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Fiber-based building connections are not new, and building entry points are not new, so new content requires another application note on this topic.

Buildings and their communication requirements have never been so diverse, which in turn requires almost unlimited flexibility and configurability in the scale and functions of building entry points. In this application note, we will explore various available solutions to adapt to today's wide range of roles ranging from multi-tenant commercial office space to terabyte data center connections.

Outdoor (OSP) cables can transmit tens or even hundreds of kilometers under the harshest conditions, so their structure is usually immeasurably different from simple indoor (ISP) cables that usually have a small number of optical fibers. The materials and cable structure used are chosen to withstand the external environment, so many OSP cables should not pass through the indoor space more than a few meters into the designated space, usually called a conference hall. The scale of the installation and redundancy requirements will determine the size and number of rooms I meet, which in turn will determine the type, size, and scale of one or more suitable building entry points (BEP).

BEP comes in many shapes and sizes, but each of them performs the same function: provide a suitable method to terminate the OSP cable optical fiber, close to the boundary of the building, so that the optical fiber can be connected (usually spliced) to the interior Class-of-fiber cable networks, these cables are routed to one or more networks that reside there. The sealed dome-enclosed BEP, the 19-inch rack-mounted fiber management system, and the modular wall-mounted design all meet the minimum requirements of the above-mentioned general BEP. Each has its advantages and disadvantages, which we will explore in the next section. Figure 1 shows some typical BEPs in use today.

Many factors influence the decision of which BEP should be deployed in a particular building, from size, number of input and output cables, single or ribbon fiber, wall or rack mount, splice or connector, FMS, etc. One of the most frequently overlooked factors in BEP selection is familiarity with fiber optic cabling and splice tray options. Most experienced fiber optic splice engineers will have their favorite FMS and splice tray solutions. Although this is usually an important factor, the access and availability of these components should also be the same. Establishing consistency in fiber optic network design, especially when OSP and ISP are a bit mixed, should consider and have an FMS solution that can be deployed in both will ensure the optimization of audit and maintenance programs and methods, and improve training and installation Efficiency and supply chain.

There are many techniques and methods that try to optimize the amount of data transmitted through a single optical fiber. These technologies include solutions based on dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM) and reconfigurable optical add/drop multiplexer (ROADM). Other technologies that use erbium-doped fiber amplifiers (EDFA) to extend the coverage of single-mode fiber to hundreds of kilometers are also common. However, even with these efficient methods, service providers of all sizes are installing a large number of cabled optical fibers under the streets and roads in the towns where we live and between the country and the mainland. More and more of these large fiber count cables are using ribbon fiber to further increase the overall data carrying capacity of the cable. Some well-known cabled fiber manufacturers produce ribbon fiber, such as AFL and Corning.

However, not all ribbon fibers are the same. Recent innovations allow ribbon fibers to be installed and spliced ​​into more traditional single or multi-element (SE/ME) instead of single or multi-band (SR/MR) tray. The novel design of the AFL Spider Web Strap (SWR) fiber makes it possible to perform a large number of splicing in the 12-core fiber splice protector, and at the same time, it can be routed around short angles or standard splice trays every 20 mm because it is only spliced ​​to adjacent fiber splices. Of ribbon fibers. The range is the number of fibers per cable from 144 to 3456 fibers. The size and function of a suitable BEP need to be equally diverse.

Although ribbon cables are an effective way to provide high-fiber count cables, single-fiber cable designs are still significantly more popular. It is still essential to ensure sufficient fusion splice locations so that all incoming fibers can be connected to the required number of internal fibers. The ability to mix and match single fibers and ribbon fibers provides the best of both worlds, just like the ability to use single circuit (SC) and SE trays for standard fibers of 250µm or smaller, resulting in a high-density, 200µm design.

Data Center Interconnect (DCI) is an important user of high fiber count cables, and being able to terminate them in a useful and efficient manner is vital, while providing diverse routing and multiple conference halls in a single DC campus.

Writing the above list of requirements on paper and then searching the countless available options can be daunting for even the most accomplished fiber optic installation experts. A full understanding of the following aspects of BEP selection is essential:

• Single fiber or ribbon fiber

• Single loop, single element or single strip (or multiple strips in each case) separation

• Number of incoming and outgoing lines

• External sealed dome closure, wall-mounted or 19-inch rack mount design

Except for the most extreme specific situations, all of the above requirements can be ingeniously met with the Hellmann S5 series of internal fiber optic terminal cabinets. The IP55 housing series offers a variety of configuration options, including the number and size of input and output cables, loop through, blown fiber tube (BFT) support, SC, SE/ME and SR/MR tray options, fiber optic loop storage, and fiber optics FMS based on distribution pipeline.

S5 can be wall-mounted, with a width of less than 400 mm, and takes up very little space. They can also be arranged in an east-west configuration, allowing the input and output cables to be routed to the correct FMS for splicing.

18 SE trays or 36 SC-B trays can provide up to 432 single fiber connectors or 9 ribbon trays, each tray supports 144 fibers in 12 quality fusion splices, providing a total of 1296 fibers. As a standard, each S5 shell or small cable rubber seal provides up to 8 PG gland type interfaces, and up to 4 ports with 24off 7mm cable ports. A combination of two port types, including a straight-through port that supports a maximum cable diameter of 14 mm.

Wall mounting is the obvious choice for S5 enclosures, but this can sometimes cause problems when integrating BEP into the building's cable management system. Integrating a well-thought-out installation frame and cable management system into the installation of an S5-based BEP solution has many advantages. Use Unistrut-style solutions with galvanized cable basket trays or wire mesh cable baskets in the horizontal and vertical directions. This type of installation will facilitate cable routing and anchoring, as well as cable identification and labeling.

Hellermann-Tyton can provide multiple identification solutions for all types of applications. TipTag series solutions provide a variety of cable label products, which can be used as self-laminating and fixed cable ties, and their sizes are suitable for single small diameter cables to large high fiber count cables. In high fiber count BEP solutions, marking incoming and outgoing cables is essential, especially when ensuring that future maintenance and expansion are important features of BEP. Color options for labels are also available and should be widely used to separate cable routes, functions, customers, etc.

Tray labels are also well worth integrating into the overall BEP design so that fibers can be recorded and managed at a very fine level. The pallet top and pallet edge labels, as well as the larger shell labels, should be deployed in varying degrees based on the actual or expected complexity of the BEP.

By using colored optical fiber splice trays, further physical or functional separation of optical fibers can be integrated into the BEP design. All SC and SE pallets are available in a variety of colors, including white, red, back, blue, red, yellow, and green, and provide installation contractors with easy-to-follow coding schemes that can be deployed throughout the installation process. Whether it is a simple low-fiber count commercial installation or a large number of high-fiber count data center interconnection installations with different routes.

The two smaller options complement the range of configurations and options available in the Hellmann Taitong S5 cabinet. S3 supports up to 96 connectors and optional connections, and S1 supports up to 24 connectors and 16 connections. Both have an IP55 environmental rating and a range of cable sealing sizes and installation options.

After entering the building, Heilman Taitong has a complete portfolio of fiber optic connection options. RapidNet is our patented pre-terminated cabling product that allows the incoming optical fiber to be extended to the rest of the cabling equipment in a modular box option mounted in a 19-inch rack. These products provide pre-terminated custom lengths and can use LC, SC or MTP/MPO connector options. These products allow full expansion and utilization of external fiber optic equipment in every corner of the internal equipment.

Building entry points need to provide reliable, customizable, scalable and maintainable fiber optic interconnection functions for a variety of building shapes, sizes and uses. The S series series using HellermannTyton housings provide a variety of fiber separation, number of fibers and cables, identification and labeling options. In addition, they provide considerable scalability for multiple stackable chassis and interconnect with first-class pre-terminated internal fiber distribution products. The available options also simplify fiber installation and use through complex tray design, functional tray distribution through the use of fiber separation, color coding, and identification options through cable and tray labels.

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