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Fiber optic communications infrastructure is spreading rapidly

around the world. To keep up with this trend, you need to under-

stand the basic concepts of Fiber to the Home (FTTH) and similar

network architectures. This guide is your fast tutorial to FTTH.

What is FTTx?Although FTTH (or, for businesses, FTTP: Fiber to the Premises)

is the most commonly referenced Fiber to the... architecture,

there are actually many. FTTx refers to this group of related butfunctionally distinct technologies.

3 Common Subsets of FTTx:

FTTN (Fiber to the Node)1.

In this architecture, fiber is used to transport data to an

access node that serves a large number of nearby custom-

ers. The last mile connection (which may be much longer

than a mile) to individual subscribers is carried over copper

lines, which are already deployed in most areas.

FTTC (Fiber to the Cabinet)2.

The next major progression from FTTN is FTTC, in which

fiber extends much closer to the customers property. As anexample, fiber might extend from a node to a cabinet that

serves a few dozen homes in a neighborhood. FTTC reduces

the distance data must travel over copper lines, increasing

bandwidth.

FTTH (Fiber to the Home)3.

In the FTTH model, fiber continues all the way to a box on

the customers property, typically attached to the house.

This eliminates all copper use between the provider and the

customer site, which skyrockets the bandwidth that can be

provided.

TECHECH RIEFFTTH Tutorial

The Cost-Benefit Implications of Your Fiber

ChoicesAfter reading about subsets of FTTx, the most common reaction

is to choose FTTH as the best option. While it certainly provides

the best performance, there is some important exponential math

to consider.

In an environment where most existing home sites already have

copper but not fiber connections, the costs of various FTTxoptions vary wildly. To retrofit your network for FTTN (Fiber to

the Node), you only need to replace major lines that feed your

limited number of nodes. For full FTTH, you also have to replace

an exponentially larger number of node-to-cabinet lines, plus a

cabinet-to-premises fiber for every customer.

This wide swing in cost must be balanced against the revenue

you can expect to create. For IPTV and other bandwidth-intensive

applications, FTTH may be the best option. For reasonable broad

band internet performance, however, the majority of your service

area will probably be satisfied by the much cheaper FTTN option.

Of course, in new housing developments where no lines have

been deployed yet, FTTH makes a lot of sense. In fact, thats thebiggest growth area for FTTH deployments in the United States.

BRIEFFTTH

Conceptual network topology of FTTx deployments. For details, email us atsales@dpstele.com

Call 1-800-693-0351 for FTTH Information

Fiber

To

The

Home

ProviderNode Cabinet

Premises

FTTN

FTTC

FTTH

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Call 1-800-693-0351for pricing information

or visit: www.dpstele.com/rtus

This Technique Boosts Your FTTx Bottom LineWrite this down: Network alarm monitoring is critical for FTTH deployments.After youve invested time, effort, and a lot of your

budget dollars to provide fiber services to your customers, you simply must protect your investment. If you dont, your revenue will

likely shrink from preventable outages, and your costs will climb because you dont have the right tools to operate efficiently.

Fortunately, its easy to monitor your nodes and cabinets - if you choose the right monitoring gear, that is. You might be famil-

iar with basic LAN-based alarm remotes. They collect alarms reported by your equipment and environmental sensors, then report

those alarms back to you. But LAN-based equipment isnt optimal in FTTx enclosures.

You need to choose an alarm remote that reports alarms directly over fiber. Youll never have to worry about breaking LAN outjust to feed your monitoring equipment. Thats the secret to gaining the benefits of alarm monitoring at your fiber nodes and cabinets -

without making unnecessary purchases.

Warning: FTTH Customers Expect Higher Service ReliabilityCan you blame them? People who pay for FTTH service are expecting a lot. Your marketing department has probably convinced your

customers that fiber is the way of the future. That s not a lie, but it creates a big expectation of service reliability.

Lets face it: No one likes to be without service. But among that group, FTTH users have even higher expectations.

Thats a big reason why monitoring your FTTH network segments boosts

your bottom line (see above). If you cant maintain very high uptime,

your customers can and will find another option. Even worse, theyll

tell everyone they can how bad your service is.

Dont invest the first 98% of time, energy, and budget, only to fail

because you didnt invest in monitoring for your nodes and cabinents.

Fiber-based alarm remotes are the answer, and theyre not hard to

find. Now that youve read this guide, you know what to ask for when

evaluating options for vendors. Dont let anyone convince you that you

have to buy a FRAD, fiber router, or other LAN-conversion gear to use

their LAN-based alarm remote. Get natively fiber monitoring equipment

that eliminates those headaches completely.

Your Next Step...

If you still have questions after reading this tech

brief, you need to take a few minutes to discussyour options with an expert on the subject.

Call DPS Telecom at 1-800-693-0351 to talk

about FTTH, alarm monitoring, and the role that

both of these technologies will play in reducing

your operating expenses and protecting your rev-

enue.

2 Alarm Remotes with Built-In Fiber Connections

The NetGuardian 832A G5: Full-featured alarm remote with ber interface option.

For details, email us atsales@dpstele.com

Since youve read this FTTH tech brief, you know that monitoring your ber deployment for threats is critical for your ongoing

service reliability and customer satisfaction. Here are two alarm remotes with built-in ber connections that you can easilyuse to keep tabs on your ber sites and outdoor enclosures. Above, the NetGuardian 216F is a medium-sized alarm re-

mote (16 alarm points) with SFP Fiber Ports (1000Base-X). Youll notice that it has a 10/100/1000BaseT switch on its left

edge, which is used to provide LAN connectivity to your other devices at the same site. This alarm remote doesnt just use

a ber connection for itself - it shares it with up to 7 other devices. Below, the NetGuardian 832A G5 with Fiber Option is

a higher-capacity remote. It also has a switch, but it double its alarm capacity to 32 points. You also get an 8-port terminal

server for accessing serial devices remotely, plus 8 analog inputs for monitoring battery voltages, temperature, humidity, and

other uctuating values. Both devices feature telco-grade construction, SNMP reporting, a handy web interface, and a ber

interface for no-hassles monitoring of your FTTH deployment.