Fiber Optics Outdoor Cables: The Whole History.
Fiber Optics Outdoor Cables: The Whole History.
When it comes to choosing a particular fiber optic patch cable, you need to be absolutely clear about its application. Determining what that cable will be used for is essential to making the right choice.
However, you should also have a very solid idea on where that cable will be used. The importance of its location lies on the type of cable you will ultimately be going for. If you are totally sure that the cable that you need will be placed in an indoor location, then you should go for the typical indoor cable.
That being said, if you will use that cable outside an enclosed location, or if you think that the cable you need might be used eventually at an outdoor place, then you should choose an outdoor cable.
When they are required?
Fiber Optic Outdoor Cables might be rare for domestic or personal applications, but its usage is very common for larger and more commercial instances. The need for this particular type of cable is explained by the requirement of its resistance to external conditions that may be at times rather extremes.
In the following chart made by Anixter, you can check a lot of important features, the best here is to ask your Beyondtech Specialist to recommended the characteristics of the cable you need.
Outdoor Cables are essentially employed to cover the worst weather scenarios: intense heat or potential fires, heavy rains or storms, huge amounts of snow and strong humidity. The key here is to protect the transmission of data, usually throughout long distances, no matter the circumstances.
Other factors to consider comprise the exposition of those cables to toxic substances and even animals that might harm the outer layers of the cables. That explains the strength and thickness some of these cables have been built with: they just need to ensure that the core of the cable remains unaffected while its exterior might be compromised.
Types of Outdoor Cables
The most common Fiber Optic Outdoor Cables are loose tube, ribbon, aerial and armored fiber optic cables:
Loose Tube Fiber Optic Cables usually consist of an array of multiple fibers that are put together in the interior of a small plastic tube. These fibers surround a central cable, and they are jacketed around it. This disposition allows it to have lots of fibers within a single patch, so the final fiber count cable tends to be large.
Ribbon Fiber Optic Cables are generally one of the most dense cables in Telecom, since the fibers in its interior are laid out in rows. Additionally, they are laid on top of each other. Their most common application is energy plants so they tend to be gel-filled to prevent the entrance of water.
Armored Cables are usually employed in areas that are vulnerable to animal plagues, especially rodents, since metal armoring is typically placed between two jackets. That’s why their presence in plant applications is so numerous. These cables can resist a lot of pressure, so they are the preferred choice when it comes to installations that are placed in rocky and other similarly challenging soils. Data centers also use a lot of these cables, since they are usually installed underground and the concern of these cables being crushed needs to be alleviated. Due to their metallic armor, these cables must be grounded properly, so this is a consideration that cannot be overlooked by installers.
Aerial Cables are the solution to installations that need to be placed at large heights. This particular situation implies a cable that features a special resistance to permanent tension due to cable weight and the constant oscillation due to intense and heavy wind and ice loads. Some of these cables are also known as self-supporting cables because they are often built with heavier jackets and stronger metal strength members.
Already Know what you need?
If you ever need to get some Fiber Optic Outdoor Cables, you can contact us and send us the specific requirements your installation call for. We design and create customized solutions for customized projects, and we ship them very quickly, so feel free to get in touch with us and we’ll take care of the rest!
At Beyondtech, we aim at being your most trusted partner in Telecom, so please check out the rest of our offer on our website -we are sure you will find something very useful for your projects.