For the last two decades, fiber optic communications have taken off and become increasingly present in many aspects of our lives. In its early days, this technology was mostly restricted to use between large internet service providers (ISP). Nowadays, however, you can find fibers almost anywhere – from your office cubicle to outside telephone poles and maybe even inside your home. With the industry’s growth came the development of different types of patch panels to suffice for the various environments they’re used in.
If you are unsure of what your project demands, please contact us at telhua.com for a complete guide to selecting the right fiber optic panel for you.
A Rack mount fiber patch panel, also known as an interface panel, connects multiple optical fiber cables and equipment. Patch panels are available in 19”, 21”, and 23” versions to fit various rack systems, and some can be wall-mounted.
If you’re looking at a physical patch panel, it’s usually a metal box that houses adapter panels, fiber splicing trays, and space for excess fiber storage. Its basic construction consists of an array of ports where each port interfaces with another patch cable which is connected with optical equipment located elsewhere in the building. The adaptor panel provides an interface for both outsides and inside ports to the enclosure. The inside ports are fixed, as the cables are not meant to be disconnected at any point. The outside ports, however, are for fiber patching cables that can be plugged and unplugged for connections as required.
The fiber optic splice tray is neatly embedded in the enclosure to provide fusion with fiber optic pigtail. These pigtails then plug into the fixed inside adapter port of the adapter panel.
Fiber Optics
Depending on the age of your installed fiber, your patch panel connector type could be any of the following:
- LC (Lucent Connector or little connector);
- SC (subscriber connector);
- ST (straight tip);
- FC (fiber connector);
- MT-RJ (Mechanical Transfer Registered Jack); or MPO/MTP (multi-fiber push on/Multi-Fiber Pull).
The benefits of using a fiber patch panel
The easy termination of fiber optic cables is crucial, as it provides organization and ease of use to manage all the connections coming into a central patch panel location. This method also allows for different devices to be connected in various orders using the ports found on the patch panel–avoiding costly damages that could incur from wear-and-tear on networking equipment input jacks/ports.
Common patch panel specifications
- You have the option of an indoor or outdoor unit, rack-mountable or wall-mountable. Choose between front access only, or both front and rear access. What type of cabling do you need? Direct patching only, or splice and patch? The chassis can be delivered unloaded as a bare chassis, loaded with adapters only, or loaded with adapters and pigtails. Fixed sliding or pivoting – what works best for you? Lastly, consider the intended application; single fiber, standard ribbon or SpiderWeb Ribbon (SWR) cable before making your decision.
How Does A Patch Panel Work?
To properly organize and protect your Ethernet cables, you’ll need to utilize punch-down blocks and fiber optic patch panels in your wiring closet. Use a punch-down tool and wire strippers to connect the network infrastructure cables to the back of the patch panel.
A fiber patch panel typically contains two sections: one for holding a fiber optic network adapter (bulkhead receptacle) and another for housing fiber optic splice trays and any surplus lengths of cable. If you desire neater cable management, consider using a tray specifically designed to store excess patch cables in an orderly fashion. By installing a patch panel, you can delineate the location where physical cabling terminates from your networking equipment. This also provides an easier way to manage runs of cable since each is punched down on the back side of the panel.
This side of the panel is equipped with punch-down terminations and color-coding for T568A and B wiring. There are also independent verification testing symbols for UL and 3P compliance.
Patch cables connect the ports on the front of the patch panel to your networking equipment (such as switches, routers, and hubs).
Redundant power supplies are attached to most patch panels so that data transfer failures will not occur in the event of a power failure. Specialized patch panels, like switching routers, can make it as easy to switch between one connected device and another with the press of a button–without needing to rewire any connections.
