Multimode fiber (MMF) to Singlemode Fiber (SMF) Detached Garage Fiber Backhaul Upgrade
While cleaning up cables in my garage, I swapped the Multimode fiber run to my detached garage from MMF to SMF
Details on my setup can be found here, as you can see, it used to be a mess.
I temporarily just hung it on nails and whatever I could until I could get it permanently cleaned up. I never thought it would take 2 years, but here we are
The old setup was a 0.5m MMF patch cable on each end, and then 2 x 30m fiber cables joined in the middle. This was because 30m was just too short, and I had another 30m on hand. So somewhere behind some shelves in the garage, there was a connector to join the two. The connectors or cables didn't have any protection, and were just hanging around on the floor. Not great.
The new setup is a single 60m SMF run of fiber with no joins, and then again 2 x 0.5m patch cables on each end from the patch panel.
Here is a full list of equipment used:
- Orange Conduit - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01HQEMBSG?psc=1
- LC-LC Keystone - https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=2875
- 60m SMF Fiber - https://www.fs.com/products/74192.html
- 10G LRM Optics (Work with both SMF and MMF! But supports just 220m of fiber vs 10km) - https://www.fs.com/products/11556.html
For the optics, I just get Cisco branded. They seem to just work in everything, including my Dell switch.
Why did I go with SMF?
First, I happened to already have the LRM optics. So switching was even cheaper because these transceivers work with both kinds of fiber. Second, I also happened to have the fiber in the right length. Right off the bat that makes it more sense to use it, but Singlemode fiber SHOULD have a longer useful life
Also, you get more cool points.
On to the pictures: This starts in the garage so Ignore the dust!
From the patch panel, it goes into the wall behind my rack, and up through the top plate. I put it inside some orange "smurf tube" split loom
Then up into the ceiling and around
Finally it gets to my breezeway which connects the house to the garage. I have some Sealtite conduit in here already, so I just ran it through there. The orange tubing ends a few inches in
The other one is my AT&T Fiber run, as the termination point is on the back of my garage. I'm doing an identical thing to get it back to my rack
The blue cables are cat5e that goes to cameras and AP's on my garage. They all go back to the switch, which then sends the data over the fiber
Here is the breezeway
From there it goes all the way into my server room, the conduit ends in the wall
Then into a patch panel, and then into my switch
