2021 Ultimate Guide of the Fiber Distribution Box
Publish Time: 2021-03-16 Origin: Site
The optical cable can be fusion spliced with the household optical cable through the optical distribution box to realize the function of the optical cable and meet the needs of various transmission network projects. The optical fiber distribution box is suitable for use after the FTTH engineering optical cable reaches the building, and is installed in the corridor, basement, computer room and building exterior wall.
Table of contents
1. What is a fiber distribution box?
3. The types of the fiber distribution box
4. How does a fiber distribution box work?
5. Main features of optical fiber splitting box
6. Optical fiber distribution box appearance requirements
7. Fiber optic distribution box assembly requirements
8. How to install fiber optic distribution box
1. What is a fiber distribution box?
Fiber Distribution Box (FDB) is available for the distribution and terminal connection for various kinds of optical fiber systems. Through the adapter in the distribution box, the optical signal is led out by the optical jumper to realize the optical wiring function. It is especially suitable for the protective connection of fiber cables and pigtails in FTTH, providing functions such as direct splicing, branching, straight-through, splitting, and fiber termination.
A fiber optic distribution box is a wall-mounted or pole-mounted box with or without a splitter, for indoor and outdoor application. It is used in the FTTH & FTTB application and widely used in the end termination of residential buildings and villas, to fix and splice with pigtails.
2. Distribution box structure
1) Optical fiber adapter panel;
2) Bending radius control clamp;
3) Front panel accessories;
4) Plugs and jacks;
5) Bracket;
6) Trunk or interconnecting fiber optic cable entry hole.
3. The types of the fiber distribution box
1) According to the function, it can be divided into the following two categories:
① According to the installation method and the number of slots, the plug-in optical fiber distribution box can be divided into:
a) Two-channel insert-type optical fiber splitting and distribution box
b) Four-slot insert-type optical fiber splitting and distribution box
Classification model | Number of slots | Box size (±5mm) (H×W×D) |
Wall-mounted two-slot corridor (indoor and outdoor) optical fiber distribution box | 2 | 330*250*110 |
Wall-mounted four-slot corridor (indoor, outdoor) optical fiber distribution box | 4 | 460*380*130 |
② Corridor (indoor/outdoor) optical fiber splitter and distribution box can be divided into:
a) Ended fiber optic cable distribution box
b) Direct-melting type optical fiber splitting box
2) According to the light division ratio, it can be divided into the following four categories:
① 1:4 optical sub-insert
② 1:8 optical sub-insert
③ 1:16 optical sub-insert
④ 1:32 optical sub-insert
Classification model | Number of slots | Box size (±5mm) (H×W×D) |
1:4 optical sub-insert | 1 | 130×100×25 |
1:8 optical sub-insert | 1 | 130×100×25 |
1:16 optical sub-insert | 2 | 130×100×50 |
1:32 optical sub-insert | 4 | 267×100×50 |
3) According to the usage scenarios, it can be divided into the following two categories:
① Indoor fiber distribution box
② Outdoor fiber optic distribution box
4. How does a fiber distribution box work?
The optical fiber distribution box uses the optical jumper to lead out the optical signal through the adapter in the distribution box to realize the optical wiring function.
5. Main features of optical fiber splitting box
1) It is suitable for a variety of usage scenarios: indoor, outdoor, wall-mounted, pole-mounted, new, and old buildings.
2) Molded box body, installation back panel design, beautiful and small appearance, convenient and quick installation, good anti-corrosion and waterproof performance, long service life, and convenient for large-scale construction.
3) With the flip structure, the space for splitting, wiring and welding area can be reasonably configured, which is convenient for installation and maintenance.
4) The port of the splitter module is designed with an inclined 15°, and the routing is smooth.
5) The serialized inserts can be combined as building blocks, which is convenient for expansion and saves investment.
6) The leather cable adopts a special slot design, which can be put into the box with a flexible joint, which is reliable in fixing, easy to deploy, and efficient.
7) Support direct melting of optical cable.
8) Support the management of various optical fiber connectors, such as SC, LC, ST, MT-RJ, etc.
9) The routing identification is clear, which is convenient for routing records and maintenance.
10) Small size, lightweight, can be wall-mounted, easy to operate.
11) It is sealed with a high-performance rubber sealing strip, with protection grade IP53.
6. Optical fiber distribution box appearance requirements
1) Corridor (indoor, outdoor) optical fiber distribution box should be complete. The plastic parts have no defects such as burrs, bubbles, cracks, voids, warpages, impurities, etc., and the heat distortion temperature is ≥85°C. And it needs to meet the 15-year service life requirement of the line.
2) The body and inner metal plate of the corridor (indoor and outdoor) optical fiber distribution box shall use a Q235 cold-rolled plate, the thickness of which is not less than 1.2mm, and the surface is galvanized. The upper and lower mounting plates of the box are made of Q235 cold-rolled plates, the thickness is not less than 2mm, and they are sprayed after galvanizing. The outdoor type is equipped with iron parts for holding poles, and hot-dip galvanized stainless steel or iron accessories are used.
3) For metal structural parts with plastic spray treatment, the coating and the substrate should have good adhesion, and the adhesion should not be lower than the level 2 requirements in Table 1 of the GB/T 9286-1998 standard. The surface is smooth, the color is uniform, there are no defects such as peeling, paint peeling, rust, etc., no sagging, scratches, bottoming, bubbles, and whitening.
4) The non-metallic composite material (plastic) used in the corridor (indoor and outdoor) optical fiber distribution box related accessories, the combustion performance should meet the requirements in GB/T 2408-2008.
5) The color of the surface coating of the corridor (indoor and outdoor) optical fiber distribution box is based on the color spectrum: GSB05-1426-200 medium gray (for the same color, refer to medium gray 445, matte color).
6) The surface color of the optical fiber distribution box body should be easy to identify and mark, and coordinate with the environment.
7) The surface color of the working unit in the box must be easy to identify and distinguish, and the color that is in harmony with the box body or the surrounding environment can be used.
7. Fiber optic distribution box assembly requirements
1) Corridor (indoor and outdoor) optical fiber splitter and distribution box should meet the requirements of up and down cable entry. The top and bottom of the box should be equipped with 4 cable inlets respectively, and the optical cable fixing and protection device should be able to meet the requirement of fixing 4 optical cables at the same time. If the lower cable entry is used alone, the upper cable entry space needs to be sealed.
2) The optical fiber fusion splicing disc shall be of an open type, and the installation method and size requirements of the optical fiber splicing disc and the sheathed cable fusion splicing disc shall be consistent.
3) The connection of all fasteners should be firm and reliable, and the bonding of the box sealing strip should be flat and firm.
4) The opening angle of the door is not less than 180°, and the opening and closing of the door lock are flexible and reliable.
5) When the optical cable is introduced, its bending radius should be greater than 15 times the diameter of the optical cable.
6) When the optical fiber of the optical cable is laid in the box, no matter where it turns, its radius of curvature should not be less than 30mm.
7) After the butterfly-shaped drop cable is fixed, the small bending radius should not be less than 10mm, and the reserved length in the box should not be less than 0.5m.
8) The optical splitter installed in the optical splitter box should be fixed in the box with a firm material. The performance index of the optical splitter must meet the requirements of the bidding technical specifications.
9) The optical fiber connector used in the optical add-on plug should be SC type. The insertion loss of two plugs arbitrarily connected is less than or equal to 0.5dB, and the return loss is >35dB. Its performance index should meet the requirements of YD/T 1272.3-2005 "Optical Fiber Removable Connector Part 3: SC Type".
The optical fiber connector used in the uplink port of the optical splitter should be green, the optical fiber connector used in the downlink port should be blue, and the free port should not be installed with the optical fiber connector.
10) The termination, fusion splicing, and storage of optical fibers in the corridor optical fiber distribution box shall be conveniently configured as a complete set within the full capacity.
11) The optical splitter should be modularized and integrated, and there should be no jumpers in the corridor splitter box.
12) The manufacturer of the corridor optical fiber distribution box should provide the manufacturer, specification and model of the optical splitter used, and provide proof of purchase.
8. How to install fiber optic distribution box
In general, the installation of optical fiber distribution boxes can be divided into three steps: installing the optical fiber distribution box on the rack, introducing the optical cable into the optical fiber distribution box, and planning the optical fiber path in the optical fiber distribution box. The three steps are described in detail below:
1. Install the optical fiber distribution box on the rack
This step is very simple, we only need to install the brackets on both sides of the optical fiber distribution box, and then fix the brackets in the designated position of the rack with screws (as shown in the figure below). It should be noted that before installing the optical fiber distribution box, first determine the installation direction of the distribution box according to the needs.
2. Introduce the optical cable into the optical fiber distribution box
After fixing the optical fiber distribution box on the rack, the optical cable can be introduced into the distribution box through the cable hole. At this time, it is necessary to prepare a suitable sheath to help us guide and fix the optical cable in the optical fiber distribution box. The optical cable here usually uses pre-terminated branch fiber jumpers or pigtails. The process of installing the sheath is shown in the figure below:
3. Route the optical cable in the optical fiber distribution box
1) Lead the optical cable to the position of the optical cable fixing plate at the back of the optical cable distribution box.
2) Cut the end of the optical cable to a length of about 1m. Then take an appropriate length (about 1500mm), peel off the outermost sheath, insert the end of the ground wire barbed piece into the stripping point of the optical cable (slightly cut the sheath with a blade), and wrap it tightly with a film to ensure that it is in contact with the armored steel tape of the optical cable reliable.
3) After taking the metal reinforcing core about 85mm in length from the stripping point of the optical cable, cut off the rest. The metal reinforcing core is fixed on the steel wire fixing seat, and then the optical cable is tightened with a hose clamp to make it stable.
4) After the stripped fiber optic cable bundle tube is replaced with a PVC protective hose, it is pre-coiled on the take-up area and a splicing coil is introduced. Fix the PVC protective hose on the welding disc with a cable tie.
5) Take an appropriate length of optical fiber pigtail (generally 2 meters), and stick labels on both ends. Fix one end of the pigtail to the adapter of the 6-port adapter mounting plate, and lead the other end to the entrance of the splice tray, and fix the pigtail on the splice tray with a cable tie.
6) Move the back box cover together with the splicing disc to the outside of the box for fiber splicing. The splicing point is protected by a heat-shrinkable tube and fixed in the heat-shrinkable tube holder of the optical fiber splicing disc, covered with a protective cover. After completion, fix the back box cover on the box body and straighten out and fix the optical fiber.
9. FAQ
1) What is a fiber distribution panel?
A Fiber Distribution Panel is also called an optical distribution frame (ODF). It is important supporting equipment in the optical transmission system. The optical fiber distribution frame (ODF) is used for the termination and distribution of the main optical cable of the terminal of the optical fiber communication system, which can easily realize the connection, distribution, and dispatch of the optical fiber line.
A patch panel is essentially an array of ports on one panel. Each port connects, via a patch cable, to another port located elsewhere in your building. A fiber distribution panel helps to make the connection of different devices easy and organized, such as computer stations, servers, switches, electric or electronic instruments. Besides, fiber patch panels can create a secure environment for exposed fibers, housing connectors, and splice units.
2) What is the difference between optical fiber distribution box and optical fiber distribution frame?
The distribution frame is a hub that realizes the cross-connection of the two subsystems of vertical trunk line and horizontal wiring. It is generally a 19-inch rack with a height of 1U, and usually has a minimum of 12 ports.
The optical fiber distribution box is a node protection device for shunting optical signals.
3) What is a fiber termination box?
A Fiber Termination Box (FTB) also called optical termination box (OTB), is a box that protects the fiber optic cable and pigtail fusion splicing at the terminal of the fiber optic cable. It is mainly used for the direct connection and branch connection of the indoor fiber optic cable and the fixing of the fiber optic cable terminal and plays the role of storing the pigtail and protecting the joint.
Fiber termination box is a compact fiber management product of small size. In some circumstances, the fiber termination box can be regarded as the mini size of the optical distribution frame (ODF). It is widely used in local telephone, rural telephone network systems, data and image transmission systems, CATV cable television series.
4) What is the difference between an optical fiber distribution box and an optical cable terminal box?
① Different in nature
The optical cable terminal box is the auxiliary equipment for terminal wiring in the optical fiber transmission communication network. It is suitable for the direct and branch connection of indoor optical cables and protects the optical fiber joints.
The optical fiber distribution box is suitable for the wiring connection between the optical cable and the optical communication equipment. Through the adapter in the distribution box, the optical signal is led out by the optical jumper to realize the optical wiring function.
② The scope of application is different
As the carrier of information transmission, the optical fiber terminal box has become an important pillar of modern communication with optical fiber hardware as the information transmission medium.
The optical fiber distribution box is used for the introduction, fixing and stripping protection of optical cables, fusion and protection of optical fibers, storage of pigtails, storage and management of jumpers, fixed connection, and cross-connection of optical fibers. At the same time, it can install value-added module units such as optical splitters and wavelength division multiplexers according to customer requirements.
③ Different features
The optical cable terminal box has the functions of optical cable introduction, wiring pigtails leading out and fixing and protecting the optical cables, wiring pigtails, and the performance of the optical fibers in it from damage.
The optical fiber distribution box is suitable for the protective connection of optical cables and distribution pigtails and is also suitable for the use of optical fiber terminal points in the optical fiber access network.
5) What is a fiber optic junction box?
Fiber Optic Junction Box is to provides an interface for connecting optical fibers. It provides fiber optic cable management for the connection of distribution cables and drops cables at the user access point in the fiber-optic network. The optical fiber junction box is provided with a base, and an optical fiber fixing frame is also arranged on the base. There are also wiring ports at both ends of the base. We should connect the optical fiber to the wiring ports, and then cover the box to test and adjust.
6) What is the purpose of the junction box? Why I really need a junction box?
In-home decoration, the junction box is one of the electrical accessories. Because the wires used in the decoration pass through the wire tube, the junction box is used as a transition in the connection part of the wire (such as the line is relatively long, or the wire tube needs to be cornered). The wire tube is connected to the junction box, and the wires in the wire tube are connected in the junction box to protect the wires and connect the wires.
10. Conclusion
The optical fiber distribution box is designed and produced according to the communication industry-standard YD/T 778, which can complete the introduction, fixation and stripping protection of optical cables, optical fiber fusion and protection, pigtail storage, jumper storage and management, and fixed connection of optical fibers. Cross-connect and other functions.
At the same time, it can also install value-added module units such as optical splitters and wavelength division multiplexers according to customer requirements. The use of optical fiber distribution boxes is conducive to the construction of our smart home, home LAN, integrated wiring system, and other engineering projects.
DOWELL is China famous fiber optic distribution box manufacturer and supplier, having high-quality and affordable indoor and outdoor optical distribution box. If you have any needs, please contact us!