Fiber management and connectivity specialist Clearfield, Inc. (NASDAQ:CLFD) has launched SmartRoute spooling technology, which it says is 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 intra-facility fiber cable (IFC) and outside plant (OSP) cable assemblies in a single 1RU-high panel.
Clearfield says the new design simplifies and cuts the cost of deploying broadband access networks because the panel pays out exact fiber lengths without the need for pre-engineering or site survey.
The SmartRoute Panel combines micro distribution cable, spooling technology, and MPO connectorization in a single panel, relieving cable congestion, simplifying ordering, and eliminating incorrect length of 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 ft, it adds.
“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,” explains Johnny Hill, chief operating officer for Clearfield. “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.”
Designed to be effective in any environment where a fiber panel and cable assembly are typically deployed separately, the SmartRoute Panel is ideal for use in central offices, data centers, co-location, customer premises, or MDU environments, Clearfield asserts. Used with FieldShield optical cable for the OSP, the SmartRoute panel can be deployed at cell sites, cell towers, and other applications where fiber is exposed to the elements. Used in connection with FieldShield ruggedized microduct, the SmartRoute Panel can support any task, whatever the elements or conditions, the company says.
Pre-terminated with the customer’s choice of SC, LC, or MPO connector, each SmartRoute spool can hold up to 200 ft of 3-mm 12-fiber micro-distribution or 12-fiber FieldShield cable. For higher-fiber-count environments, each spool can hold up to 125 ft of 4-mm 24-fiber FieldShield cable. Pre-connectorized options eliminate splice labor and speed network construction.
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.
“The SmartRoute Panel is the first in a series of enclosure designs that will leverage the SmartRoute spooling technology,” said Hill. “User-defined cable length, with integrated slack storage for unused cable, is the inherent advantage of this fiber protection method.”
SmartRoute and all elements of the FieldShield Fiber Delivery System, including FieldShield optical cable and ruggedized microduct, are now shipping and available from Clearfield and its distributors.
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