Tips for Successful Outside Plant (OSP) Installation

Outside plant installation (OSP), as the name indicates, is to install cable in outdoor applications, like placing cable underwater/underground, into buildings and at the top of poles. The process of OSP installation can be complicated and diverse owing to its complex conditions and environments. There are some important factors to consider before and when conducting OSP installation. And this is what we are going to talk about in this article: what exactly we could do to make the process seamless and flawless?

Prepare for OSP Installation

Well begun is half done. So the preparation work matters significantly. Let’s see what preparations are needed before installing OSP cables.

Hardware and Equipment

Before placing the cables, you may need to position those supporting structures, including new conduit, inner-duct manholes or sometimes even vaults. Then installers should consider all the hardware needed to be installed, as well as to schedule the specialized equipment required: trenchers or cable plows, backhoes, bucket trucks, cable winches, etc.

Once the infrastructure is in place and the cabling pulled, fiber optic splicing work begins.Each splice must be verified with an optical time-domain reflectometer (OTDR) test. And do make sure to place each fiber properly in the splice closure and seal the closure carefully to protect it from degradation. Also, marking is necessary for easier fiber identification when problem arise.

Cable Termination

The OSP cables must be terminated or spliced to indoor cables soon after entering a building. Some OSP cables have double jackets, an outer one for outdoors and an inner one rated for indoor use. The outer jacket can be stripped off inside the building. Generally, single-mode OSP cables will be terminated by splicing pigtails onto each fiber, and splices will be placed in a splice closure. Multimode fibers can be handled the same way or terminated directly onto the fibers.

Safety

Safety is an important issue and always prior to all. Call before you dig to ensure no buried cables or pipes are in the proposed route. And Installers need to be well trained to operate the machinery safely. Every OSP job should have posted safety procedures and all personnel should be briefed in their use.

Considerations for Installing OSP Facility

Just as we stated at the beginning of the article. OSP installation is much more varied than those for premises. So, when installing OSP facility, besides making full preparation, you should also consider the following factors:

Choose the Right Cabling Media

Although the overall cable construction for outdoor installation can be various, the actual cabling media employed in OSP installation consisting of four basic types: single-mode optical fiber, 62.5/125- and 50/125-micron multimode optical fiber, unshielded twisted-pair (UTP) cable, and 75-ohm coaxial cable.

Optical fiber carries signals in the form of light pulses, which can be used for extended distances with greater bandwidth. Optical fiber is also lighter and more compact than copper wire (see the main differences) and is immune to electromagnetic interference (EMI) while offers greater security. As a result, fiber is well suited to heavy-industrial applications, where a great deal of electrical interference is common. It is also widely used in military installations for security reasons.

Copper cabling media transmit electrical signals. The twisted-pair cable (often in high pair counts) —is the mainstay of many regional and local telephone companies. However, twisted-pair is subject to electrical interference and has distance limitations when it comes to high-bandwidth applications.

Coaxial cable, or coax, is also a copper-based transmission medium, but it operates on a different principle. It is always the choice of cable-television providers and private broadband video networks. Coax offers higher bandwidth than twisted-pair, and it’s also less susceptible to interference. However, it’s more expensive, and it presents installation complications because its shielding must be grounded.

Deciding Installation Method

Three methods generally involved in installing OSP cables: aerial, direct-buried, and underground.

Aerial installations are the least expensive and are readily accessible for maintenance. Cables and other apparatus are mounted on utility poles in this method. However, they also pose several problems, including aesthetic concerns, susceptibility to environmental damage, and considerations of tension, sag, clearance, and wind- and ice-loading.

Direct-buried installations are usually installed by means of trenching, plowing, or directional boring. They are less expensive than underground installations. But they are less flexible than conduit once installed, because they cannot be upgraded or expanded. Moreover, they may be difficult to relocate for repair, and they provide less physical protection for transmission media than conduit.

Underground installations pull cable through conduit, thus offer the aesthetic appeal as well as provide greater cable protection, and offer more potential for future upgrades. However, this method is more costly than direct burial and requires more careful route planning.

Conclusion

To sum it up, to ensure the OSP installation process is smooth and efficient, get fully prepared is a fundamental yet essential part. Moreover, choose the right cabling media and installation method also counts for the whole process. Your choice should base on your specific situation and OSP environment. Hope what we presented in the article is informative enough.

Originally published: http://www.china-cable-suppliers.com/tips-outside-plant-osp-installation.html

Tips for Fiber Splicing and Termination

Fiber cable for premises applications comes in many varieties of construction. When terminating or splicing these cables, the cable ends must be prepared to provide access to the fiber. Needless to say, fiber cable termination and splicing is a rather vital part of the whole cable installation process. This article will offer you a reference guide to delivery smooth and efficient fiber splicing and termination.

Fiber Cable Termination

Let’s start with illustrating various methodologies for optical fiber termination. Each has benefits and drawbacks, including the skill level required. Most methods are available for all connector styles. As with other connectivity components, procedures are rather component specific. Installers should refer to the applicable procedures.

NOTE: Bear in mind that there is a difference in the tolerance between single-mode fibers (SMF) and multimode fibers (MMF) mechanical connectors. You may use SMF connectors on MMF, but you may not use MMF connectors on SMF.

Pigtail Splicing: This method involves splicing a factory-made assembly onto the end of the cable. The assembly consists of a short piece of cable, pre-terminated on one end with the connector of choice. The advantage is that the connectors are pre-installed. The non-terminated end is spliced (typically fusion) to the cable.

No Polish Connectors: It is similar to pigtail splicing, minus the short piece of cable and using a mechanical splice rather than fusion. The connector actually contains a mechanical splice designed to mate with the fiber of the installed cable. The advantage is that the connector end face does not require field polishing.

Heat-Cured Termination: This method utilizes a heat-cured epoxy to secure the connector to the cable end. The installed fiber terminates at the connector end face and must be field polished.

Crimp Termination: This one utilizes a mechanical crimp or compression to secure the connector to the cable end. The installed fiber terminates at the connector end face and must be field polished.

Guide for Fiber Cable Termination

Following are the steps for terminating fiber cables:

Step One: Verify that the correct termination components have been selected, compatible with both the fiber and the connecting hardware.

Step Two: Arrange the wiring scheme and organize cable by destination (rack, panel, etc.). If desired, optical fiber cable may be dressed or combed for a neat appearance

Step Three: Trim the cable length to reach the termination point without putting the cable under stress or violating the bend radius. Be sure to maintain cable identification.

Step Four: Follow the connectivity hardware manufacturer’s instructions for installing the termination hardware/connectors.

• Beware of anything crushing or excessively bending fibers or tubes.
• Properly bond and ground any cables with metallic components.
• If using a pigtail, protect all splices with a splice sleeve and suitable splice enclosure.

Step Five: Loosely bundle all exposed cable, preferably with hook-and-loop style straps.

Step Six: Clear out the work area.

Fiber Cable Splicing

In general, splices are best avoided. And it often can be avoided due to the relatively short distances typical of premises networks. If splices are required, fusion splices (see details here) are recommended due to lower attenuation. However, mechanical splices are allowed. All fusion splices should be protected by a splice sleeve. All splices should be housed in a splice tray. All outdoor splices should be stored in an environmentally suitable splice closure.

Although there are common standards to ensure interoperability between cable and hardware, many hardware features are manufacturer specific. Therefore, the following steps should be used in conjunction with the instructions/guidelines relevant to the fiber splicing solution being employed.

Steps of Fiber Splicing

Step One: Verify that the correct fiber splicing method has been chosen, making sure that the tools and hardware facilitate the method to be used. There are some factors to consider when calculating splice and closure size.

• Cable construction
• Cable fiber count
• Splice type
• Splice location

Step Two: The space needs of the splice closure, the working space, and the cable pathway leading to the splice are important factors that need to be considered. The cable should not be bent so that it twists or violates the minimum bend radius.

Step Three: Use safety precautions to set up the splicing area using ladders or scaffolding, where required.

Step Four: Install a support structure for the splice if necessary. Sustain the proper bending radius of the cable, and keep room for the appropriate splice closure.

Step Five: Install the closure as the closure manufacturer’s instructions, and perform the splice with the splice/splicer manufacturer’s instructions, including but not limited to the following:

• Cable preparation – often the cable manufacturer’s guidelines and closure manufacturer’s guidelines must both be referenced to achieve the proper procedures and measurements.
• Secure all cables to prevent movement relative to the closure.
• Properly bond and ground any cables with metallic components.
• Provide sufficient fiber length inside the closure. Consider both current access and possible future changes. Balance fiber length on both sides of the splice to aid in neat fiber storage.
• Protect all splices with a splice sleeve and store all splices and slack fiber in a splice tray.
• Label the splice per the customer specification and update as-built drawings as necessary.

Step Six: Clear out the work area.

Conclusion

The process of fiber splicing and termination can be more complex in real-case practice. The guide for fiber splicing and termination offered in the article is considered feasible and convenient. I hope you could benefit from this.

Originally published: http://www.fiber-optic-solutions.com/tips-fiber-splicing-termination.html