In October 2020, I discussed data centers in smart buildings and how it could affect the building design, especially when considering the needs of power-user tenants. I briefly mentioned communications services entrance...
Networks running on fiber optics are generally state-of-the-art, but even advanced networks can be improved. That means faster speeds and more traffic density. Many network enhancements can be done without upgrading the fiber...
When someone mentions safety, of course the first thing you think about is protecting your workers and yourself from harm on the job. While obviously important, I want to address another safety issue: installed fiber optic...
In my April Fiber Optics column, “A Comprehensive Scope of Work,” I described how a fiber optic cable plant design and installation could benefit from “midspan access.” I tried to describe the technique, but doing that with...
A city manager called the Fiber Optics Association for advice regarding a fiber optic network his organization was planning. They were developing the scope of work and a request for proposal on a fiber optic network that...
Wiring to ensure quality and constant connectivity in commercial developments has become a larger part of the job for electrical contractors. A road map for success would be helpful. WiredScore may be one solution. Begun in...
Sometimes the simple things get ignored, or lost, or forgotten. With all the technical questions we get at the Fiber Optics Association, we are often reminded that these details are sometimes very important and are worthy of...
My February column covers the reasons for power and loss budgets and how to interpret them. In this article, I’ll show you how to calculate loss budgets properly. Remember the differences: a power budget gives you the range...
When you design and build a fiber optic network, the goal is to have it work properly with the communications networks you need. Communications networks generally specify only two parameters for the cable plant: the type of...
In my January 2020 fiber optic update, I wrote, “But later in the year [2019], it seemed that disruption was being disrupted.” Well, 2020 did not wait until later in the year; disruption began in full force by early March...
Around the world, hundreds of millions of homes and businesses are connected to the internet on optical fiber, and almost every one with a network architecture called passive optical network (PON). There are two main...
When I first started working in fiber optics 40-plus years ago, the world was quite different. Computers were big rooms full of cabinets used by businesses and monitors had cathode-ray tubes, just like the televisions back...
Last month I wrote about a change in fiber optic standards that seemed out of step with the technical community. That raised questions such as how do fiber optic standards get written? And what are standards anyway...
Recently I was swamped with almost a dozen proposed updates to Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) standards to vote on and review. In fiber optic technology, most standards deal with the specification and testing...
In my print column this month, “When a Loss Is Positive,” I discussed the confusing definition of decibel (dB) as used in various international fiber optic standards. Even though dB is used in practically every standard for...
Around the year 2000, there was a battle royale between fiber and copper cabling forces to capture the desktop. For more than a decade, unshielded twisted-pair copper—what many of us still call Cat 5—had ruled the local area...
Do you live on a dirt road? I doubt it. Most of us live on paved streets off wide avenues and not too far from an expressway that connects us to the far corners of the country. If you have to drive down a dirt road to get...
For the last few months, I’ve been showing you photos of fiber optic installations I’ve taken as I wander around the city of Santa Monica, Calif., where I live. This month is another in this series, with a few detours around...
In my May 2020 Fiber Optics column, I mentioned seeing a crew pulling cable in my neighborhood in a way that was likely to do significant damage to the cable. Now I’ll share with you some of the photos I took and analyze what...
Let’s face it, the term “smart” is getting worn out from overuse. Smart cars, smart grid, smart buildings and many more similar terms have diminished the meaning. In most cases, what it really means is bringing whatever it...
