CommScope BOSTM BrightPath Optical Solutions User Manual
Broadband Applications
& Construction Manual
BOSTM BrightPath® Optical Solutions
Table of Contents 0.1
BrightPath® Installation Guide
Table of contents
Section 1 ............... Introduction
Section 2 ............... Safety standards
Section 3 ............... BrightPath cables and components - a system overview
3.1 Direct system overview
3.3 Node-based system overview
3.5 Cables
3.6 Components
Section 4 .............. Before installation
4.1 Moving and storing reels
4.2 Route survey
Section 5 .............. Distribution cable - buried installation
5.1 Overview
5.2 Vibratory plowing
5.4 Trenching for 1000 feet or longer
5.6 Trenching for 1000 feet or less
5.8 Trenching for any distance
Section 6 .............. Distribution cable - aerial installation
6.1 Overview
6.2 Drive-off/moving reel set-up
6.3 Drive-off/moving reel and leaving cable at the pole
6.4 Overlashing
0.2 Table of Contents
BrightPath® Installation Guide
Table of contents
Section 7 ................ Optical node installation
7.1 Node description
7.2 Node installation
Section 8 ............... Optical tap installation
8.1 Introduction
8.2 Midspan entry
8.3 Splicing equipment
8.4 Splicing
8.5 Fiber arrangement and testing
Section 9 ............... Drop and NID/NIU installation
9.1 Introduction
9.2 Planning the drop
9.3 Attachment examples
9.4 Attaching and grounding the NID
9.5 Plowing overview
9.6 Trenching overview
9.7 Aerial installation
9.8 Pulling cable and pole attachment
9.9 Attaching the cable to the residence
9.10 Running cable to the NID
Section 10 .............. Connector cleaning and care
Section 11 .............. Broadband Resource Center
Table of Contents 1.1
Forward
How to use the BrightPath® Installation Guide
The BrightPath Installation Guide is written for the cable installation professional who is preparing their system to
bring fiber optics over the ‘last mile’ to the subscriber’s residence. The BrightPath Fiber To The Home (FTTH) system
is the next step in CommScope’s Hybrid Fiber Coax (HFC) architecture. With BrightPath, optical fiber (and its associated benefits of speed, capacity and long operational distances) is brought directly to the residence.
BrightPath is a craft-friendly technology. The architecture of nodes, taps and cables should be familiar to coaxial
installation crews. The components have been designed for ease of installation. Techniques used for buried and
aerial installation of coaxial cable are almost identical. And, while easily installed in greenfields, the BrightPath technology can also be adapted to upgrade existing networks.
Of course, the difference between HFC and BrightPath is the use of fiber optic cable for the distribution and drop
segments of the network. Like coaxial termination, fiber optic splicing is a craft. The instructions provided in this
Guide for splicing and termination of optical fibers are general. CommScope strongly recommends that you take a
fiber optic splicing course to familiarize yourself with the tools and technologies.
It is impossible to cover every single situation an installer may run into. These guidelines are no replacement for your
good common sense and experience.
It’s always good to know that you have backup should you run into a difficult installation. If you find you need
advice, call CommScope’s BRC (Broadband Resource Center) at 866-333-3272 from 9 am to
5pm ET Monday through Friday. We’re always glad to help out a fellow professional.
2.1 Safety
Overview
Installation safety issues
Construction of a broadband cable system requires a substantial amount of manpower, tools and equipment.
Underground and aerial construction will expose the manpower, tools and equipment to hazards, dependent on field
conditions and circumstances.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) defines a qualified employee as “any worker who by reason of training and experience has demonstrated his ability to safely perform his duties.” Only a qualified employee
should be assigned duties that could cause harm or potential harm to the construction crew, general public, cable
plant, and other utilities.
This manual cannot identify the many hazards that exist in the construction environment, nor can it dictate the caution
required with all of the tools, equipment and field conditions. CommScope continues this manual with the assumption
that the construction personnel performing the work are qualified employees.
Three sets of national codes and standards apply to the construction of cable systems.
Section 1910.268 of the OSHA Safety and Health Standards applies to work in telecommunications centers and field installations. The National Electric Code (NEC) applies to
building utilization wiring, i.e. inside plant construction. The NEC applies specifically, but
is not limited to, plant that is within or on public and private buildings or other structures.
The National Electric Safety Code (NESC), generally applies to outside plant construction.
The ability
to recognize
and avoid
hazards is
required
of all
Municipal, state, county, and local codes are often applied to the construction of cable
systems or work that involves their respective properties and right-of-ways. Pole Lease
Agreements often stipulate specific practices related to safety.
These codes, regulations, and specified practices should be investigated, interpreted, communicated and observed.
WARNING! Invisible laser radiation may be present on all optical connectors. Confirm that there is
no optical signal present prior to directly viewing any optical fiber or connector.
construction
personnel
BrightPath® Cables and Components 3.1
Direct system overview
BrightPath system - direct connection for up to 12.4 miles (20 km)
The BrightPath solution starts at the point where the HFC fiber normally transitions to coaxial distribution cable. If the
distance from the headend to the furthest subscriber is 20 km or less, the BrightPath system can be spliced directly to
the fiber at the transition point. The headend signal is bidirectional, using different wavelengths of light for upstream
and downstream transmission. Each headend fiber can serve as many as 32 subscribers. Please note that the serving capacity of the system is limited by the number of fibers available coming from the headend.
Buried or aerial multi-fiber distribution cables carry optical signal from the transition point to a tap enclosure.
The weather-hardened enclosure protects the optical tap module and is mounted either on the span or in a pedestal. Here, the distribution cable is entered mid-span and its fibers accessed. One fiber is spliced to the optical tap
module that splits the signal among as many as eight drops and then sends the signal on to the next tap enclosure.
Aerial or buried single fiber drop cable connects the optical tap to the Network Interface Device (NID) at
the residence. The NID will hold the Network Interface Unit (NIU) which converts the optical signal to RF for
transmission over the home’s coax network. Low-voltage power for the NIU is provided at the residence and fed
through a coaxial connection.
3.2 BrightPath® Cables and Components
Direct system overview
A BrightPath direct system installation typically happens in three phases:
Distribution cable installation and pedestal placement
A cabling crew installs the distribution cable/fiber optic cable in conduit (FOCIC) and places the pedestals.
Splicing the fiber at the tap
A splicing crew follows them and splices the fiber to the headend connection and the taps.
Running the drop and attaching the NID/NIU
As subscribers sign up, drop cable installation crews visit individual homes and attach the NID, run the drop and
terminate it at the NIU.
When directly connected to the headend cable, the BrightPath system requires no external power between the
headend and the final connection to the NIU. And because optical fibers carry no electrical power, NEC article
830 is not a concern.
BrightPath® Cables and Components 3.3
Node-based system overview
BrightPath system - node-based connection for up to 21.7 miles (35 km)
The BrightPath node-based solution starts at the point where the HFC fiber normally transitions to coaxial distribution cable. An optical node amplifies the optical signal coming from the headend and distributes it to as many
as eight fiber ports. Each port delivers enough signal to serve 32 homes, for a total of 256 subscribers. The node
signal is bidirectional, using different wavelengths of light for upstream and downstream transmission. The node can
be mounted on the span or in a vault and is powered like a coax amplifier.
Up to two four-fiber buried or aerial distribution cables carry optical signal from the node to a tap enclosure.
The weather-hardened enclosure protects the optical tap module and is mounted either on the span or in a pedestal. Here, the distribution cable is entered mid-span and its fibers accessed. One fiber is spliced to the optical tap
module that splits the signal among as many as eight drops and then sends the signal on to the next tap enclosure.
Aerial or buried single fiber drop cable connects the optical tap to the Network Interface Device (NID) at
the residence. The NID will hold the Network Interface Unit (NIU) which converts the optical signal to RF for
transmission over the home’s coax network. Low-voltage power for the NIU is provided at the residence and fed
through a coaxial connection.
3.4 BrightPath® Cables and Components
Node-based system overview
A BrightPath node-based system installation typically happens in three phases:
Distribution cable installation and pedestal placement
A cabling crew installs the distribution cable/fiber optic cable in conduit (FOCIC) and places the pedestals.
Splicing the fiber at the tap
A splicing crew follows them and attaches/powers the node and splices the fiber to the node and taps.
Running the drop and attaching the NID/NIU
As subscribers sign up, drop cable installation crews visit individual homes and attach the NID, run the drop and
terminate it at the NIU.
BrightPath’s optical technology offers several operating advantages over coaxial cable. Since signals can be carried
for miles by singlemode optical fiber, the lengths for the distribution and drop cable are without practical limit. And,
because optical fibers carry no electrical power, NEC article 830 is not a concern.
®
BrightPath
Cables
Cables and Components 3.5
BrightPath cables
Distribution cable options
BrightPath DA/BP cable, an armored cable with a central tube design, is used for
direct burial or in buried conduit. These are robust cables with proven field record.
BrightPath DF/BP is a central tube cable with a flat design supported by twin fiberglass-reinforced plastic support members. It can be directly buried, buried in conduit or
installed aerially.
Options for high-density builds are CommScope’s LA stranded and armored loose
tube cable (each subunit can hold up to 12 fibers) and CommScope’s LN all-dielectric
loose tube cable. Both cables can be installed aerially, buried in conduit or directly
buried.
Drop cable options
CommScope’s DF/BP cable is a central tube cable with a flat design supported by
twin fiberglass-reinforced plastic support members. It can be directly buried and is also
self-supporting for aerial installation (please see the DF/BP data sheet for specific information on sag and tension).
DA/BP, an armored cable with a central tube design, is available in a single-fiber version for drop applications.
DA/BP
DF/BP
LA
LN
DF/BP
DA/BP
These CommScope cables meet or exceed all relevant standards and are RoHS compliant. The RoHS (Restriction of
Hazardous Substances) directive was adopted by the European Union in 2006, by some states in the US
and is expected to be adopted by China. RoHS is aimed at reducing the amount of certain environmen-
tally hazardous substances in cabling components.
3.6 BrightPath® Cables and Components
Components
BrightPath components
Tap enclosure and optical tap module
The tap enclosure consists of three main sections; a distribution side for connection to the network, a drop side for connection to the residence and, sandwiched between them, the optical tap module. The tap is a passive (non-powered) device that can be ordered with anywhere from two to eight connectorized
outputs and non-connectorized fibers that permit the signal to continue along
the distribution cable. The distribution cable fibers are fusion-spliced to the tap.
Drop cables are connectorized and plugged into adapters in the drop side.
Network Interface Device/Network Interface Unit
The NID attaches to the side of the residence and houses the NIU, a powered optical
converter/amplifier that converts the downstream 1550 nm signal into RF for distribution in the home. It also converts RF into a 1310 nm optical signal for transmission
back up the same fiber toward the headend. The NIU draws low-voltage power at the
residence. The NIU is secured in the NID after the NID is attached to the residence.
Optical node (for node-based systems)
The optical node amplifies and splits headend signals for downstream distribution at the 1550 nm wavelength and upstream at the 1310 nm wavelength. A
diplexer separates the signals. The node significantly increases the 1550 nm signal using an EDFA amplifier and divides it into eight fiber outputs. Typically, two
four-fiber distribution cables will leave the node.
Upstream 1310 nm signals return on the same fiber. The node conditions and
multiplexes them for transmission back to the headend over the same feeder
fiber as the 1550 nm signal. The node is powered like a coaxial amplifier.
distribution
side
drop
side
Cable and components storage and handling
Cable storage
While both the cable and fiber optic cable in conduit (FOCIC) are built to work in buried environments, they should be
stored in a covered location where the temperature range is no greater than -40° F to +158° F (-40° C to +70° C).
Reels are shipped on pallets and should remain on them until ready to install.
Moving reels
Unpalleted reels can be moved by rolling on their flanges or with a forklift. An arrow on
the reel shows roll direction.
Use the forklift to pick up the reel so that the side of the reel faces the driver. DO NOT lift
the reel by placing the tines between the flanges.
DO NOT let the tines touch the cable.
Components
The optical node, taps, NIDs and NIUs should be stored indoors until the day of installation. Nodes should be
tested at the shop prior to field installation.
Because the optical tap modules vary with the number of drops they serve, they should be ordered after the installation planning is complete. The tap housings also require grommets to match the type of distribution cable being
used (see page 3.5).
4.2 Before Installation
Route survey
Route survey
Prior to installation, a careful route survey should be done to determine the best path for the distribution cable and
the location for the optical taps.
BrightPath® permits a great deal of flexibility in installation. The singlemode fiber architecture permits runs of miles
without the need for amplification. The taps are passive devices, so power is only needed at the optional node and
at the residence. Recall that a direct feed installation can serve up to 32 subscribers per fiber, while a node-based
system can serve up to 256 subscribers.
With this said, the locations of the taps must be carefully planned, especially for buried installations.
Underground Distribution Cable Installation 5.1
Overview
Buried installation of BrightPath® distribution cable
BrightPath cable can be either directly buried or buried as fiber optic cable in conduit (FOCIC). It can be plowed
into position using a vibratory plow or buried in a trench. Buried BrightPath cable should be installed at least 18 in.
(45 cm) deep, and deeper if the frost line is farther down.
For vibratory plowing instructions, see pages 5.2 to 5.3.
For trenching instructions, see pages 5.4 to 5.8.
Upstream/headend orientation
Whatever method you choose, keep in mind which end of the cable/FOCIC is the
upstream end. The BrightPath taps will not work properly if they are installed backward. Always know which end is upstream (the side pointed toward the headend)
and mark it per instructions.
Handling FOCIC
FOCIC reels are substantially larger than traditional cable reels. Work with your CommScope customer representative to make sure your carrier can accommodate FOCIC reels.
Cut the cable restraint before installation
Prior to installation, remove the FOCIC end cap and cut the cable restraint. This relaxes the cable and transfers all
of the pulling tension to the conduit. Replace the cap immediately.
Keep the FOCIC capped
Make sure both ends are capped during installation to maintain conduit integrity.
Leave more than enough cable for splicing to the headend cable or node
IN ALL CABLE INSTALLATION SCENARIOS, MAKE SURE THAT YOU LEAVE SUFFICIENT CABLE FOR ATTACHMENT TO THE HEADEND CABLE OR THE NODE. The node may not yet be in place when the cable is being
installed. Confirm the planned location of the node before installation.
For BrightPath
taps to operate,
they must have
a correct
upstream/
downstream
orientation
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