Panel combines cable, MPO connectivity and spooling capability
March 25, 2014
The SmartRoute Panel from Clearfield Inc. integrates inside- and outside-plant cabling, reducing on-site engineering and install costs.
Clearfield Inc. has introduced its SmartRoute spooling technology, which the company describes as “an innovative fiber-management design that houses connectors, cable assembly and slack storage in a single unit. The SmartRoute Panel, with dual SmartRoute spools deployed, integrates IFC and OSP cable assemblies in a single 1RU-high panel.”
The panel combines micro distribution cable, spooling technology and MPO connectorization, “relieving cable congestion, simplifying ordering and eliminating incorrect cable length of ISP/OSP cable assemblies,” the company explains. “Site engineering and installation costs are greatly reduced or even eliminated due to the ability to deploy multiple fiber types at lengths of up to 200 feet. Effective in any environment where a fiber panel and cable assembly are being deployed separately, the SmartRoute Panel is ideal for use in central offices, data centers, colocation, customer-premises or MDU environments requiring ISP cabling.” Clearfield adds that when used with FieldShield brand optical cable for outside plant, the panel is ideal at cell sites, cell towers and other applications where fiber is exposed to the elements. When used in conjunction with FieldShield ruggedized microduct, the panel “is the perfect support to any task, no matter the elements or conditions,” the company asserts.
Johnny Hill, Clearfield’s chief operating officer, commented, “As IFC and OSP cable assemblies are typically built-to-order at a specified length, site surveys and pre-engineering of the environment have been a critical yet costly step in the network-deployment process. SmartRoute spool technology allows an installer to payout exactly the amount of cable needed from the panel, leaving the remaining cable safely stored within the panel.”
The system comes preterminated with the user’s choice of SC, LC or MPO connectors, and can hold up to 200 feet of 3mm, 12-fiber micro-distribution or 12-fiber FieldShield cable. For higher-fiber-count environments, each spool can hold as much as 125 feet of 4mm 24-fiber FieldShield cable. “Preconnectorized options eliminate splice labor and speed network construction,” Clearfield notes. “Each SmartRoute spool can be pulled independently; one spool can be deployed in one direction while the other spool can be deployed with cable in the opposite direction, providing ultimate flexibility for the network design.”
Hill added, “The SmartRoute Panel is the first in a series of enclosure designs that will leverage the SmartRoute spooling technology. User-defined cable lengths with integrated slack storage for unused cable is the inherent advantage of the fiber protection method.”
