that 300-meter Om3 and 400-meter Om4 link lengths are supported with 10GBase-S-compliant transceivers.

Which cabling media are typically used in data center/storage area network (SAN) environments?

There are a variety of different types of cabling media deployed in the data center. Multimode and single mode fiber, direct attach connection (DAC) cables, CX4 copper cables, and Category 6A twisted-pair all have a place.

The cabling type that is deployed is typically based on port type, cost, and distance. Distance is dictated by the architecture of the data center, which can be centralized/direct connect, distribution/top-of-rack switching, zoned distribution, or a combination of these.

Fiber is often deployed to connect top-of-rack switches to an aggregation switch at the end of the row or in another location, in centralized architectures for the "home runs," and in zoned distribution architectures. Multimode fiber supports all distances in the typical data center, such as connecting top-of-rack switches within rows back to an aggregation or core layer, or connecting servers to end-of-row switches. For larger data centers, where MM fiber patch cords may not suffice, single mode fiber can enable much longer distances. Single mode fiber can also be deployed within the row as a strategy for future applications that might use multiple-wavelength technologies. Another alternative to traditional cable and connector deployments for connectivity between servers and switches within the rack is to use direct attached cables connecting to SFP+ ports.

Is fiber more difficult to install than copper?

It depends on the comfort level and training of the technicians. Because fiber has been accepted as the standard choice for communications backbones for many years, today's installers are generally comfortable with the technology, but there is a learning curve for those just starting out. Of course, the same could be said of new generations of copper cabling. The new generation high-speed copper cables require more stringent and time-consuming installation techniques than were required in the past.

Compared to newer grades of copper cable, fewer regulations exist on the methods by which optical cable is pulled and terminated. In addition, there is no need to worry about the location of EMI/RFI sources during installation. Also, with fiber cables, there are no requirements for mitigating techniques when migrating to 10GbE and higher data rates as there are with UTP copper media.

How to Reduce the Cost of FTTH Architecture

In our digital world, people increasingly require higher bandwidth to facilitate daily life, whether for leisure, work, education or keeping in contact with friends and family. The presence and speed of internet are regarded as the key factor that subscribers would take into account when buying a new house. Recently there are a growing number of independent companies offering full fiber to the home (FTTH) services, ranging from local cooperatives and community groups to new operators. Today’s article will pay special attention to the reasons why we should implement FTTH network and the methods to reduce the cost of FTTH network.

Why Should We Deploy FTTH Network?

No denying that the world is changing rapidly and becoming increasingly digital. People nowadays are knowledgeable workers who rely on fast connections to information stored in the cloud to do their jobs. Therefore, installing superfast FTTH broadband is an investment in equipping communities with the infrastructure they need to not just adapt to the present life, but to thrive in the future.

What’s more, the economic benefits of FTTH, for residents, businesses and the wider community are potentially enormous. While there are upfront costs in FTTH deployments, particularly around the last drop, equipment and methodologies are evolving to reduce these significantly. Fiber to the home is proven to increase customer satisfaction, and enables operators to offer new services, such as video on demand, 4K TV and smart home connectivity.

As well as bringing in economic benefits, FTTH broadband provides local businesses with the ability to expand, invest and seek new opportunities by providing rapid connections to major markets. All of this leads to increased investment in the rural economy, providing residents with more choice and stimulating growth.

What to Do?

Although deploying FTTH network might be similar cost as deploying copper network, there are some methods that you should know about reducing the costs of FTTH architecture. Adopting the following three principles helps achieve FTTH deployment, maximizing return on investment and dramatically reducing deployment times.

1. Reuse the Existing Equipment

Time and the total cost of FTTH deployment are typically relevant with the civil engineering side of the project, such as digging a new trench and burying a new duct within it. Where possible, crews should look to reuse existing infrastructure—often there are ducts or routes already in place that can be used for FTTH and in building deployments. These could be carrying other telecommunication cables, power lines, or gas/water/sewerage. Installing within these routes requires careful planning and use of cables and ducts that are small enough to fit through potentially crowded pathways. Figure 2 shows a generic point-multipoint architecture that fiber jumper plays an important part in it.

Additionally utilizing the push and pull cables in FTTH infrastructure simply reduce costs and install time as network installers can easily complete FTTH deployment by using pushing or pulling cables: pushing can be aided by simple, cost-effective handheld blowing machines, or pulled through the duct using a pre-attached pull cord. Even for more complex and longer environment, FTTH deployment can be quickly completed other than requiring expensive blowing equipment to propel the cable through duct.

2. Choose the Right Construction Techniques

If it is time to start digging, always make sure you use appropriate construction methods. The appropriate method will minimize cost and time by making construction work as fast and concentrated as possible, avoiding major disruption to customers or the local area. And remember to make sure you follow best practice and use the right fiber cable and duct that can fit into tight spaces and withstand the high temperatures of the sealant used to make roadways good.

The cable and duct used within FTTH implementations is crucial. Ensure that it meets the specific needs of deployments, and is tough, reliable and has a bend radius. It should be lightweight to aid installation and small enough to fit into small gaps and spaces in ducts. Also look to speed up installations with pre-connectorized cables that avoid the need to field fit or splice.

3. Minimize the Skills Required

Staff costs are one of the biggest elements of the implementation budget. Additionally, there are shortages of many fiber skills, such as splicing, which can delay the rate at which rollouts are completed. Operators, therefore, need to look at deskilling installations where possible, while increasing productivity and ensuring reliability. Using pre-connectorized fiber is central to this—it doesn’t require splicing and is proven to reduce the skill levels needed within implementations.

Conclusion

To cope with the digital world, the network is in constant need of enhancements and the increasingly stressed bandwidth and performance requires ongoing adjustment. Regardless of the FTTH architecture and the technology to the curb, the pressure is on for the network installer to deploy FTTH quickly and cost-effectively, while still ensuring a high quality, reliable installation that causes minimal disruption to customers and the local area. Fiberstore offers a variety of optical equipment that are suitable in telecom field. Our fiber optic cables are available in different optical connector, single-mode and multimode fiber as well as indoor or outdoor cables. For example, patch cord LC-LC are also provided.

Why Is Optical Fiber Key to Cloud Computing?

In such a digital world, human beings are keen on developing technologies to facilitate daily lives. In order to process and store tons of information, many different forms of storage like CD-ROM, USB Key, and DVD has been developed. However, the above devices can only store limited data, which is not adequate for the information explosion. Thus cloud computing, as an advanced storage solution, appears on the stage. So how to achieve cloud computer? Different voices with different opinions emerge, but from a technician’s standpoint, a reliable cabling connectivity or fiber jumper is key to cloud computing. Whether you agree with my opinion or not, the following article will provide some detailed information about it to help you find out the answer.

What Is Cloud Computing?

The “Cloud” in the term cloud computing, describes an image of the complex infrastructure, covering all the technical details. Obviously, the cloud computing has nothing to do with the weather “cloud”. It is just an analogy to give it a body to imagine. Cloud computing is a model for computing transforming. In this model, data and computation are operated somewhere in a “cloud”, which is some collection of data centers owned and maintained by a third party. This enables ubiquitous, convenient, on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources that can be rapidly provisioned and released with minimal management effort or service provider interaction.

There are public cloud, private public and hybrid cloud. When a cloud is made available in a pay-as-you-go manner to the general public, we call it a public cloud. And when the cloud infrastructure is operated solely for a business or an organization, it is called private cloud. A composition of public and private cloud is called hybrid cloud. A hybrid cloud integrates the advantages of public cloud and private cloud, where private cloud is able to maintain high service availability by scaling up their system with externally provisioned resources from a public cloud when there are rapid workload fluctuations or hardware failures.

Optical Fiber Is the Key to Cloud Computing

In the “cloud” network, subscribers’ terminals are simplified into a pure and single device with only input and output functions but meanwhile utilize the powerful computing and processing functions from the “cloud”. This means that the terminal must have a very fast connection, because the simple terminal means fast network and powerful platform requirement, where “pipes” are put forward higher requirement. Thus, fiber is the ideal “pipe” for cloud computing. The following image shows the evolution of memory storage.

In fact, computer applications, software and even file storage now reside on the Internet or in the “cloud”. Yet another driving force is mobile Internet traffic, which relies heavily on cloud computing. It is said that there is over 1 Exabyte of data currently stored in the cloud. And this number is growing exponentially every day. The greatest thing that will limit your ability to work seamlessly in the “cloud” is your Internet connection. Thus, to access the tremendous amounts data, we need fiber networks that can carry Terabits—one trillion bits per second. Fiber jumper cables can offer more available bandwidth and speed which meets the demands of the “cloud”. Obviously, no technology is more effective at meeting that challenge than fiber at present.

What’s more, FTTH infrastructure is expected as a solution to meet the growing demands for high bandwidth. It brings fiber optic connections directly into homes, allowing for delivery speeds up to a possible 100 Mbps, or even more. These speeds open the door to a variety of new services and applications for residential, business and public service markets. The relationship between FTTH and cloud computing is subtle. FTTH encourages the growth of cloud computing with its benefits. And cloud computing may in turn drives the development of FTTH.

Conclusion

As cloud computing market continues to mature, current and potential information technology capabilities offers many benefits to our lives. However, just like other new technology advancement, cloud computing also faces many challenges, which requires all of us to form thoughts on the strengths and downfalls of the technology. Fiber optic cable, as an indispensable component of network infrastructure, plays a vital role in cloud computing. After going through the whole passage, do you agree with me? Or what’s your opinion? You can leave your messages to share with us.

It’s Time to Deploy FTTH

Fiber to the home (FTTH) developments clearly influence the demand for today’s home purchases. Developers and home builders recognize the need for reliable high-speed broadband communications. Thus they should seize the opportunity to design FTTH network during the design and construction of the development. In fact, deploying FTTH in a new development is at cost similar with deploying copper at the same location. But the long-term benefits stemming from fiber-ready infrastructure further catch people’s attention. Unlike coax and xDSL, fiber is more than just fast. So why implement FTTH development? The following article will give a further illustration of the reasons.

Fast Bandwidth

Cable modem and xDSL helped residential broadband get off the ground. Now, however, the sheer speed of fiber overcomes bandwidth limitations of coax and copper. To illustrate, rising consumer demand for big-screen LCD displays can chew up 19 Mbps of bandwidth per channel. In addition, broadband connections are constantly clamoring for more band-width, both upstream and downstream. With busier lives, families want high-speed broad-band communications to transfer e-mail, digital photos and Internet files and they also want entertainment options such as time-sensitive, interactive video gaming that requires bi-directional bandwidth capability. With the typical household having three or more TVs and the ferocious appetite of broadband vying for capacity, it is easy to see that an abundant supply of fiber bandwidth must be included in the design and construction of the development. Figure 1 shows the basic FTTH architecture.

Reliable Capacity

Noisy channel conditions, inclement weather, environmental clutter such as buildings and trees, corroded connections and distance limitations can all impact the reliable delivery of residential broadband. However, the FTTH network access architecture is immune to all of these conditions so there is virtually no downtime. In addition, economical battery backup at the residential NID automatically kicks in when line power is interrupted. Furthermore, FTTH assures the demanding subscriber that they always receive the high-speed broadband capacity that they are paying for, both upstream and downstream, no matter how loaded the access network may be. This built-in reliability is no longer the exception but rather what the homeowner now expects and the builder’s life becomes much easier with satisfied homeowners.

Easy Deployment

Making the optical channel ready for signals once required a skilled technician to carefully splice fiber cables together. Today, the success of FTTH is no longer tied to fiber splicing in the field. As already alluded to, the distribution and drop segments of the FTTH network are easily deployed and intuitively connected. For example, the preterminated fiber drop can reduce subscriber connection time by up to 50 percent because it can be easily screwed into the terminal and the NID by an installer who does not need to know anything about fiber. In the distribution segment, the ease of deployment can shave off 80 percent of the deployment time, because once the terminal distribution system has been placed, homes are immediately ready to be connected into the network.

In addition, with FTTH, there is no need for high-voltage power supplies in the neighborhood. Manufacturers are also continuing to improve the appearance and reduce the size of fiber cabinets and terminals relative to the traditional copper products. Combined, this results in a much more aesthetically pleasing deployment than ever before.

Future Proofing

An FTTH network offers land developers an enviable return on their investment capital. Timely planning today can net thousands of dollars in profit. For example, if you invest $500 per home to deploy the fiber jumper and connecting hardware and the home then sells for $5,000 more than it would have otherwise, your investment just returned a handsome 1000 percent profit. That is easy math and easy money.

The return on fiber investment does not stop with its deployment, however. The network operator will also appreciate that robust, reliable and cost-effective FTTH network as they seriously consider their operational expenses. For example, an optical access network featuring segments that can, by design, be quickly connected together not only reduces the upfront deployment cost but also will reduce the amount of time required to turn up subscribers, test and troubleshoot the network. As the triple-play battle for the residential customer continues, a preterminated FTTH network can make the business case very enticing because it sets the network operator’s stage for reduced operational costs and additional revenue from advanced services such as home security and home networking.

Operationally, fiber drop cables are quickly and easily screwed into terminals and residential network interface devices (NID) across the country to save both time and money. Without these key advances in FTTH technology that reduce capital and operational costs, FTTH would continue to wrestle its competitors but now FTTH wins the access investment hands down.

Beneficial Solution

Modern day residential services like HDTV and high-speed broadband that enhance the quality of life in homes are being delivered via FTTH. Looking forward, FTTH residential developments ensure that advanced services such as telecommuting, telemedicine and distance learning will all be transparently realized. FTTH results in reduced commutes and environmental pollution, prolonged quality of life, and education, education, education. Broadband communications is a key element in an increasingly competitive global economy. With FTTH, the world will be better positioned for social and economic prosperity.

Summary

To sum up, FTTH deployment is unstoppable with all the positive impacts that fiber affords. If you are still waiting for service providers to install cable and manually turn up services, then you are left behind. Fiberstore provides a full range of fiber jumper cables suitable for FTTH deployment. MM fiber patch cords and single mode fiber patch cables are also available. Come to us if you have any request for our products.