ECN Forum Forums General Topics of the Trade Voice - Data - Video Discussion Fiber Optics

Trainwire,
The copper solutions are good for 100 meters, that is 300 feet. If you are going 1000' feet, copper could get you to 900' if you had 2 intermediate closets (hubs - the maximum allowed) total. But I would highly recommend the fiber optic instead. If you are going between buildings fiber optics is the only reliable choice (I have seen to much equipment desroyed by passing cloud lightning even with data ports surge protected).

Shane

My understanding of cat 5 is it's good for about a 100 [feet].

I keep hearing that from people and I don't know where it came from. It's 100 METERS not feet. (100 meters equals 328 feet).

-Hal

My metric has never been good.... But Hal is correct. (328') It should be known that this includes the patch cords as well, and at lengths like that 22ga isn't a bad idea.

A multi-mode fiber pair will easily make that distance. (<1kM or 3280') However, if you haven't done this before, it may be more cost effective to sub it out. Mis-handling could make it a huge waste of time and money.

Another creative option is if you have phone service at both locations look into a fractional T-1 package, or even in-house T-1 carrier. Like if it were in a different building / campus situation. Even in the same building it can be more cost effective if using other features offered with package deals. Phone service at both, and an IP address for networking at each. With an in-house T-1/E-1 carrier as opposed to ethernet 10 baseTX you could run as long as you like, so long as you can get wire there. And it is more appropriate for a back-bone situation.

[This message has been edited by e57 (edited 02-10-2005).]

I have other information. Out here in California I work at a School District where we have portables and modular buildings droped as "Emergency" buildings. As each building has it's own ground and Ground isolation is required we interpreted the best solution is to run fiber as the backbone between each building. As the backbone it is quite easy and inexpensive.

I have for the last 2 years been terminating the fiber connections in house. There are generally 3 methods of terminating.

Hotmelt (Expensve and extreemly low loss less than .25db, fast connections with the proper training etc.)Probably cost prohibited until after 100-200 connections or splicing.

Physical (less than 1db loss avg), Usually glued to the conector and the end of the fiber is polished after cleaving the end and polising on a set of pads. Good quality connections are the result of paitence and practice.

Buffered conections (1.25-.5db loss avg). These are made by Seicor and are what I use 90% of the time. Connecitons are easy all that is done is clean, cleave, and clamp in the connector. The ends are prepolished and the Optical Matching Gel does the rest. I have found some tricks etc to fiber terminating (able to avg .7 db loss per set of terminations), but the best thing I can give as advice is to get 6 ft of multimode and play with it. Getting the feel of it is in my optionion 60% of the termination.

Also with the termination is the testing and verifying the DB loss of the conneciton.
Big FYI and as far and as I can find the unwritten law of loss is no more than 3db loss total from device to device.

I know most of the venders have training seminars, either online or in person through local merchants like Graybar, etc.