The workhorse of a PON network is the splitter. Splitters can split the signal evenly, or asymmetrically. I'm actually looking to get some 99/1 splitters so I have a port in the CO where I have field splitters.
"worst case I assume they just add a splitter." Assuming there's enough optical budget, more or less. "Are they using taps instead of splitters?" How are you using the term tap vs. splitter? People are doing nearly every combination of things that can be done. In some builds, we have dedicated one strand (plus a reserve) for every possible customer on a build and run them all back to the CO. In other areas, we have a single strand out of the CO and have splitters in the field. In one area, we have a single 32-way splitter in the field and then every possible customer has a dedicated strand to that splitter. We are contemplating areas where we'll have cascading splitters. Often, it's cheaper to send the customer's drop cable the whole length of the block to the next big handhole and do your splicing there. It depends on the length vs. cost of additional splitters, handholes, etc. Not all junctions have handholes either. Some duct just meets other duct underground and then passes on, completely buried. -- Mike Hammett ----- Original Message ----- From: "Ken Hohhof" <[email protected]> To: "AnimalFarm Microwave Users Group" <[email protected]> Sent: Monday, August 18, 2025 10:10:11 AM Subject: [AFMUG] how is underground FTTH done? The fiber train left without me, so maybe someone here can help me understand how the physical installation is typically done. I’ve seen aerial fiber and it’s pretty straightforward, I see splitters up on poles maybe at each intersection, and to hook up a customer, they run a drop wire from the nearest splitter to the house. If take rate is better than expected or a new house is built, worst case I assume they just add a splitter. But I also see FTTH deployments going in where they are boring for duct in the ROW and putting a little handhole in front of every house. How does this work? Are they using taps instead of splitters? If not, when they get a customer install order, do they pull his drop cable through all the handholes to a splitter? That doesn’t seem feasible. Are they dedicating a strand to each house and pulling the main cable out each time and splicing to that strand? And what if they estimate the take rate wrong, or a new house is built? There’s probably a simple explanation and once someone enlightens me it will be a Duh! moment. -- AF mailing list [email protected] http://af.afmug.com/mailman/listinfo/af_af.afmug.com -- AF mailing list [email protected] http://af.afmug.com/mailman/listinfo/af_af.afmug.com
