What Is Fiber Optic Patch Panel?
Fiber optic patch panel, or fiber optic patch bay, is a common cable management facilities. It includes a series of connection points of electronic equipment and the mainly connections are fiber optic patch cables. The patch panel allows circuits to be easily arranged and rearranged by simply plugging and unplugging the path cables, or changing the circuit of select signals without the use of expensive dedicated switching equipment. It can be an opened box used to protect the bare fiber and the optical fiber cables, meanwhile it protects spaces for fusion splicing and components connections by fiber adapters. During the unused condition, all fiber optic connectors, fiber patch cables and adapters should be kept away from dust. Fiber optic patch panels help with the installation density of the fiber optic cabling and provide more convenient organization and management.
A typical fiber optic patch panel has some jacket on the front side to receive short patch cables while on the back of the panel. There are either jacks or punch down blocks that receive the connections of longer and more permanent cables. The patch panels are often used to connect several computers by linking them via the panel, which enables the LAN to connect to the Internet or another WAN.
Types of Fiber Optic Patch Panels
According to the installation ways, there are mainly two types of fiber optic patch panels: wall-mounted patch panels and rack-mounted patch panels.
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Wall-Mounted Fiber Optic Patch Panel
Wall-mounted fiber optic patch panels basically keep 12 different fibers separated from one another. If the amount of the fiber is more than 12, the extra fibers can be moved to a second panel or an engineer can use a panel that is designed to hold more fibers separately. The wall-mounted patch panels can be constructed to hold up to 144 fibers at once.
Wall-mounted fiber optic patch panels use the inside fiber optic adapters panels, patch cables and pigtails to realize the function of optical fiber distribution. They are used for protective connections for the fiber cables and pigtails in fiber optic cabling and user terminal applications. The patch panels are installed on the indoor wall and terrace to provide a flexible fiber management system for transitional outside plant cable to inside cable and connector assemblies.
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Rack-Mounted Fiber Optic Patch Panel
Rack-mounted fiber optic patch panels hold the fibers horizontally and are often designed to open like a drawer. The sliding-opened structure offers engineers an easy access to the optical fibers inside. The rack-mounted patch panels are optional with different kinds of fiber optic adapter ports and pre-installed inner trays and accessories. And fiber optic pigtails of different types are optional, such as SC, FC, ST, LC, E2000 etc. Also, rack-mounted patch panels can be customized by the quantity of optical fibers.
Rack-mounted fiber patch panels are used to terminated and distributed optical fiber cables. They are convenient to organize and connect the fiber optic links. These patch panels are applied to many fiber optic products, such as DWDM MUX DEMUX, Rack Chassis Splitter, Optical Distribution Frame(ODF) etc. They are fully stable with no risk of movement and offer secure environment for fiber optic adapters, patch cables and pigtails.
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According to different applications, fiber optic patch panels can be classified as following:
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Loaded Fiber Optic Patch Panel
Loaded fiber optic patch panels are usually designed for fitting on a standard 19" rack and can provide the best protection for fiber optic applications. There are rubber grommets on the back of loaded fiber optic patch panels to protect the fiber cables from damage. Each loaded patch panel has fiber splice trays and cable routing spools. What's more, it includes zip ties, cable routing clamps and mounting screws, fiber splice sleeves and installation instructions. There is a special black textured which can be installed a sleek look in the server rack of these loaded fiber patch panels.
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Swing-Out Fiber Optic Patch Panel
Swing-out fiber optic patch panels are lightweight and robust patch panels. They are designed for the installation of up to 48 standard optical fibers. These patch panels offer an economic alternative to metal fiber enclosures. The lower tray is designed to gain access to preformed fiber and splice management areas, at the same time, make it easy for installation and dressing of fiber optic cables. All common adapter panel/plate types, includes LC, SC, and ST can be changed with the front plates that can accommodate 6 or 12 duplex, or 12 simplex adapters each.
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Fixed Fiber Optic Patch Panel
Fixed fiber optic patch panels are 19" rack-mountable for connecting up to 24 optical fibers. They are suitable for use with manufactured pigtails or field installation connectors. The installation size is adapted by using appropriate mounting brackets, while the chassis will not be changed. Fixed patch panels are easy to use and more artistic while they can also keep rugged design. These patch panels are easier to terminate, providing greater capacity and easier fiber cable managements. Generally, fixed rack-mounted patch panels do not slide out, but we do offer sliding patch panels for even quicker access to the fiber terminations.
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Slide-Out Fiber Optic Patch Panel
Slide out fiber optic patch panels fit with standard 19" or 23" racks and are designed to support both patching and splicing in one unit. Each slide-out patch panel has a slide-out master panel with an integrated tray stop to prevent over extension of fiber cables. The slide-out patch panel also has a two-piece top and swell latch door to allow for easy access to the adapter panels.
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High-Density Fiber Optic Patch Panel
High-density fiber optic patch panels have been engineered to be able to significantly increase density for both patching and splicing. High-density patch panels maximize the amount of adapter panels per rack unit of height, so by utilizing LC quad style adapters you can effectively terminate up to 96 fibers per rack unit of space. There are several other features that make a high density fiber patch panel in an exceptionally nice product to work with. The sliding tray has locking positions to prevent over-extending the fibers. High-density patch panels also have a split top design which allows for easier cable management, and improved strain relief for the cable ingress.
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Fiber Optic Patch and Splice Combos Patch Panel
Fiber optic patch and splice combos patch panels fit with standard 19" or 23" racks and are designed to support both patching and splicing in one unit. Fiber patch and splice combos have to support termination panels in an upper slide-out shelf with a lower compartment for splice trays in a slide-out shelf. This allows for a full front access application. Blank panels are available to fill unused panel positions.
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Signature Series Patch Panel
The Signature Series fiber patch panel offers a solution in which you can adapt the fiber patch panel to many fiber adapter panels or fiber module footprints you want in a way that has never been offered before. This new fiber patch panel series is engineered to allow adaptation to a wide variety of fiber patching applications as well as fiber module installations, including a bulkhead that fits Corning adapter plates. You can now adjust to any of these scenarios with just a simple swap of the fiber bulkhead bracket. The unique master panel design allows for easy and secure routing of fiber without obstructions or compromising your bend radius.
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LGX Fiber Optic Patch Panel
LGX fiber optic patch panels are rack-mountable patch panels designed to support the storage of splice trays. They provide high-density fiber connectivity solutions. LGX patch panels have universal mounting hardware to hold fully terminated LGX cassettes. This maximizes the performance of networking space while saving valuable installation time.
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