Cleerline Technology Group

Take Advantage of Fiber Optic Technology with Cleerline SSF™

Jan. 5, 2022 - Early, traditional fiber optic technology was no walk in the park.  Fiber was fragile and difficult, or even dangerous, to handle.  Installing connectors was cumbersome and failure-prone, requiring hours of complicated training.  Even though fiber’s high bandwidth potential was a strong selling point, related components were so expensive that cabling was often left dark in the wall.  Fiber could be great– in the future.

The future is now here.

With the introduction of technology like Cleerline SSF™ optical fiber, terminating fiber is easy and safe. Fiber’s bandwidth potential is more accessible, thanks to improved and cost-effective technology, and managing cabling is easier than ever.  In fact, the many benefits of fiber optic cable, and particularly Cleerline SSF™ optical fiber, mean that today’s fiber infrastructure is just as easy to manage as copper.  The time for waiting is over.

Stronger, Safer, Faster

In the early 2010s, Cleerline Technology Group recognized that fiber was the best way to support increasing bandwidth demands. However, traditional fiber’s considerable drawbacks made it inaccessible to busy systems integrators and installers.  Cleerline went to work on the problem, leading to the development of Cleerline SSF™: Stronger, Safer, Faster-to-terminate optical fiber.

SSF™ fiber’s strength and flexibility make it extremely easy to terminate.  With practice, connectors can be installed in less than one minute.  The simplified SSF™ termination process requires far less training than traditional fiber.  In fact, training can be as simple as watching a 4-minute instructional video. No scheduling commitment required! With SSF™, any integrator can easily add fiber termination to their skillset instead of relying on fiber-specific contractors.

With Cleerline SSF™ technology, fiber’s benefits become easily accessible.  High bandwidth, low latency, and EMI/RFI resistance are within reach.

Access Higher Bandwidth

Bandwidth demands increase constantly.  Category cables have required constant updates to keep up. Just look at Cat 8! In contrast, fiber optic cable has remained relatively consistent in terms of its available bandwidth. The main changes have been to hardware components, continuously advancing to access fiber’s native bandwidth potential.

Just how much bandwidth?  Multimode fiber optic cables can transmit 10 Gb Ethernet up to 1300 feet (396 meters), depending on the grade of multimode, or 100 Gb Ethernet as far as 500 feet (152 meters).  Single mode fiber can send data even farther. In fact, the electronics used are the only limiting factor on single mode’s bandwidth potential. Comparatively, Cat 6A can transmit 10 Gb Ethernet a maximum of 100 meters, with potential for EMI/RFI interference.  Even Cat 8 has a channel limit of 100 feet (30 meters) for 25 Gb or 40 Gb Ethernet.  

Fiber also offers low latency and resistance to electromagnetic and radio frequency interference. Interrupted signals and dropping downloads are less of an issue, a major asset for any business or home environment.

Most importantly, as data demands continue to balloon, fiber will be able to easily accommodate increases.  Plus, related electronics like switches and converters are now widely available at budget-friendly price points.  Designing a fiber network that will survive the next generations of data requirements is easier than ever.

Manage with Ease

Fiber is ideally suited for any network design. Depending on the cable construction, fiber cables (including internal strength members and outer jacketing) can be as small as 3.0 mm in diameter for up to 24 strands of fiber, less than half the size of a Cat 6 cable.  Cleerline SSF™ optical fibers are available in many cable configurations, from compact SSF™ Micro Distribution cables to robust armored cables.  Fiber can be installed anywhere it is needed.

For those whose introduction to fiber termination involved complicated polishing procedures, there is good news: for most applications, the process has gotten significantly easier.  Cleerline SSF™ offers improved mechanical splice connectors, which can be installed as quickly as an RJ45 connector and will hold up to long term use.

Cables and connectors are easily available, but what about the rest of the system?

For common installations like residential prewire and A/V racks, fiber hardware and accessories now look very similar to those of copper.  In premises, keystone inserts that accept fiber optic connectors allow easy customization of wall plates. Rack and wall mount enclosures with fiber optic adapter plates fill the same role as Category patch panels, allowing multiple fiber terminations to be managed easily.  For outdoor applications, fiber optic outdoor terminal boxes keep connectors securely protected, a must for applications like security cameras.  Cleerline SSF™ End-to-End Solutions incorporate all of these items, simplifying specification and design.

In addition to having similar components, fiber infrastructures are very similar in layout to Category UTP networks, but without the concerns of proximity to high voltage cabling. Designing a fiber optic system requires many of the same considerations, so knowledge is transferrable from one system to another.  Plus, online resources like the Cleerline Training Academy (cleerlineacademy.com) are available to help!

Fiber Optics, Redefined

At Cleerline, we believe integrators and end users deserve the highest quality and most efficient products.  That is why we designed Cleerline SSF™ fiber: to provide access to the best technology possible.  With Cleerline SSF™ Complete Solutions, fiber network design, specification, installation, and management are simplified. Cleerline SSF™ is fiber optics, redefined.

A version of this article was originally published as part of NSCA’s 2021 P2P Conference.