Don’t you love when you get handed a project that seems impossible? Many of our customers get these assignments every day. One of the major issues is permitting regarding OSP construction. The city or homeowners association will not allow fiber, cabinets or other equipment placement for various reasons.
We listened to our customers and just added a useful solution for your toolbox when installing an aerial FTTx network – the StreetSmart Aerial Fiber Distribution Hub (FDH).
FDH cabinets are an important part of any PON deployment because they allow technicians a central location for the deployment of splitters, and a test access point for troubleshooting and testing. Traditional methods of deploying FDHs are to either attach the cabinet to a pole or install it on a vault or pad. When dealing with an aerial fiber plant, deployment of an FDH (also called a “splitter cabinet”) traditionally relies on bringing the cable down to the ground level and placing a cabinet on a pad or handhold or bolting the cabinet directly to a pole. In urban environments, it may be difficult or impossible to place a cabinet at ground level due to permitting or other issues. Placing a cabinet at ground or eye level makes the cabinet susceptible to damage from cars or vandalism. Placing the cabinet on the strand keeps the FDH away from harm. If it is possible to attach the FDH to a pole, exorbitant attachment fees may be associated with this type of application.
With the introduction of the StreetSmart Aerial FDH from Clearfield®, a better option is now possible. This compact product can house an astonishing 288 distribution ports LCU/LCA connectivity and 48 feeder ports LCU/LCA connectivity without sacrificing superior fiber management. Because this product attaches to the aerial strand, placing a ground level cabinet or paying pole attachment fees are not necessary and it virtually eliminates the need for permits or right of ways.
This solution has easy access doors that fold down in seconds and do not require any special tools to open. Once the access doors are opened, pre-terminated splitter legs are routed to distribution and feeder ports through the intuitive fiber management system. Routing guides and designation cards make the strand mount FDH a tech-friendly solution.
Installing the Aerial FDH to the strand is very simple and convenient. It attaches directly to the strand using standard “bug nut” style strand clamps. At roughly the same size as a splice closure, a single technician can easily place the product in their bucket truck, raise the bucket up to the strand and attach it to the strand. Available with pre-stubbed configurations, the distribution and feeder tails can be ordered with any length tail that is required. Splitters are mounted into an integrated bracket and the unused splitter legs are housed in a staging plate. Designed to Telcordia specifications, the Aerial FDH and splitters are rigorously tested to ensure many years of uninterrupted service, even in the harshest environments.
If you want to know more about how we can solve your impossible mission, reach out to Clearfield. We’re happy to help.
By Tom Warren
For over 17 years, Tom Warren has worked with Clearfield in the engineering world of telecommunications. As a Clearfield Sales Engineer, Tom provides customer support to carrier customers and OEMs. Tom’s expertise includes in-depth knowledge of WDMs, FTTx, Small Cell and DAS Fiber applications.