:: Why do you need the fiber management system?

Fiber management systems is usually comprised of a series of wall and rack mounted enclosures. These enclosures are designed for the distribution and management of

fiber optic cables.

They are used for patching, splicing, distribution, storing, splitting, and coupling of fiber optic signals for both single mode and multimode cables.

Now let’s examine the 8 great ways to manage your fiber cables and clean up your tangled telecom closet!

1. Wall Mount Patch Panel

Patch panels provide a convenient point for patching and storing fiber optic cables. They are available for termination of backbone cables and horizontal cables at cross-connects and for interconnection between fiber optic distribution cables and equipment jumper cables.

The wall mount patch panel provides fiber optic cable routing, organization, and storage. The panels usually come equipped with a cam lock in the installer side of the panel, allowing unrestricted access to the patching side. A second cam lock is used to lock both areas of the panel.

2. Wall Mount Distribution Panel

Wall mount distribution panels are used in backbone intermediate and horizontal cross-connects,equipment rooms, building entrances, telecommunications closets, computer rooms and

customer premise applications.

3. Rack Mount Patch Panel

The Rack Mount Patch Panels can be used in both cross-connect and interconnect applications. Preterminated multi-channel fiber optic pigtails are good for reducing installation costs and installer handling.

Rack mount patch panel pigtail can be quickly routed to the splicing location, eliminating the need for performing field terminations.

4. Rack Mount Splice Panel

The rack mount splice panel incorporates splicing within the fiber optic network bays. These enclosures are used for splicing a pre-terminated patch panel pigtail to the OSP cable.

The enclosures provide ample fiber storage within a removable drawer. Each drawer can accommodate up to two splice trays for a total of 48 fusion splices.

5. Rack Mount Coupler Panel

Rack mount coupler panels are used in network distribution signal monitoring, backbone intermediate and horizontal cross-connects, unidirectional/bi-directional links, equipment rooms, building entrances, head ends, trunking applications, central offices, and computer rooms.

6. Cable Routing Guides

Complete cable routing guide kits are composed of both enhanced cable brackets and vertical cable guides. The enhanced cable brackets are designed to provide better cable management entering and exiting enclosures. They allow fiber distribution frames to increase in fiber capacity by providing the ability to add or remove patch cords without disturbing neighboring fibers. The vertical cable guides manage cables routed vertically alongside the

enclosures.

7. Splice Trays

Splice trays provide an organized means of storing and protecting completed fiber optic splices. Bend radius protection and fold over arms prevent fibers from being damaged during handling. Each 300mm tray can accommodate up to 24 fusion splices or 12 mechanical splices. Each 200mm tray can accommodate up to 12 fusion or mechanical splices.

8. Fiber Cable Clamps

Fiber cable clamp provides a unique method for securing fiber optic cables. Each cable clamp includes a multi-diameter module that fits any size cable in its range. The multi-diameter modules adapt to fit fiber optic cables by removing a few layers from its center core. This method of securing the cable provides excellent protection and axial clamping.

Fiber optic connectors are totally different than any other electronic or electrical connectors. They have to be perfectly clean in order to work. Most people are not aware of this fact and could easily overlook its importance.

Another fact is that fiber optic connections are harder to trouble shoot in case of service outage. For this reason, please learn carefully on how to clean a fiber optic connector as below.

Cleaning Method Choices

Fiber connector cleaning sometimes can get confusing since too many methods are affable and every single vendor says they are the best. Now let’s examine it one by one.

:: Compressed Gas

Compressed air is also referred to as “canned air”. It is used to blow dust from fiber connector end face.

Advantages: The least expensive and effective for large dry particles. Non-abrasive approach which won’t scratch the connector.

Disadvantages: Has little or no effect on particles below 3 microns in diameter. And proved to be ineffective if the contamination includes oil, fingerprints, dried solvent residue, etc.

:: Lint-free wipe and solvent

This was the first developed approach for cleaning fiber connectors. The oldest one used some sort of lens paper, cloth and sometimes solvent to clean. The most common solvent is IPA which tends to leave a residue as it dries slowly and dissolved/suspended solid are left behind.

Advantages: Cheap, work well if trained properly. New types of solvents which leave almost no residue are becoming more popular.

Disadvantages: Unreliable. Largely depends on technician’s skill.

To properly clean fiber connectors utilizing the wipe and solvent method, follow the procedure below:

Step 1 Using a Kim Wipe and cleaning solvent, moisten the wipe by placing on top of the solvent and push down 3 times, this will saturate the wipe.

Step 2 Once the wipe is saturated, place on a work surface with a second (dry) wipe.

Step 3 Wipe the connector, end face down on moist wipe (this will remove most of the large contaminates). Follow by repeating process on the dry wipe, with a minimum of 3 strokes per connector (more may be necessary)

Step 4 Once complete, insert connector into a optical microscope to verify connector cleanliness. If connector does not pass visual inspection, repeat process from [Step 2 - Step 4]

:: Swab and solvent

There are two types of popular swabs in the fiber optic industry: general purpose and special built.

The general purpose swabs are cheap but very unreliable. The special built swabs are much better but this is still a highly iterative approach.

To properly clean fiber connectors, receptacles, adapters, and other fiber connection points utilizing the swab and solvent cleaning method, follow the procedure below:

Step 1 Using a cleaning swab and cleaning solutioin, moisten the swab by placing it on top of the solvent dispenser, place your finger over the swab tip and push down 1 time, this will saturate the swab.

Step 2 Recessed connection points: Once saturated, insert the moistened swab into the receptacle, adapter, or other connection point and rotate the tip back and forth 1/4 turn 10 times while applying various pressure.

Step 3 Exposed connection points: Once saturated, rotate the tip 10 revolutions around the connector while applying various pressure.

Step 4 Once complete, insert connector into a optical microscope to verify connector cleanliness. If connector does not pass visual inspection, repeat process from [Step 2]

:: Connector Reel cleaner

Two primary brands exist on the market for reel connector cleaners: Cletop and Optipop. There are other brands available but not as popular as these two.

The reel cleaner has a ratcheting mechanism, sliding dust cover, resilient pad, and replace tape reel.

To properly clean fiber connectors utilizing the Cletop cleaning system, follow the procedure below:

Step 1 Using the single fiber or MT ferrule Cletop cleaning system, advance the cleaning tape by pressing and holding the green button located on the bottom of the cartridge.

Step 2 Holding down the green button, wipe the connector, end face down, in the direction indicated on the cartridge.

Step 3 Insert the connector into an optical microscope to verify connector cleanliness.

Step 4 If connector does not pass visual inspection, repeat process from [Step 1 - Step 3]

Optical fibers are designed for many different application scenarios. To understand the different applications, it is important to understand the properties of different fiber types.

Two major types of optical fibers exist for communication system: multimode fiber and single mode fiber. The difference between them is that multimode fiber can carry many modes of light rays while single mode fiber can only carry one mode of light ray.

This is a big difference. This fact determines that multimode fiber can only be used in short distance link, usually within a few hundred meters, while single mode fiber is used on much longer, usually 40~120km, distance.

Based on this fact, it is now easier to understand that multimode fiber is used in LAN network and video surveillance while single mode fiber is used in long distance telephony applications.

Another consequence of this difference is the information carrying capability difference between these two types of fibers. Single mode fiber can carry hundreds times of more information than multimode fiber.

Now let’s examine the fiber types in detail.

:: Multimode fiber

Light ray travels in the fiber core at discrete angles within its acceptance cone. Multimode fiber has 50um or 62.5um diameter core, which is much larger than a 9um diameter single mode fiber core. Thus a large number of modes (light rays injected into the fiber at different angles) can be coupled into multimode fiber.

Now let’s look at two light rays that travel along a multimode fiber. One light ray travels straight down the fiber core center which is the shortest path. A second light ray travels at a steep angle and bounces back and forth by the fiber core side wall (a phenomenon called total internal reflection) while traveling down the fiber length which is a longer path than the first light ray.

Since the second light ray travels a longer path than the first light ray, they arrive at the fiber end at separate time. (the second light arrives later than the first)

This disparity between arrival times of the different light rays is called dispersion. The consequence of this disparity is a muddied signal at the receiving end. In order to properly receive the signal, the signal must run at a slower rate and that is why multimode fiber’s bandwidth is limited.

:: Single mode fiber

Single mode fiber, on the other hand, only accepts one light ray, which is the first light ray that travels straight down the fiber core center. So there is no arrival time disparity between different fiber modes which makes a cleaner signal at the receiving end. This is the reason why single mode fiber can run signals at much higher speed resulting in its much higher bandwidth.

Single mode fiber does have some disadvantages though. The smaller fiber core diameter makes it much harder to couple light into the fiber. This increases the manufacturing cost of many single mode fiber optic components such as isolator, attenuator, etc. The tolerances for single mode connectors, mechanical splices are also much more demanding.

One important variety of single mode fiber is polarization maintaining fiber, or also called PM fiber. PM fiber carries only one polarization (the light’s electronic field direction) of the light. PM fiber’s major applications include coherent communication system and electro-optic modulators which serves as a light transmitter in high speed fiber optic system.

FTTP stands for Fiber To The Premises which is one type of fiber optic communication delivery in which a optical fiber connection is directly run to the customers’ premises.

The P(premises)can be business, commercial, institutional and other applications where fiber network connections are distributed to a campus, set of structures, or high density building with a centrally located network operations center.

Some other FTTx such as FTTN(fiber to the node), FTTC(fiber to the curb) still depend on copper wires for “last mile” (final connection) to the customers’ premises which contrasts with FTTP.

FTTP can be further categorized into FTTH(fiber to the home), FTTB(fiber to the building), etc.

:: Network construction of FTTP

FTTP network can be divided into two major parts: optical portion and electrical portion.

1. Optical portion

Optical portion of the FTTP network is responsible for carrying optical signal to the electrical portion (electrical portion is located in the customer’s telecom room).

Two fiber configurations exist for the FTTP optical portion. These are direct fiber link and shared fiber link.

Direct fiber link is the simplest form. One fiber is used for directly connecting the central office to one customer. This type of connection provides the customer the biggest bandwidth but is also the most expensive configuration.

Shared fiber link means a single fiber leaving the service providers central office is shared by many customers. Only at the final moment, the fiber is split into many individual fiber to each customer.

There are two major competing technologies for the shared fiber link configuration: active optical network (AON) and passive optical network (PON).

Active Optical Network (AON) is much more like traditional Ethernet computer networks. It needs electrically powered equipment to buffer and distribute the signal such as switches or routers. Each signal leaving the central office is routed only to the customer intended by the router or switch. On the other hand, signals from the customers are buffered by the router at the intersection avoiding colliding.

Passive Optical Network (PON) does not use any electrically powered equipment to buffer and route the signals. Instead, the light signal from central office is divided and distributed to all customers, even those who are not intended to. Once the light signal arrives at the electrical portion, where it is converted to electrical signal by the ONT(see below), the ONT decides whether to keep or discard the signal depending on its intended destination.

2. Electrical portion

Electrical portion of the FTTP network receives optical signal and converts it to traditional electrical signal which is then distributed to desktop computers via a LAN copper wire network.

This converting device is called an optical network termination(ONT). The building’s phone systems, LAN and cable TV system are then connected to the ONT.

:: Other FTTx

FTTB: Fiber To The Building. This is in reference to fiber optic cable, carrying network data, connected all the way from an Internet service provider to a customer’s physical building.

FTTD: Fiber To The Desk.. FTTD indicates applications where fiber optic connections are distributed from the central office to individual work stations or computers inside a structure, dwelling, or building.

FTTH: Fiber To The Home. FTTH indicates fiber network connections running from the central office to a residence, or very small multi-unit dwelling.

FTTN: Fiber to the node. FTTN is also called fiber to the neighborhood or fiber to the cabinet (FTTCab). It is a telecommunication architecture based on fiber-optic cables run to a cabinet serving a neighborhood.

FTTC: Fiber To The Curb. This is also called fibre to the kerb (FTTK). It is a telecommunications system based on fiber-optic cables run to a platform that serves several customers. Each of these customers has a connection to this platform via coaxial cable or twisted pair.