Clearfield adds air conditioning to FieldSmart Fiber Active Cabinets
Clearfield, Inc. (NASDAQ: CLFD) says it will offer an air conditioner option for its FieldSmart Fiber Active Cabinet (FAC) outdoor enclosure line starting next month. The option enables network operators to move equipment into the field that may not have been appropriately environmentally hardened. So systems such as routers and switches can be deployed closer to the end customer, Clearfield says.
“Customers are telling us they need to place non-hardened active equipment deeper in the network requiring climate-controlled air conditioners that maintain operating temperature inside the cabinet,” explained Johnny Hill, Clearfield’s chief operating officer. “The challenge our customers face is that the development times to engineer these devices so that they can be deployed in the outside plant isn’t feasible if they want to take early advantage of market demand. By adding this feature to our FACs, we’re solving that problem for them, with the added benefit of having one partner that’s able to work with them on any deployment.”
In practice, the FAC air conditioner option provides a single opening for the conditioned (supply) air to be discharged into the cabinet and for the indoor air to return to the air conditioner. The air conditioner option is available to start for two FieldSmart FACs:
- The FieldSmart FAC 3200, which features two front and rear 16RU 23-inch frames that can accommodate up to 32RU of active electronics while providing up to 576 internal fiber distribution ports for deployments.
- The FieldSmart FAC 5400, which comprises two swing frame front and rear 27RU 23-inch frames that can accommodate up to 54RU of active electronics and provides up to 1,152 internal fiber distribution ports.
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Stephen Hardy | Editorial Director and Associate Publisher, Lightwave
Stephen Hardy is editorial director and associate publisher of Lightwave and Broadband Technology Report, part of the Lighting & Technology Group at Endeavor Business Media. Stephen is responsible for establishing and executing editorial strategy across the both brands’ websites, email newsletters, events, and other information products. He has covered the fiber-optics space for more than 20 years, and communications and technology for more than 35 years. During his tenure, Lightwave has received awards from Folio: and the American Society of Business Press Editors (ASBPE) for editorial excellence. Prior to joining Lightwave in 1997, Stephen worked for Telecommunications magazine and the Journal of Electronic Defense.
Stephen has moderated panels at numerous events, including the Optica Executive Forum, ECOC, and SCTE Cable-Tec Expo. He also is program director for the Lightwave Innovation Reviews and the Diamond Technology Reviews.
He has written numerous articles in all aspects of optical communications and fiber-optic networks, including fiber to the home (FTTH), PON, optical components, DWDM, fiber cables, packet optical transport, optical transceivers, lasers, fiber optic testing, and more.
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