Fiber optic technology is becoming increasingly common in new residential areas, recognized for its superior speed and dependability. Most homeowners understand the benefits of fiber internet, so the challenge for ISPs isn’t convincing customers to upgrade—it’s making sure the necessary infrastructure is in place.

Taking a community-wide approach to fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) installations is more efficient than outfitting individual homes one at a time. This strategy reduces the workload and cost for ISPs and technicians setting up multiple homes simultaneously and leads to quicker customer adoption of fiber services once the network is ready.

Successfully deploying FTTH across a neighborhood involves more than a skilled team; it also requires the best installation tools available. These are essential for doing the job efficiently, keeping costs down, and getting it right the first time.

Choosing the Right Install Equipment

Key elements like network interface devices (NIDs), outside plant (OSP) enclosures, and media panels are essential for any successful FTTH deployment. The challenge is selecting equipment that combines durability and reliability with ease of installation, allowing teams to efficiently work from one home to the next.

Consider including these crucial items on every FTTH project’s equipment list:

P350 OSP Enclosure: Compact yet versatile, the P350 OSP Enclosure takes the hassle out of installation. Equipped with a splice clip, cable management clips, and two SC-APC adapters, this OSP enclosure also includes built-in cable management – making it an easy, efficient choice.

FTC2 Fiber Transition Case: Designed with simplicity in mind, the FTC2 Fiber Transition Case easily fits into tight spaces thanks to its low-profile and externally accessible adapter mount. Plus, it offers the flexibility to be wall-mounted over a gang box or mud ring, or housed within a media panel.

PR10 Media Panel: Inside each home, having a central hub for all connectivity equipment is essential – and the PR10 Media Panel provides just that. With options to either wall-mount or leave it freestanding, this media panel ensures accessibility is never an issue during quick setups.

By equipping your team with the right tools for the job, you’re investing in smooth installations, efficient operations, and ultimately, successful neighborhood-wide FTTH deployments.

Primex in Action: FTTH Installs with Fort Collins Connextion

Organizing a large-scale effort to bring fiber to entire neighborhoods is no simple feat. Work can unfold over weeks or months, so making an effort to standardize equipment across the entire project lifecycle can go a long way toward making it more efficient.

When the Connextion team brought fiber to eight different Fort Collins neighborhoods in 2019, they worked in successive stages. First, they marked fiber routes, dug keyholes, and laid conduits. Then they did directional drilling, installed vaults and flowerpots, and pulled feeder fiber cable to the vaults. Only once these steps were completed in a subdivision did they complete outside and inside installs at specific households.

The team used Primex P700 OSP Enclosures outside each home, and Primex CPO4 fiber jacks and Nokia Gateway 3 ONTs inside each home.

By using the same equipment for the outside and inside installs, Connextion installers were able to complete their work at each home by following the same standard approach, even if one tech was installing the NID in the morning, and a different tech was installing the fiber jack and ONT in the afternoon – or vice versa.

The Road to More Connected Neighborhoods

Neighborhood-wide fiber deployments not only drive down the cost of installation per home, but also increases the uptake rate by ensuring high-speed fiber internet is conveniently within reach for homeowners.

Selecting the right install equipment is key to driving efficiency on projects of this scale. Opting for user-friendly, robust, and dependable tools – such as the Primex P350, FTC2, and PR10 – streamlines the installation process.

Photo Credit: Glen Aikins