Choose Reliable FTTH Products: A Complete Procurement Guide

Introduction

FTTH products procurement links can be divided into three segments: OLT central office room, ODN Optical Distribution Network, and user terminal. This article mainly introduces the procurement list required for the ODN optical distribution line and the last 100 meters of the home entry segment, which is applicable to the procurement of FTTH projects by integrators and engineering construction companies.

I. Which FTTH products are suitable for ODN optical distribution lines?

1. Splitter

A Splitter can split 1 optical signal from the central office OLT into multiple optical signals. It is suitable for central office rooms, optical cross-connection cabinets, and corridor fiber distribution boxes.

Common types include PLC Splitter, FBT Splitter, Cassette Splitter, Bare Fiber Splitter, and Tray-type Splitter. For optical fibers, G.657A1 and G.657A2, the two commonly used types for FTTH, are optional. SC/APC connectors are recommended for lower return loss. When purchasing, check the Insertion Loss and Return Loss in the product test report (APC ≥ 55dB, UPC ≥ 50dB).

SoctFiber Reminder: Match the optical splitting type according to your networking scheme, such as 1:32, 1:64. Selecting the wrong splitting ratio may lead to insufficient optical power and unstable links.

2. Optical Cross Connection Cabinet

Trunk optical cables can be converged to the Optical Cross Connection Cabinet and fusion-spliced with the fusion splice trays in the trunk fusion and distribution area to form trunk ports, and the same applies to distribution optical cables to form distribution ports. Trunk ports and distribution ports are connected by optical jumpers to realize the shunt transmission of optical signals from the OLT to the user side.

Purchase a suitable Optical Cross Connection Cabinet according to the FTTH product procurement project capacity plus reserved expansion redundancy, such as 96-core, 144-core. For outdoor use, it is recommended to select a waterproof grade of IP65 or above, and SMC is recommended for the cabinet material; 304/316 stainless steel is selected for coastal salt spray areas, and cold-rolled steel plate for indoor use.

SoctFiber Reminder: The internal fusion splicing area, distribution area and optical splitting area of the Optical Cross Connection Cabinet are clearly divided. The optical fiber bending radius is sufficient to avoid microbending loss.

3. Primary Fiber Distribution Box

It centrally splits the trunk optical cable signal and then distributes it to each building or secondary fiber distribution box.

Try to select a primary fiber distribution box that can support large-capacity plug-in splitters, such as plug-in 1:4, 1:8, 1:16, 1:32. Reserve sufficient expansion space. Common outdoor primary fiber distribution boxes are made of SMC material, and indoor ones are made of ABS, recommended for 48-144 cores with mainstream SC/APC interfaces.

SoctFiber Reminder: If a fully configured primary fiber distribution box is purchased, more foam boards need to be added to the packaging carton to prevent the internal screws or accessories of the primary fiber distribution box from loosening due to transportation bumps.

4. Outdoor Optical Cables (GYTA, GYTS, GYTA53, ADSS, ASU)

In FTTH services, outdoor optical cables are usually used for the feeder segment, distribution segment and access segment of ODN. For purchase, black UV-resistant PE sheath can be selected according to environmental requirements, and the general optical fiber model is G.652D or G657A. For GYTA, focus on the tightness of the aluminum foil armor; for GYTS, focus on the stability of the stranded structure; for GYTA53, focus on water resistance and rodent resistance; for ADSS, check whether the tensile strength matches the span of the tower, and AT track-resistant sheath must be used in high-voltage environments. ASU is a lightweight structural optical cable with self-supporting strength, suitable for overhead wiring in rural areas and communities.

5. Splice Closure

The Splice Closure FTTH products can fusion-splice the optical fibers in the optical cable to realize the branching, distribution and protection of the optical cable. Common types include dome-type, horizontal-type and cassette-type. During installation, ensure that the sealing performance meets the standard to prevent water vapor intrusion from causing increased attenuation; the internal optical fiber coiling radius should be greater than 30mm to avoid microbending loss; the splice closure body material must meet the IP68 protection grade and pass the -40℃~+65℃ high and low temperature cycle test to ensure long-term outdoor stable operation.

II. Which FTTH products are suitable for the last 100 meters of the home entry segment

1. Indoor Drop Cable (GJXH/GJYXFCH)

 GJXH/GJYXFCH FTTH products is commonly used in indoor, outdoor aerial to home routing,weak current wells and corridor dark pipes. Its figure-8 flat structure is easy to strip, field-install and fusion-splice, and is compatible with optical fiber panels, information boxes and ONU terminals. Without strong external extrusion and tension, the optical and mechanical performance is guaranteed within a 100-meter distance.

2. Indoor Fiber Distribution Box

 The indoor fiber distribution box is generally used for optical splitting in the corridor and is responsible for distributing optical signals to each household. It is built-in with 1×4/1×8/1×16 splitters, and the indoor waterproof and dustproof grade does not need to be too high, generally IP30～IP55. GJXH/GJYX drop cables are used for fiber output. The link loss is controllable, and the total loss of splitter loss + 100m drop cable loss + connector loss is far lower than the GPON link budget (28dB).

3. ONU Optical Network Unit

G729AX is a WiFi 6 AX3000 converged XPON ONU for high-end home/enterprise FTTH full services, featuring 4GE+CATV+WiFi 6+USB integration, and is the main model of the high-end gateway product line.

It is configured with WiFi 6 AX3000 + 4 full Gigabit ports + CATV RF + XPON dual mode, with higher cost performance than international brands (Huawei/ZTE/Nokia), suitable for bulk procurement, and applicable to large apartments, villas and enterprises.

4. Fast Optical Connector

The Fast Optical Connector is customized for 2.0×3.0mm indoor drop cables, compatible with home entry optical cables such as GJXH/GJYX and mainstream ONU/optical network unit equipment. No fusion splicer is required for construction, with low insertion loss and high return loss. Mainstream interfaces include SC/UPC, SC/APC and other commonly used interfaces, compatible with mainstream ONU/optical network unit equipment.

5. Fiber Optic Termination Wall Socket

The Fiber Optic Termination Wall Socket is used to protect the field-install/fusion-splice points of the home entry drop cable to avoid bending, trampling and pulling. This FTTH product provides standardized SC interfaces, supporting single-port/dual-port (SC+SC, SC+RJ45) to meet broadband + IPTV dual services. The total loss of 100m drop cable + field installation + panel adapter coupling is far lower than the GPON budget (≤28dB).

6. Fiber Patch Cord

The Fiber Patch Cord is equipped with optical fiber connectors (SC/LC/FC/ST, etc.) at both ends, with customizable lengths of 1m/2m/3m/5m for customers, and the sheath is PC/LSZH with low insertion loss (≤0.3dB). SC-SC single-mode jumpers are commonly used for home entry, and SC/APC is commonly used for radio and television/CATV.

III. Which tool FTTH products are suitable for construction

1. Optical Fiber Fusion Splicer

AI-9 Fusion Splicer is a six-motor core-aligned intelligent optical fiber fusion splicer, featuring ultra-fast fusion splicing, high precision and multi-function integration. It replaces the traditional cladding-aligned models and supports G.657 bend-insensitive optical fibers. Built-in Optical Power Meter (OPM) + Visual Fault Locator (VFL), it can directly test loss and check breakpoints after fusion splicing without external instruments, with micron-level core alignment and stable fusion splicing. It supports about 260 fusion splices + heating with a full charge, and 5-second fusion splicing + 15-second heating, greatly shortening the operation time.

2. Optical Power Meter

KPN-35 is a handheld three-wavelength optical power meter specially designed for FTTH/PON networks, standard equipped with SC/APC interface, which can measure the optical power of three channels of 1310nm (upstream), 1490nm (downstream data) and 1550nm (downstream video) online at the same time. It is suitable for EPON/GPON/10G PON networks, covering the full link test of OLT central office, fiber distribution box, corridor and user side, supporting SC/APC and SC/UPC, customizable according to requirements, with three-wavelength simultaneous measurement and one test to complete three-channel power testing.

3. OTDR (Optical Time Domain Reflectometer)

The handheld JW3302T OTDR with three wavelengths (1310/1490/1550nm) launched for FTTH/PON networks is specially designed for fault location, link acceptance and maintenance, with three core capabilities: ultra-short event dead zone, PON penetration and online non-interrupt service. Three-wavelength simultaneous testing can penetrate 1:64 splitters and accurately test the user side link.

4. Visual Fault Locator, Fiber Cleaver, Fiber Stripper, Heat-shrinkable Tube

The Visual Fault Locator is used for rapid location of optical fiber breakpoints, bends and field-install/fusion-splice point faults, an essential tool for home entry construction. VFL-22P-G-30 30KM is recommended.

The Fiber Cleaver determines the loss value, a high-precision end face cutting tool before fusion splicing and field installation. Cleaver FC-6S is recommended.

Fiber Strippers include drop cable strippers, which can strip the outer sheath of 2.0×3.0mm home entry drop cables; Miller pliers strip the 250μm optical fiber coating; Kevlar scissors are used to cut the strength member and aramid yarn.

Fiber Heat-shrinkable Tubes are used to cover the fusion splice points and heat for protection after fusion splicing.

IV. Common Misunderstandings and Pitfall Review in FTTH Procurement

1. Can G.652 be the default optical fiber model when purchasing single-mode optical cables?

Strictly distinguish optical fiber types according to the laying site: G.657A1/A2 bend-insensitive drop cables (GJXH non-metallic / GJYX metallic) must be selected for the last 100 meters of home entry, adapted to dark pipe and small-radius laying at wall corners; indoor drop cables are strictly prohibited in corridor/outdoor exposed areas, and GYTA/GYTS armored outdoor optical cables must be used instead; LSZH low-smoke zero-halogen sheath products are preferred for indoor FTTH projects, taking into account safety and compliance.

2. How to distinguish the quality of Fast Optical Connectors?

High-quality Fast Optical Connectors have white, flat and smooth ceramic ferrules, thick metal parts at the crimp buckle, and tight and non-loose buckles, with soft and bend-resistant tail handle sheaths. Poor-quality Fast Optical Connectors have yellowish/grey ceramic ferrules with pitting and scratches, eccentric and uneven cross-sections, thin and brittle plastic at the crimp buckle with looseness, and white bending marks on the tail handle sheath when bent.

3. How to distinguish between Fused Biconical Taper (FBT) splitters and PLC splitters?

They can be distinguished by appearance: FBT splitters are made by fusing and tapering multiple optical fibers, installed in glass capillaries and covered with stainless steel round tubes. PLC splitters are square/rectangular waveguide chips (quartz/silicon-based), installed in miniature metal/ceramic square boxes, with a flat cuboid/square appearance instead of round tubes.

4. Is it really good to load optical cable reels in containers at the freight forwarder's warehouse?

A customer once required the optical cables to be delivered to the freight forwarder's warehouse for container loading, which eventually led to the damage of the optical cable wooden reels and inability to pay off the cables during use. The reason is that the freight forwarder's loading personnel placed the central axis of the optical cable reels perpendicular to the ground and stacked the optical cable reels, causing the optical cable wooden reels to fall apart. The correct approach is to inform the freight forwarder's warehouse of the correct loading method for optical cable reels: the central axis of the optical cable reels should be kept horizontal with the ground, the side of the disc should face the side, and wooden wedges should be placed on both sides to prevent rolling.

5. Purchasing optical cables with fake aramid yarn leads to serious insufficient tensile strength.

Review on how to avoid: Provide aramid yarn model, linear density, breaking strength, elastic modulus and other data, and send special personnel to the factory for acceptance testing to verify whether it is genuine aramid yarn. The test method is simple: burn the aramid yarn with a lighter. Genuine aramid yarn is difficult to be directly ignited by a lighter; the part in contact with the flame will turn yellow and black first, the fibers will gradually shrink, harden and become brittle, forming a dense carbonized layer, which will prevent the flame from spreading inward further. Fake aramid yarn ignites immediately with open fire and burns continuously, shrinking and curling into a ball rapidly when the flame approaches, without the carbonized layer of genuine aramid yarn.

6. Is it feasible to select non-dry (grease-filled) optical cables in low-temperature environments?

Operators reported that the optical attenuation suddenly increases in winter, because the optical cable grease becomes thick, sticky and hard at -15℃ ~ -25℃, resulting in the overall hardening of the optical cable, poor bending performance and increased optical loss. Below -30℃, grease-filled optical cables are not recommended and are prone to failures; all-dry optical cables are recommended, without grease, no hardening and no extrusion to optical fibers. All-dry optical cables are basically specified in northern China, alpine mountainous areas, outdoor overhead and air outlet positions.

7. Why does the purchased optical fiber always fade?

After optical fiber coloring, it passes through a quartz tube, and the outside of the quartz tube is irradiated with ultraviolet rays for color fixing through nitrogen pressurization.

The volatile gas generated by the reaction between the ink and ultraviolet rays during the use of the quartz tube adheres to the surface of the quartz tube and affects the light transmittance. Insufficient nitrogen pressure fails to achieve the oxygen barrier function and reduces the firmness. Unstable temperature control such as curing temperature and temperature drop when restarting the machine after reel changing and fiber threading will also cause fading.

8. What is the reason for the frequent breakage of the purchased optical cables?

Optical cable breakage mainly occurs during the sheathing process. The factory has tried its best to control the uniformity of the plastic tube diameter, but due to cost control, the purchased filling rope has poor material and uneven diameter, or there are attachments on the cable core with uneven diameter. The diameter of the production machine is fixed, so the cable core will get stuck and break when passing through.

Poor connection when replacing reels and armor tapes in the armored optical cable production line will also lead to optical cable breakage.

9. Is 0.45mm or 0.4mm generally used for the phosphated steel wire of the metal strength member of drop cables?

If cost performance is pursued, 0.4mm is recommended, and customers generally also recommend 0.4mm to reduce costs. 0.45mm is usually used when there is no tensile requirement. Therefore, procurement should be based on actual conditions to avoid the risk of breakage.

10. How to judge the quality of the purchased optical cable sheath material?

The gloss of new optical cable sheath material is brighter than that of recycled material, and some recycled materials are matte. In terms of weight, recycled materials are lighter than new materials for the same size of packaging. In terms of mechanical properties, the sheath made of new materials has better tensile and anti-aging properties than that of recycled materials. In the current factory production, MDPE refers to recycled material and HDPE refers to new material.

11. The purchased optical cable needs to be re-routed after opening, and the utilization rate is low due to cutting short?

The optical cable pay-off mainly depends on the uneven spacing, skipping and overlapping of the traversing machine in the production process. After the optical cable production is completed, irregular pay-off arrangement leads to complete collapse in the middle, affecting the pay-off process and use. The pay-off process should be closely monitored manually to avoid unqualified optical cable pay-off arrangement.

V. Which standards do SoctFiber FTTH products comply with ？

• Optical Fibers/Optical Cables: The full range complies with ITU-T G.652D/G.657A2 + IEC 60793/60794 + GB/T 9771 + YD/T 1997, and LSZH flame retardancy meets GB/T 18380.
• Optical Devices (Splitters/Couplers): PLC Splitters comply with YD/T 1272.3 + Telcordia GR-468, with 1:64 uniformity ≤0.5dB.
• Jumpers/Connectors: SC/LC/MPO comply with IEC 61754 + GR-326 + YD/T 2152, strict distinction between UPC/APC, return loss ≥55dB.
• Splice Closures: Comply with GB/T 16529.1-2025 / YD/T 814.
• Fiber Distribution Boxes: Comply with YD/T 778 / GD/J 103.

VI. SoctFiber Quality Testing and After-sales Warranty

Our Quality Testing

Strict full-link quality control & comprehensive testing: Optical performance test, signal attenuation test, high & low temperature test, durability test under repeated plugging & unplugging, mechanical strength test, flame retardant test, and more.

• Hydrolytic resistance • Anti-aging • Wide temperature range • Tensile & crush resistance • Bending & impact resistance • Flame retardant • Corrosion resistance • Rodent & vibration resistance.
• Ensuring stable transmission performance.

Our After-Sales Service

• For product quality defects, we provide repair, replacement and replenishment services, and bear all shipping costs.
• For installation and commissioning issues, we offer professional technical guidance.
• For system expansion and upgrade, we provide optimized selection and solution proposals.
• Progress updates will be provided continuously until full resolution.
• Feedback is collected to optimize products and services, ensure stable quality, and protect your long-term interests.