Demarc Wiring with Fiber Optic Cable
Most service providers are now installing or upgrading their systems to Fiber to the Home (FTTH) delivery. Here are several options to make your projects Future Ready by providing a fiber solution where the service provider enters the structure to where you are locating your equipment. These solutions will work for both new construction, where the service feed is not yet installed, or in an existing installation where new or exisiting service is being implimented, moved, or extended.
Your first goal should be to provide an enclosure, fiber, and connectivity that is compatible with the specifications the service providers require to provide the data and video performance the client is requesting
Here are the requirements that most FTTH service providers are looking for:
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Exterior NEMA rated enclosure with a Simplex Single Mode Angled Polished Connector (APC) Coupler
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Single Mode Fiber (ususally only (1) strand is utilized)
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SC type Single Mode Angled Polished Connectors (APC) utilized on any terminations in thier signal path
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Interior Customer Terminal with a Simplex SC Single Mode Angled Polished Connector (APC) Coupler
Diagrams
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Design Notes:
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Service providers typically do not attached connectors directly to the fiber. They use a pre-terminated “pig-tail” with an SC-APC (green) connector on one end of a jumper and the other end is prepped and “fused”, or melted, to the fiber running between the exterior enclosure and the interior termination point. The Cleerline SSF fiber Future Ready Solutions sells has a polymer coating that makes it difficult for a service provider to fuse their pig-tail to. Cleerline makes a special duplex Single Mode Fiber that has one strand of Cleerline SSF, one strand of traditional glass fiber that can be fused to. If the service provider has not yet been chosen, and you want to complete your demarc wiring,
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Demarcation wiring almost always requires single mode (OS2) fiber optic cable. Never pull multimode fiber to the demarcation point unless specifically required by the internet service provider. All cable before the modem should be single mode fiber.
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SC-style connectors are commonly used in demarcation wiring and are available in two formats: APC (angled polish) and UPC (ultra or flat polish). APC connectors are typically green and UPC connectors are typically blue. Always terminate single mode connectors onto single mode fiber and try to match the connector type to the service provider’s connector type. When in doubt, terminate APC (green) connectors.
