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NW KS | I ran my own fiber line this spring to replace a wireless bridge and figured I would share some information that might be useful since I see this topic being discussed from time to time. This isn't exactly a step-by-step guide but hopefully will give you some ideas on how to run some DIY fiber if you want to keep conduit size and entry hole sizes to a minimum. The connectors are the largest part of a fiber cable, and without the connector installed, you can run fiber in a much smaller space.
I ran 1/2 PEX for a conduit for the fiber and then terminated the fiber with mechanical connectors. Mechanical fiber termination isn't as good as fusion splicing, but I figured it would be good enough for my use case. Worst case, I replace the ends several years down the road or have to have some ends spliced on. Mechanical fiber termination isn't that difficult, and a cheap set of tools can be had for around $50. The cheap fiber strippers are probably the biggest source of frustration. It is easy to break the little glass strand. If you don't like small, up-close detail work, you probably will want to go with a preterminated cable or find someone to put the ends on. The biggest advantage to using a cable that hasn't been terminated is the size of the cable. The diameter of the cable I used was only around 1/8 of an inch, so it easily fit through the 1/2 PEX. You might be able to get a premade simplex (single connector/fiber) cable through 3/4 inch PEX, but I haven't tried that. I used compressed air to float the fiber through my PEX conduit. There are purpose-made tools for this process, but a simple version can be made out of a pipe tee and a plastic cap with a hole about the size of the fiber (see photos below). Professional fiber jetting can send the cable thousands of feet. I was able to easily go around 275 feet, and I figure I could have easily at least doubled that distance.
There are two types of fiber: single-mode and multimode. In the past multimode fiber has been recommended due to lower costs of cable and equipment, but that is no longer the case. I could find little to no price difference between single and multiple fibers when I priced out my project. Single-mode fiber seems to be quickly becoming the current standard. The fiber also needs to be rated for use in underground ducts/conduits. I used a 2-strand micro-armored fiber made by Tinifiber. Mico armored means that there is a spiral steel cable protecting the glass fiber strands inside the cable. The cable construction is similar to a mechanical throttle or choke cable. I went with a 2-strand fiber cable since it was cheaper, and I only needed one or two fiber connections. Since the fiber is inside conduit, it can be replaced without too much trouble, so I didn't get additional fiber optic strands in case some of the strands get damaged or for future data capacity. If I have an issue, I will pull a new cable. You could probably also get by with a non-armored micro cable rated for use in conduit. The armored cable is harder to damage and helps push the cable into the conduit, but if you are careful, the unarmored cable should work too. I used the Tinifiber brand since that is what I found first, and it is most likely the original micro-armored fiber. You can find similar products on Amazon if you look long enough.
A cheap tool set for mechanical fiber termination can be had for around $50 on eBay/Amazon. The quality of the tools isn't great, and it will take some trial and error to get everything figured out. There are several videos on YouTube that show the process of mechanical fiber termination, so I won't go into great detail here. The basic idea is that you strip the jacket off the glass of the fiber, cut the fiber to a certain length with the fiber optic cleaver, and then insert the glass into a mechanical connector hooked to a visual fault locator until most of the light disappears. I used Leviton-branded connectors, but I have read that eBay or Amazon specials will work fine too. Just make sure it matches the specs for the cable and equipment. Most likely single mode, 9/125, LC UPC.
Finally, you need some networking equipment to hook to the fiber. The simplest option you can get is a media converter. It converts between fiber and ethernet. A step up from the media converter would be a network switch with an SFP or SFP+ port for an optical transceiver. The advantage of the switch is that it typically provides you with more information about the fiber optic link for any troubleshooting of any issue. I used bidirectional transceivers. BiDi transceivers only need one strand of fiber, so it cuts down the number of mechanical connections to only two.
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Fiber optic Tips and Tricks
