Internet connection via fiber optic cable. Fiber optic from the operator Rostelecom for houses and apartments. Fiber-optic internet: disadvantages

In just a couple of the last decades, computer devices for communication, communication, work or entertainment have appeared in almost every family. Subscribers are connected via telephone lines, radio channels, and recently fiber optic has been widely used.

I had to own experience evaluate the capabilities of this technology. On its basis, I publish advice to a home master on connecting to the Internet of his computer using a fiber optic cable and creating an apartment wired and wireless network with explanatory pictures, diagrams and a video.

First acquaintance with new technology

A decade and a half ago, a new equipment came to the 330 kV substation where I worked, which records and processes information of electrical signals from the network of a very large number of sensors located in different places - the Parma recorder.

This is an ordinary computer with its own softwareperforming purely electrical tasks.

Its installation, connection and commissioning were entrusted to us, except for the assembly and configuration of fiber-optic lines. We had no experience of working with them.

Up to this point, communication with these sensors took place through ordinary electrical circuits, which are called secondary. However, a whole group of these devices were at a great distance. The project provided for the exchange of information with them via fiber optic cable. We put it inside the cable channel ourselves, and a representative of the manufacturer who came from St. Petersburg was engaged in connecting and checking.

It was then that it became clear that it was impossible to work with fiber without specialized equipment and proper skills. It is impossible to do anything with it with your own hands.

Fiber Optic Cable Construction

Information transfer occurs via optical highways, consisting of separate carriers, combined into a common structure - an optical fiber cable.

The principle of optical media

Information exchange occurs due to the passage of laser light from the built-in LED. Its transmission is carried out by pulses of a binary code in one direction. Therefore, for the exchange of information, two individual channels were created at once.

About cable construction

Glass is a fragile material. It can be easily broken, and the optical fiber works by using glass fibers. It is clear that they require reliable protection from both mechanical damage and loss of light energy.

For this purpose, optical carriers are combined in various ways into rigid modules and a fiber-optic cable is formed from them. It can be of different designs. One of them is shown in the diagram.

We used two types of cable at the substation: one with a diameter of 6 mm, and the second with the thickness of the index finger.

The issue of this technology is described in some detail in the GalileoRU video "Fiber".

Laying fiber optic on the ground

Last winter, a mechanized laying of such a cable was carried out near us directly into the ground.

The work was carried out by three, and on difficult terrain, four tractors, coupled in a train. They dragged the cable-laying plow, buried one and a half meters into the ground. A large cable reel is located on the carriage of this mechanism, which, when manually untwisted by the operator, feeds the cable through the plow channels into the trench to be cut.

A highly visible signal tape is automatically laid on top of the fiber on the ground layer. Immediately, it is backfilled with soil, and a trace of a deepening of about twenty centimeters or slightly more remains on the soil surface.

After some time, all the irregularities were leveled with a bulldozer knife of a light wheeled tractor. In summer, the route was overgrown with grass. But on the ground, it can be restored using concrete posts.

Connectivity technology

On the driveway, I saw a message from Beltelecom that interested me.

It was also placed on all adjacent buildings. In this original way, the provider reported that the era of using copper telephone cables in our area is ending, and the nearby automatic telephone exchanges will soon cease their work.

All landline phone users must make a choice:

agree with the transition to new equipment offered by the provider;
or refuse, staying on the old copper cable.

The choice is voluntary, but very soon the PBX will be stopped: the telephone connection via copper cable will automatically switch to the Internet. You will have to conclude a second contract and pay money for this service. The provider now performs replacement of old equipment and installation of new ones at his own expense, all this is provided to customers free of charge.

I will immediately notice that it did not satisfy me. Interested in unlimited Internet by favorable tariff from the provider.

Therefore, I agreed to the provider to connect the Internet via fiber.

The work carried out was carried out in three stages:

Fiber optic network installation;
Obtaining a new modem and installing it;
Equipment creation and connection home network to the Internet via fiber optic.

Installation work

Literally a few days after the ads were posted, teams of installers from. The roar from them did not stop for two days. The panel structure of the five-storey building has good acoustics: sounds spread in all directions.

The work was carried out simultaneously in entrances and apartments.

Installation of equipment at the entrance

There were two separate teams working inside the house.

First day

Electricians punched small holes through the floor slabs, fixed plastic cases and laid 6 mm fiber optic cables in them.

By the end of the day, it hung in coiled rings over each door.

The end of each was closed with a special plug.

Days that followed

In the middle of the landing along the wall, holes were punched in concrete slabs for plastic pipes with a diameter of 4 cm.

This is the loudest period of work. If the rumble of the first day can be satisfactorily endured while in the apartment, then at this stage it is better to retire and spend time elsewhere until the evening.

The process ends with the installation of equipment for optical distribution boxes and plastic pipes for fiber optic cables.

To power the powerful puncher, the electricians used an extension coil and connected to the intercom socket, opening the general access box.

By pulling out the power cord of the door electromagnets, they created unauthorized access of any people to the entrance. They plugged their extension cord into this outlet.

Which ones were in the air and what was scattered all over the entrance I will not describe. It took more than one day to restore the usual order.

Installation of equipment in the apartment

In parallel with the work at the entrance, the provider's specialist entered into an agreement with clients, explained the safety requirements for handling fragile optical fiber, and helped with advice on choosing the location of the optical outlet.

Its installation can be done anywhere. I chose the corner of the corridor near the intercom and the old one. The height of the modem at knee level was fine.

The length of the fiber optic cable in the apartment was only a few tens of centimeters. The hole was punched with a puncher at the level of the plinth.

A piece of steel wire was pushed through it from the side of the entrance.

On the reverse side, the end of the fiber optic cable was tied with electrical tape.

Plastic boxes were fixed from this place.

We installed the housing of the optical socket on the wall.

We laid the fiber optic by making a small bay in special grooves.

We closed the boxes with lids.

The completion of these works was recorded in the documentation of the wizard of electricians and certified by my signature.

An important requirement at the place of installation of the modem is the presence of an electrical outlet next to it for connecting the power supply. Its relatively short cord is limited to a distance of one meter.

I had to do some extra work specifically for the modem. : near the baseboard. The location in the corner restricts accidental access to it.

Getting a Modem and Preparing for Fiber Optic Switches

A few days later, a notification from the provider appeared in my mailbox with an offer to come to the service center for documenting a new treaty.

Organizational matters

When I came to the service center, there was no congestion of customers and there was no queue. The specified date and time of arrival met my expectations.

The operator of the provider quickly completed her job, and I received the completed documentation and a box with a modem in my hands.

I was surprised that, last time receiving an ADSL modem and the corresponding accessories to it, all the equipment was packed into the proprietary plastic bag with company advertising. Now this box had to be tucked under the arm: the provider saved on packaging.

The operator explained that a team of electricians would come from it to install the modem and lay the wired network. The work will be carried out alongside. She put the completed form for it in the box. I am obliged to confirm the moment of completion of the installation with my signatures and must transfer the completed document to the master.

Then the next stage will follow: a specialist from the service center will arrive to connect my equipment to the Internet via fiber. His task is to remove the telephone network ADSL modem, splitter and extra cables.
As a client of the provider, I am obliged to return the removed equipment to the service center on the day of switching to fiber, or in extreme cases the next.

Technical activities

A few days after visiting the service center, two electricians arrived at my apartment. I gave them a fiber optic modem to mount on the wall.

Its installation was done quickly: we punched two holes with a puncher and fixed the case with screws through the dowels, inserted a modem into it, and connected a fiber-optic cable.

The apartment has plastic skirting boards around the perimeter of the floor. Inside they were secretly laid two twisted pair wires from the modem to the phone and TV. I was worried about their length: I assumed that it was limited to standard sizes.

But the question was solved very simply. Installers have a large bundle of such a cable. They cut the required piece, lay it, and then end it on all sides.

Crimping terminals with RJ-45 connectors of the set-top box cable interactive television and RJ-11 for telephone were performed with REXANT pliers.

After completing these operations, I signed the outfit and gave it to the master of electricians.

Creation and settings of the Internet

Input scheme

In fact, the network for connecting the fiber optic modem to the Internet was assembled. It remains to reconnect the control of the phone, TV and computer to it, apply the power supply, and adjust all devices.

This circuit is very similar to working over a copper telephone cable. The difference is that here landline phone connected after the modem and loses its autonomy when it is disconnected.

If the supply voltage of the 220 volt household network is lost, then any modem is always turned off. When he works on aDSL technology, then the telephone with the PBX line remains connected through the splitter, and the connection of old devices without a separate power supply unit is not lost. The subscriber can call anywhere, including emergency services to resolve their issues.

In the scheme of connecting to the Internet via fiber optic, this is not possible. The only hope remains for mobile communications.

Commissioning work

After completing all the operations, the electricians only need to connect the fiber-optic equipment, configure the computer, wi-Fi networks, phone, TV for its characteristics. These issues were dealt with by the provider's specialists, who arrived after three days of waiting.

One of them applied power to the fiber optic modem, took out a laptop and began to configure its settings.

Entered the necessary data to connect the phone to the new network.

The password for the Wi-Fi network and all equipment is configured by the provider's specialist. This is in contrast to connecting to the Internet via a cable telephone line, where an ordinary user can enter the modem settings via a patch cord and change passwords at will.

However, an advanced user has the ability to change the settings of the fiber-optic modem by logging into the router at 192.168.100.1 through the factory login and password, which the provider does not change.

During this time, the second employee disassembled the ADSL modem's power supply circuit, switched the TV and telephone control cables to fiber. He also collected all the old equipment that is due for delivery.

We checked the internet speed on the computer.

I was once again warned that it is necessary to go to the service center of the provider, hand over the old equipment: ADSL modem, splitter and cables to them, transfer money from the old account to the new one.

When switching to fiber optic, the user is provided new cabinet on the provider's service, and the old one stops working: until the moment the money is replenished, the Internet will stop working on it.

The prospect of being left without the Internet for more than a day did not suit me. He asked how this issue could be resolved. They helped me to arrange the promised payment, which must be confirmed with real payment within three days.

All these operations took about 10 minutes. I thanked the provider's specialists for the work done and went to the service center, where I quickly managed to resolve all issues and change the tariff plan to a more profitable one.

When I came home in the evening, I found that the landline telephone had stopped working. It was upsetting. It was too late to look for specialists. I left this occupation the next day.

In the morning, the phone was already working on the new number, and the Internet speed increased dramatically.

Thus, there was a connection to the Internet through the optical fiber of my computer.

The owner of the video, Diplomatrutube, explains in detail the question of how “PON technology goes from the telephone exchange to the apartment”.

If you still have questions on this topic, then ask them in the comments.

The rapid development of communication technologies has led to the proliferation of broadband internet... If not long ago people rejoiced at speeds of 128-256 kbps, then today you will not surprise anyone with a hundred megabits. Fiber optic from Rostelecom is an excellent opportunity to conduct an apartment or private house internet channel with decent speed. The optical networks of this provider have penetrated even into small cities, allowing subscribers to enjoy high-quality Internet services and interactive television.

Disadvantages of ADSL

For a long time, Rostelecom used telephone lines using ADSL technology in its activities. It provided an access speed of up to 24 Mbps, depending on the line performance and its technical condition. The longer and worse the line, the more attenuation and the more losses. At the maximum length, the access speed was up to 2-3 Mbit / s. But if it was possible to set a solid thrashing of Rostelecom, the telephonists "licked" the line up to a speed of 4-5 Mbit / s.

The main advantage of ADSL is that it uses good old telephone lines. And it is much easier to bring a telephone into a house or apartment - telephone cables are laid practically along all streets. But ADSL also has disadvantages:

Limited line length - we have already written about this.
Communication interruption once a day - at about the same time (technological feature of ADSL).
Dependence on line attenuation - the more twists in the wires and the worse the quality of their connection in telephone cabinets, the greater the attenuation and the lower the speed.
The dependence of the incoming speed on the busyness of the outgoing channel - for example, if the torrent client began to work intensively for distribution, page loading begins to suffer. Ping also grows a lot.

If it rains, there may be problems on the line, if somewhere the water starts flooding the connections. In other words, ADSL has many disadvantages.

Features and Benefits of Fiber Optic

An optical line is a channel in which data is transmitted over a thin fiber-optic cable. The diameter of the working core is measured in micrometers. Information is transmitted by modulating the luminous flux. This flow moves inside the cable with virtually no attenuation. The core is made of silicon dioxide and is characterized by minimal attenuation.

Light and thin optical fiber is capable of transmitting gigantic amounts of information. And if several tens of cores are combined in one cable, then the throughput grows to incredible values. Compare for yourself - only one telephone conversation can be conducted over traditional copper conductors, with high-frequency compaction - several tens or hundreds of conversations, and an optical cable with one conductor can connect several thousand and even tens of thousands of subscribers.

Fiber optic is characterized by its high cost. To connect and solder it, expensive equipment is required. It is difficult to lay, it is difficult to connect single subscribers along it. The traditional expensive optics have been replaced by PON (or GPON) optical networks based on passive fiber. It is distinguished by its cheapness and ease of connection, which ensured the rapid development of technology. Thanks to GPON, you can high speed internet to each house or apartment via a separate optical cable.

Benefits of optics for the subscriber:

High speed of access to network resources - in some regions Rostelecom "accelerates" home Internet up to 250 Mbps, this is a very decent figure. In most regions, the maximum speed is 100 Mbps. In the far northern areas, speed is limited to lower values.
High speed of information delivery - the fiber-optic Internet will provide not only fast downloading of files, but also their fast sending.
Channel stability - forget about regular disconnections. In addition, heat and cold, as well as atmospheric precipitation, are absolutely not afraid of optical fiber.
Fast network connection - on ADSL, it takes about a minute to establish a connection after turning on the modem. A fiber optic connection takes a few seconds.
High quality digital TV connectivity - enjoy HD TV.

Fiber optic from Rostelecom will allow you to connect a whole bunch of home devices to the Internet, and they will not interfere with each other.

Another advantage of optics is a more reasonable compromise between monthly fee and speed. In some regions, the difference can reach 10 times. For example, 3 Mbps for 550 rubles for ADSL and 30 Mbps for the same 550 rubles for fiber. And by connecting several services at once within the package tariff plan, you will receive a discount on the total subscription fee.

Disadvantages of fiber

The main disadvantage of optical fiber is its small geography of development. The private sector suffers especially, where the majority of subscribers are connected via telephone lines. Subscribers can wait for years to see if the fiber will reach them from Rostelecom and, in general, from any provider. The same telephone is much easier to lay - there are cabinets and wells almost everywhere. But it is not always possible to connect optical fiber from Rostelecom.

The cost of wiring optical fiber to an apartment by Rostelecom may turn out to be low or even zero - if the highway reaches a multi-storey building, then it will take several hours to distribute the optics to the apartments. But the price for connection in the private sector can be high - up to several thousand or tens of thousands of rubles. But it's really worth it, believe me.

Basic connection diagrams

There are two main schemes for connecting the Internet from Rostelecom via fiber. The first is called FTTx - an optical cable reaches a multi-storey building, then subscribers are connected with a cable used for laying local networks (twisted pair). This scheme is highly reliable, because this cable provides connection speeds up to 1 Gbps.

The second scheme is xPON technology, when a fiber-optic cable for the Internet is brought directly into the apartment. To do this, a flexible (so-called pigtail) is soldered to a rigid optical cable, then the flexible cable is connected to the media converter. From the media converter there is a twisted pair cable to a computer or router). Also on sale there are routers with PON support, here a media converter is not needed (at the same time it will not occupy an extra socket).

Many Internet users use fiber, but not every one of them understands what it is and how information is transmitted?

Optical fiber, also known as optical fiber, is the fastest and easiest way to transfer data on the Internet. Such cables have their own special structure: they consist of many thin wires, which are separated from each other by a special coating.
Each wire is a fraction of the light, and light in turn carries data. This cable is capable of transmitting data for both the Internet and TV and landline phone.

That is why users of fiber-optic networks often combine these services offered by their provider and connect a phone, router, PC and other possible equipment to the network.

Fiber optic is often referred to as "Fiber Optic Communication". It allows you to transmit data using the best laser, while their transmission is possible over long distances, at high speed.
Cables and their fibers are very small in diameter - a fraction of an inch. Optical rays inside them carry data and pass through a special fiber core made of silicon.
With the help of such fiber, you can restore and configure the connection not only with any city, but also with other countries.

1. Internet (fiber optic)

The cable will make it possible to set up a very high-quality connection to the worldwide network. The data transfer rate is still the best.

Fiber Optic Benefits:
- Optical fiber is a strong and durable material with a high transmission level. This is what allows the speed to "accelerate" to such a level.
- Security. The use of such a system will provide maximum security in working with the network. Attackers cannot get your data, or almost cannot.
- The level of protection of such a cable is tremendous, besides, it is protected from various interference for its operation.
- By connecting such a fiber, it becomes possible to organize a number of additional functions. Often these cables are used to install video surveillance systems and other security devices.

2. Optical fiber connection

In Russia, and in many other countries, this type of network is provided by Rostelecom for Russia. How to connect to the Internet of this type and configure its work will be discussed below.

The first step is to make sure that the fiber is connected to your home. And then you will need to go to Rostelecom and ask to connect the service. But now it is necessary to configure the connected equipment.

Setup instructions:
- After the optical fiber was installed, the entire base part was installed by specialists, the rest of the settings must be done with your own hands.

- Install the yellow cable and outlet as shown in the figure.

High speed internet is best achieved with optical links. Now this technology has come to almost every apartment. The question of how to connect an optical cable is of interest not only to specialists, but also to ordinary users. We will try to expand the topic in more detail.

We will consider the connection using PON technology (passive optical networks) as the most modern and gaining popularity today, displacing conventional wired lines.

Let's start with the basics in order to understand what we will have to face, because optical communication technology differs from ordinary and familiar wires for us, both in terms of the principle of operation and in the way of installation. Of course, this section can be omitted and proceed immediately to solving practical problems, but, nevertheless, knowing the theory it is easier to solve many problems that arise in practice. We will try not to bother you with complicated terms, but to explain everything in a simple and popular way.

How fiber optic data transmission works

The transmission of a signal through ordinary wires using an electric current runs into two obstacles that limit the speed limit.

A signal with a high frequency decays quickly over a long distance.
High frequency currents have large losses of energy through radiation into the environment.
Nearby wires and equipment interfere with the signal.

These negative factors are fought by using intermediate amplifiers, screens, twisting wires. But there is a limit to everything. Today, the increase in the speed of information transmission is mainly solved by dividing it into parallel streams. For example, USB 3.0 differs from earlier USB 2.0 in that it uses more than one pair of wires to transfer data.

The issue could be fundamentally resolved only with the help of fiber-optic cables. In them, the signal is transmitted using light, more precisely, laser radiation, which weakly attenuates at large distances. For communication, glass fibers are used, in which, due to the specially selected properties of the core and the outer layer, the effect of complete reflection of the light beam appears.

Also, due to their small diameter, they are flexible (we also meet with thin flexible glass fibers in such familiar materials as glass wool and fiberglass).

The system works extremely simply - on one side of the cable, the laser radiation is modulated, encoding information in it, which is decoded by the photodetector at the other end. Multiple streams can be transmitted over a single fiber, using lasers with different spectra in parallel.

The transmission speed over optical fiber is orders of magnitude higher than the capabilities of metal conductors and reaches several terabits per second.

Has fiber and other advantages:

Absolute protection against external interference, it is impossible to direct an extraneous signal to such a cable.
Due to the absence of metal conductors, such lines cannot be damaged by breakdown of insulation from high voltage, therefore they are also safe for users.
Modern fiber optic cable has a small diameter and takes up a lot of space in trays and sewers.
It is impossible to read information without damaging the cable, and without disrupting its performance by known methods (for example, fixing electromagnetic radiation).

Another advantage of optical fiber is that it is not of interest to attackers, since it does not contain non-ferrous metals.

But there are also some downsides:

such cables cannot be connected by ordinary soldering or twisting, glass must be welded or special connecting elements must be used;
fiberglass cables must not be bent in a small radius;
the equipment for receiving and transmitting is complex, although with waste and mass production, as with any electronics, its price is constantly decreasing.

How PON technology works

At first glance, building a subscriber network can be done in two ways:

Run cables from the base station to each user. This is how the standard city network works - a pair of wires go from the PBX to each telephone.
Conduct several high-bandwidth trunk lines to which active switches are connected - switches that distribute access between subscribers. This is how the first networks were built using twisted pairs (LAN) and later fiber optic as backbone lines. For example, there was a fiber-optic line to the house, access to which was distributed across the apartments using twisted pairs connected through switches. These networks were called FTTB (Fiber To Building) - fiber to the building.

PON technology works on a slightly different principle:

Active equipment is mounted only by the provider and the client.
Up to 128 receivers can be connected per fiber. The network is built on the principle of a tree, where branches and branches extend from the line, and branches of the second order from them, and so on.
All subscriber devices connected to the same fiber gain access to the time-division network. That is, a packet of information is immediately transmitted to one client, then to the second, and so on in turn. Due to the high bandwidth of the line, this does not in any way reduce the data transfer rate. There is also communication in the opposite direction, but a different laser wavelength is used.

This approach became possible due to the use of special devices - splitters. They split the flow of one fiber into multiple fibers. Radiation losses, of course, are great, but they are compensated for by using high-power lasers, for today their price is not so high.

The advantages of splitters are that they are relatively simple, do not require connection to power grids (this is a passive element, hence the name of the technology) and maintenance.

These features of PON technology make it possible to develop networks in any conditions. If for older methods of distributing the Internet, in contrast to the city, where you can easily place ordinary switches and servers in any attic or basement and there are no problems with connecting the power supply, in countryside there were big difficulties, for PON there are no such problems.

The splitter can be hung on any wall or power line support and even placed in a well, the devices are not afraid of moisture.

PON network

To make it more clear how the PON technology works, we will give a diagram of how such a network is organized.

Let's explain the scheme a little:

The Internet provider or PBX has an OLT (in English - Optical Linear Terminal) from which the distribution is going. Cable lines are connected to it. This is a rather compact device, the photo below shows a rack that can serve several thousand subscribers.

Several cables extend from each OLT, the diagram shows only one, for four cores. They are bred throughout the entire serviced area in the cable duct, along the supports or in another way.

Due to the high power of lasers, the length of cables can reach up to 60 kilometers, although usually manufacturers guarantee a high-quality signal at a distance of up to 20 km, but this is quite enough for an average city.

A splitter is hung on each core (in the diagram, these are boxes with the Spliter inscription), from them there are branches either to other splitters, or directly to customers. The diagram shows a split into two cables at the top and four at the bottom, but the signal can branch to more cables, although multi-output devices are usually rarely used.

After the first splitter, several more can be installed.
At the end of the line, the subscriber puts ONU (on english language Optical Network Unit) it can also be called ONT (in English Optical Network Terminal - Optical Network Terminal) to which you can connect a LAN cable. The device is sometimes referred to as an optical modem.

In addition to LAN connections, ONU almost always has sockets for a telephone, since almost always a PON connection provides a package of services: Internet, telephone, television.

As you can see from the diagram, the network can be easily developed without high costs. For example, in the upper part, instead of the first ONU, install another splitter, to which two subscribers can be connected. You can also replace two-channel splitters with four-channel ones, such as at the bottom of the diagram.

What problems can a regular PON user have?

Our article, as we said above, is not designed for specialists, they already know perfectly well how to connect a fiber-optic cable and configure equipment. When connecting to PON for the first time, providers also usually provide assistance (though more often for a fee, so by doing everything yourself you can save money) with setting up equipment and networks.

How does the connection usually work?

Contact the provider and write an application, if necessary, make an advance payment.
After a while, several network installation wizards appear at your entrance. As a rule, these are not employees of the company of the Internet provider, but third-party contractors. They poke holes in the wall in your hallway, run the fiber-optic cable from the switchboard at the entrance to the apartment, weld it, and install an optical socket near the entrance.

Then the servicemen of the provider appear, who hang up the optical modem (usually it is rented), connect it with a cable to the socket, then configure it. The Internet is already in the house, it remains to distribute it.

The process is approximately the same in a private house, although the distribution boards will either be located on the supports of power lines (telecommunications), in wells, or not at all, and the subscriber cable will be connected from a separate splitter.

These three stages cannot be completed on your own, only if you hire a contract from a provider. In addition, under contracts, networks to the borders of the household or even to the outlet are served by the Internet provider free of charge (if they are not intentionally damaged), after the boundaries of the division of the line, they are considered the property of the client and all the costs of their operation are borne by him.

ONT connection in the apartment

The figure below shows a typical diagram for connecting devices to an optical terminal. We will immediately analyze its implementation with our own hands, then we will tell you how it can be adjusted depending on the capabilities of the equipment, and how to improve it.

Please note that you have to deal with optics the least, it is enough to know how to connect a fiber-optic cable to the modem, and all other networks are ordinary wired.

Standard service connection

We will describe in detail all the nodes of the circuit, since not everything is clear to a non-specialist.

The optical socket, as in most cases, is located near the entrance to the hallway. It is connected to the switchboard with a welded optical cable, which was mounted during installation.
The socket with the terminal is also connected with an optical cable, but it is connected to the connectors. This is a patch cord (so called any fiber-optic and wired connecting cables, we will use this term further), as a rule, purchased.

An ordinary telephone cable is used to connect to the telephone. Instead of a telephone socket, it is plugged into the ONT connector, which corresponds to a standard telephone socket, and is laid through the apartment to the place where the device is located.

To connect to a stationary computer, a twisted pair (LAN cable) is laid throughout the apartment, which is connected to the corresponding ONT and PC connectors. The connection is the same as connecting through a regular switch.
In order to connect a laptop, Wi Fi is used; for this, a router is placed next to the terminal. In the diagram, it is designated as a PPPoE / Wi-Fi router. It also connects to the ONT using a twisted pair.

The last connection is a TV, for this a receiver is placed next to it digital television (on the Set Top Box diagram, this is the English designation of the device). To connect the receiver to the ONT, a twisted pair is used again, with a TV, standard HDMI, SCART or Composite (bells) connectors that connect any video device.

Now let's move on to how to implement this scheme:

It is best to use a ready-made optical patch cord to connect to the outlet. Such a wire of short length is easy to obtain at any store. You can make it yourself by purchasing a fiber-optic cable and connectors, we will talk about this below when we describe how to move the terminal further from the outlet.
Then we connect the phone - for this, you can also buy a ready-made wire of the required length with connectors. If it is difficult to choose the length, but you don't want to make a stock, we make it ourselves.

For manufacturing we need:

special crimping (crimper) for RJ11 - 14 connectors or universal (it will also help when crimping twisted pairs);
cable of the required length;
rJ 11 or 14 plug (they cost a penny);
insulation cleaning tool (cutter knife).

Council. Do not buy a four-core RJ14 cable for standard devices, 2 cores are enough.

We remove the upper insulation from the wire, for this you can use a knife or nippers or crimper blades (if any).
We expose the upper insulation by 6-8 millimeters, we do not touch the insulation of individual conductors.
We push them into the body until they stop. Moreover, if we use, as we have already said, a two-wire wire, then the conductors must lie in the sockets of the two central contacts. Which side will be red and which side will be green is not important, despite the fact that there is a wiring diagram for these connectors, it is not necessary to follow it, telephones are not sensitive to polarity.

Then we insert the connector into the crimper, it should fit correctly into the corresponding socket and squeeze its handles. The bar will slide inward, the knives will cut through the insulation of the cores and reliably connect the contacts.

Council. You can try to crimp the connector without a crimper. To do this, after installing the wires, press the knives separately with a screwdriver with a sharpened tip, and then the bar to fix the wire inside. The work must be done carefully, however, the plugs themselves cost a penny, so you can break a few pieces until you can achieve a normal result.

The phone can also be connected using standard short patch cords. To do this, we install sockets near the phone and ONT.

The conductors in them are usually clamped with terminals. In this case, you need to connect 2 and 3 contacts (red and green wires fit to them, just like in a telephone cable). This approach is even more convenient.

We connect the computer using a twisted pair. As in the case with a phone, you can try to find a ready-made cable of the required length or purchase a twisted pair cable and plugs. Crimping occurs in exactly the same way, but with one feature, before installing the conductors in the nests, you need to develop the ends of the conductors and arrange them in the correct order, it is shown in the figure below.

When preparing a LAN line, do not forget one more feature - twisted pairs have different throughput, in order to fully realize the possibilities of optical connection, you need to choose cables of at least category 5, they provide gigabit speed.

Then we connect the TV receiver and Wi Fi router, everything is exactly the same as for a computer - we stretch a twisted pair cable, which we plug into the appropriate connectors. For the latter, if it is located as in the diagram, it is easier to use a ready-made short patch cord. The router will need to be configured, as this is described in the instructions for its operation.

Simplifying the circuit

The standard layout is designed to use components with minimal functionality. But modern devices have advanced capabilities, we will tell you how to use them.

As a rule, almost all ONT terminals can distribute Wi-Fi, so you can refuse a router.
TVs with the Smart TV function also most often have a LAN input and do not need a receiver for them.

If you use a radiotelephone, then it base station can be placed next to the terminal and do not run the telephone wire around the house. Moreover, for many, the devices are already in the hallway where the digital outlet is most often mounted.

In general, using a Wi-Fi connection, you can refuse wires, except for the telephone. Many TVs include a module for receiving wireless networks, and for a stationary computer, you can buy a receiver that either plugs into a USB connector or is installed on the motherboard in PCI slots.

However, when connecting via Wi-Fi, you will not be able to achieve the high speeds that an Internet connection via a fiber optic cable implies. Wireless network capabilities are limited and depend on the distance to the router and the presence of obstacles (walls).

Schema improvements

Now let's talk about the possibilities for improving the circuit. There is much more to offer. It is difficult to systematically give options and describe them all, but we will try.

Telephone line

Let's start with the simplest thing - a telephone, in a house there may be more than one device in the office, as in the diagram, but several, in the bedroom, in the kitchen, in the living room. An optical modem most often has only one RJ 11 (RJ 14) connector. Therefore, the line from him will have to be branched. This can be done in three ways.

Install a telephone splitter - a box with three outputs for RJ connectors in the place required for branching. Alternatively, install double socket... This option may even be preferable, since later in the event of breakdowns, disconnecting sections, it will be easy to find the damaged line.
Install any suitable terminal box at the separation point and split the line with it.
Connect another one to the telephone cable using soldering or twisting.

Router

A router installed in the hallway may not provide a clear signal (the weaker it is, the lower the data transfer rate) throughout the apartment or house, especially if the building area is large. It is advisable to move it closer to the center of the housing. True, this option is impossible if the terminal itself distributes Wi-Fi. Alternatively, install the signal amplifier (repeater) closer to the center.

LAN lines

Due to the location of the fiber-optic terminal, the twisted pair lines are long. Although the signal in them does not attenuate much, it is more convenient to lay it all the same from the center, especially if there is a lot of equipment in the house connected to the network. how the best option, of course, it would be to move the ONT terminal itself to the center, but it may not work that way (more on this below).

But there is one more possibility - we move the router to the center, as we said above, and do the rest of the wiring from it. Almost all models of these devices, in addition to distributing Wi-Fi, have four LAN ports on the output and work as switches.

Also, in the standard scheme, the laptop is only supposed to be connected via a wireless network. But we have already said that Wi-Fi does not fully implement the high-speed data transfer capabilities that optical terminal... Therefore, it is advisable to stretch a twisted pair cable to connect it to those places (living room, bedroom, kitchen) where you most often use a laptop.

A television

As we have already said, modern TVs with the "smart" function have connectors for connecting a twisted pair (LAN) and a Wi-Fi receiver allows you to abandon the receiver altogether. It is correct to call such devices not even TVs, but monoblock computers with TV functionality.

If the TV supports HD video or even 3D, it is still better to connect via LAN (due to the possible decrease in speed over the wireless channel). Also, for such devices, if a receiver is still used, then it is better to connect it to a TV to ensure video quality not through the SCART or Composite connectors shown in the diagram, but through HDMI or at least DVI.

Another feature today in the house is usually not one TV, but several. How do I connect them?

If you need high quality then you have to pull the twisted pair to each, if not, then you can get by with Wi-Fi. Even if the TV receiver itself or the receiver to it does not support this technology, the wireless adapter costs less than $ 10.

In this subsection of the article, we will also answer the frequently asked question - how to connect an optical cable from the TV to the receiver?

In principle, there are receivers that directly connect to the optical network, but they are mainly used for broadcasting in cable networks, that is, for professional use. All home digital television receivers are connected as we described above.

Backup power

The disadvantage of modern high-tech communication lines and not only optical ones is that terminal devices require an electrical connection.

If the old telephone could operate on the voltage supplied from the automatic telephone exchange through the wires, then the device connected to the terminal completely depends on its power supply. That is, if the lights in your house are off, you will not be able to receive and receive calls. Therefore, consider a backup power supply for optical modem.

Considering that the power consumption of the ONT is usually within the range of 15-20 watts, any uninterruptible power supply unit is suitable for this purpose (the abbreviation UPS is accepted - uninterruptible power supply).

For example, if an uninterruptible power supply has a 9 Ah battery, then it can provide you with communication for 6-7 hours. During this time, the mains are usually repaired. For rural areas where power outages are longer, you can choose a unit with a larger battery capacity.

It is advisable, in addition to the optical modem, to connect to the UPS and Wi-Fi router... Then, in the event of a power outage, you will have not only a telephone connection, but also the Internet, provided that the batteries of a laptop, tablet or smartphone are charged.

ONT terminal transfer

As we already said, the location of the modem at front door not optimal, it is advisable to place it closer to the center of the apartment in order to improve Wi-Fi communication and reduce the length of wired lines.

Of course, device porting can be problematic:

the provider may not allow the modem to move independently;
the subscriber optical cable is quite picky about the conditions of laying, does not like bending under a small radius, it must be additionally protected.

But sometimes it is still desirable to rearrange the modem, especially in large apartments with several levels. Let's consider how this can be done, more precisely, how to lengthen the optical cable.

There are several options:

Use an optical cable with connectors corresponding to the connectors in the socket and modem (a kind of patch cord) of long length. The most acceptable option, however, such cables are not found on sale, but you can make yourself. Moreover, with this approach, there are no problems with the provider.
Extend Fiber Optic with Connectors... Below is a look at how this can be done. But note that the signal loss with this method will be greater than with the first option.
Weld fiber cable... It's actually not that hard, and we'll look at how it's done too. The only problem is that a welding machine costs several thousand dollars and is not worth buying for one or two joints. Although if you are going to continue to build optical networks at a professional level ...

You can also borrow equipment from a friend or rent for a day.

By the way, sometimes they ask if it is possible to install two ONTs in one apartment. In principle, it is possible, but unlike telephones, they cannot work in parallel, you will have to pay for two personal accounts. So this choice makes sense only if you need uninterrupted internet and it is possible to connect to the internet via fiber optic cable from different providers.

By the way, a similar scheme, though wired, is implemented at my home. Through a DSL modem, I am connected to the republican provider Beltelecom, from which I have chosen a tariff without a monthly fee. The second connection using a twisted pair cable to the server of the local provider (director of the enterprise is a neighbor and friend), where the Internet is obtained for free. If someone breaks down, then I easily switch to reserve.

To help, we also offer video connection of an optical cable:

Connecting and connecting optical cables

All the works described below are usually done by the craftsmen for a decent fee, although as you can see, they are quite simple with the equipment and tools. In my opinion, mastering the connection of optics is as easy as the correct soldering of the usual copper wires.

True, such a need rarely arises, but we will look with an eye to the future, perhaps soon fiber optic will replace copper everywhere, and terminal devices will connect to it directly, and not through ONT.

Installing optical connectors

Let's take a look at how the most common SC connectors are mounted. The vast majority of modems and sockets use this type. For installation, we need a set of special tools and materials.

Although it costs decently, it is still cheaper than a fiber-optic splicer. Such kits are usually supplied and detailed instructions, so we will provide an approximate order of operations for your reference.

The steps for installing the connector on the cable are as follows:

We remove the insulation with special nippers - stripper. This tool has calibrated gaps between the cutting edges, allowing you to remove layers one by one without damaging the fiber itself.
Then the Kevlar fiber is cut to reinforce the wire sheath. It will not work with ordinary scissors due to its great strength. You will need stronger blades, which are most commonly available from a stripper.
Then a part of the connector is put on, which will fix it on the cable.
Then the hydrophobic coating on the glass fiber itself is removed with a special composition or simply with alcohol wipes.
Next, glue is prepared and drawn into a syringe, which will fix the fiber in the connector. A strictly metered amount is injected into the channel, into which the exposed fiber is then passed.
After the glue has hardened, the fiber is chipped off with a special tool.
Then its butt end is sanded.
In conclusion, the rest of the connector is put on, and it is crimped with a special crimp.

Fiber optic connection with a mechanical connector

This method is simpler than the previous one: pieces of fiber-optic cable are taken, with connectors (pigtails) mounted in an industrial environment, and are joined with a mechanical connector. The disadvantage of this method is the signal loss at the connections, it is comparable to a decrease in the light intensity in the connectors themselves (it is clear that you cannot refuse connectors). So it is better to either weld or mount the fiber in the connector.

Interesting. Pig-tail is translated from English as "pig's tail", a rather apt comparison.

Using the SNR-Link connector as an example, we will describe the work execution.

The cable is stripped of insulation and cleaved.
The ends of the stripped cable are inserted into the connector.

Then the latch fixing the joint is simply pressed.

This is where the work ends. As you can see in the photo below, the test of this connection shows a loss of 0.028 dB, which is comparable to the loss in the connector, although according to the passport data, the connector allows losses of up to 0.04 dB. By the way, the device is reusable.

Wire welding

As we already said, it is best to weld wires or pigtails, this is also not difficult, the whole problem is only in the cost of the device. Let's show how welding takes place in stages.

The device turns on and self-test takes place.

Next, we introduce the type of cable to be welded. And for this you do not need to professionally understand all types of fiber-optic conductors, we simply enter the marking indicated either on the packaging or on the very surface of the insulation.

Then, removing the outer protective layer with any suitable tool, we install the wire in a special holder. Before that, do not forget to put on the KDZS sleeve (a set of parts for protecting the welded joint), which will then close the welding place.

Then the holder is placed in the thermostat of the apparatus, and it turns on. The insulation is removed by heat, while the risk of damage to the fiber is much less than with conventional mechanical stripping.

The lid closes and the thermostat starts. He cleans the wire himself.

Then, without removing the wire from the holder, we wipe it with alcohol (a round container with a tampon is located on the top cover of the device) to remove the hydrophobic coating and install it in the cleaver. The holder in it, as in the stripper, is attached to the magnet. Chipping takes place when the lid is closed. Scraps of fiber fall into a special container so as not to get lost (it is easy to drive a thin fiber, almost invisible to the eye, under the skin, and then it is difficult to extract it).

Attention. Be very careful about fiber optic waste, they should not be lost, as it can be harmful to health. It is especially dangerous if pieces of glass wire enter the respiratory tract.

When the two wires are prepared, without removing them from the holders, we install them directly under the welding electrodes.

We start the welding process. The machine aligns and centers the fibers and splices them in less than ten seconds.

At the end of welding, the device shows the result - what losses will be at this joint. In the image below, they are highlighted with an oval, only 0.01 dB.

It remains to plant the KZDS sleeve, for this it is put on the joint (we first remove the holders) and the wire is placed in the oven.

The process also takes a few seconds. We remove the finished welded fiber optic cable from the oven (be careful, it will be hot).

As you can see, everything is quite simple, if you do not have crooked hands, you can quickly learn how to weld fiber optics just by reading the manual for the welding machine (our article is also suitable) or get a 10-minute instruction. I note that it is much more difficult to acquire the skills of connecting ordinary wires with a soldering iron and solder so quickly.

We hope that our article has told everything about the optical cable, how to connect it, connect, coordinate the operation of a fiber-optic modem with other devices. Even if you are not going to assemble networks or connectors yourself, knowing how to do it, you can find the cause of the breakdown and ways to fix them. May the Internet in your home always be fast and uninterrupted.

Recently, many people have become interested in fiber-optic Internet. Most people know that this technology assumes a fairly high speed. Not so long ago, such speeds seemed fantastic to many, although technology began to develop almost a century ago - back in the thirties of the last century. That is why it is worth considering what fiber-optic Internet is and why this technology is out of competition.

A bit of history

The first attempts to transmit data at a distance by means of light and transparent materials were made back in 1934. Norman French was asked to convert the voice into light signals, which would then be transmitted through rods of glass. A few years later, a physicist from Switzerland, Jean Daniel Colladon, conducted an experiment with the transmission of light through a "parabolic fluid flow", that is, water. Optical fiber in modern form appeared in 1954. The authorship belongs to two physicists from England - Harold Hopkins and Narinder Singh Kapani, as well as a researcher from Holland - Abraham Van Heel. Since they simultaneously announced their invention, all three of them were considered the founders of this technology. And already two years later, the name was invented - fiber optic.

The first had very large losses of light. In the late fifties, Lawrence Curtins was able to reduce them. And when laser technology was discovered in 1962, fiber had another chance to exist.

Features:

Now you can go back to the present. At the moment, fiber-optic Internet is characterized by an incredibly high data transfer rate. This is not surprising at all. The carrier of information in this case is light, and its speed of movement is the highest in the Universe. Such a property must have found an application, and it is. In a simplified sense, it is conveyed as follows: if the light is on, then this is 1, but not - then 0. Fiber optic internet- the cable transmits the alternation of zeros and ones at such a speed that it is simply impossible to see it with the naked eye. The transmitter is responsible for changing the impulses, converting electrical signals into light. And at the other end of the cable, there is usually a receiver that does the reverse conversion.

Fiber-optic Internet is characterized by tremendous speeds, which is its main advantage. Another plus is the ability to work over long distances. for the Internet it is laid along the ocean floor, it can stretch across the entire continent. Naturally, it is very difficult for the fitters who lay it: they install signal amplifiers at the junction points, which are several hundred times more expensive than the wire itself, but for the technology as a whole, such investments cannot be called excessively large.

Additional properties

It is used in this way in other areas. Through the finest wiring, it is possible to provide illumination during complex operations on the human heart or brain. Light systems are also gaining popularity, based on the same optical fiber, only instead of information they bring sunlight into the house, which they catch from the street.

In addition to the speed and long range of information transmission, this technology has one more plus - it is almost impossible to intercept information when using it.

Fiber-optic internet: disadvantages

There is only one drawback here - too expensive equipment and tools for installation. The cable itself is not that expensive compared to the transmitters, receivers and signal amplifiers. The wires are soldered by means of special inverters, which can cost like very expensive cars.

Characteristics

Fiber-optic Internet is characterized by high speed, as described earlier. For home use, its minimum rate is 10 Mb / s. Physically, no home cable is capable of supporting this speed. It is best to use such a connection if you have a home server, or if you have not one, but several computers that constantly need access to the Internet. Separating the fiber optic cable requires the installation of a dedicated router. It can be intended for home use or for trunk lines. Fiber-optic Internet will work with special routers that were produced no earlier than 2010. Their lineup is quite extensive, so you can choose the best option for each user.

Fiber-optic Internet (Rostelecom)

For several years now, Rostelecom has been providing citizens with access to the World Wide Web using ADSL technology, which involves transmitting a signal over a regular telephone line. Now the operator has started to actively introduce completely new methods. Now fiber-optic Internet is being actively introduced fTTB technologies (optics to the building). With its help, it is possible to significantly improve the quality of services provided to the population, the reliability of the connection and its maximum speed, which can reach 100 megabits per second. When the network is fully modernized, every resident of the selected settlement will be able to use the full range of services. For example, it will be possible to watch digital television, which is several times superior to cable and satellite in quality and capabilities. Such a solution provides high quality video, image and sound, as well as a convenient interactive menu, ease of use and other advantages.

findings

At the moment, the fiber-optic Internet is an advanced solution to the problem of data transmission. Only crypto networks are capable of surpassing it in speed, which are still at the design stage, and it is not yet very clear when their development will begin. That is why it is worth thinking about how to connect the fiber-optic Internet.