Outside-plant cabling cabinet reduces MAC costs

The FieldSmart Hub Collapse Cabinet from Clearfield Inc. separates passive cabling infrastructure from active electronics for cable operators, without the need for a standard hub architecture. Clearfield explains that without a cabinet of this type, moves, adds and changes (MACs) must be carried out with a boom truck and consequently, the cost of MACs has dramatically increased in some areas. Clearfield says its FieldSmart Hub Collapse Cabinet is "easily pole-mounted near the O-Hub so that all MAC work is done on the ground."

The cabinet is dubbed a small-footprint device, measuring 16x16x32 inches. In addition to pole-mounting, pad- and vault-mounting are also options. The centralized fiber management is protected from environmental elements and the cabinet can hold up to 120 fiber terminations if Clearfield's Clearview brand cassettes are used. It also can accommodate up to 32 LGX-compatible CWDM/DWDM modules using existing optical components within a network.

Johnny Hill, Clearfield's chief operating officer explained, "New technologies are being brought to market to collapse the hub architecture, move fiber close to the consumer and effectively increase speeds. Field engineers within the cable television markets deploying these new electronics have been thrilled with the cost-effective means to extend their existing infrastructure, but have been challenged by the inconvenience of housing the electronics and passive connectivity within the same enclosure." He added that early users of the FieldSmart Hub Collapse Cabinet told the company "they have been able to collapse the hub and move the electronics and fiber closer to the user with the added convenience of separating the electronics, optical components and fiber connectivity."