Preface
Requirements
Question
Option 3: Shooting myself in the foot for the future?I'm kinda at a loss.
So much new stuff.
So much to learn.
I'm redoing my HomeLab network, and actually putting my network gear in a real closet because it's loud.
SX6036 is going to provide 40Gbit switching, but it will now be 12-3m away from the 4x machines with CX314/CX354.
AOI QSFP+ 40G-LR4 Lite 2km transceivers for $3 each. (Seller has a bad rep on STH. If they don't deliver? Worth the risk at this price.)
During the closet-upgrade I'm fully wiring up the house with Cat6A.
While I'm at it, I figured I'd just run some fiber too.
While planning this upgrade, I did a bit of casual dumpster-diving and hit the jackpot.
- 8x partially used 300m rolls of Cat6a. It's the stuff with the stiff plastic cross dividing the pairs. My brother works at a telecom and says everyone HATES this stuff, which is probably why it was trashed. But I'm not going to turn my nose up at enough cable to do my house for free.
- 60-70x individually packaged pre-terminated fiber. It's all the same. 25ft(7m) SC/APC to SC/APC Singlemode simplex 4.8mm jacket.
- 250+ SC/APC simplex couplers.
I'm doing this upgrade on a shoestring budget.
No budget really.
I'm a graduate student, so I guess it's technically a negative budget.
I'm just saying, $50 is a meaningful amount of money to me at the moment.
Spending $90 on 4-6 fiber drops would be painful.
Plus, it's always good to use "trash" if you can...
Requirements
- Transceivers take duplex LC/UPC Singlemode
- At least 6x duplex links from closet to a single wall-plate. 4-6x more duplex links to adjacent wall would be nice. A few more 1x duplex links to a few other spots would be extravagant.
- Mandatory link is ~13m
- Keystones are LC/UPC to LC/UPC in wall-plates and I have enough for a patch panel, but I was going to go straight into the switch to avoid the cost of 0.5m patch cables in the closet. I'd like to use these if it is reasonable to do so.
Question
Is there a cheap way to use this fiber while still having LC/UPC connectors at the ends?
Option 1:
- Use 4x free fibers with free couplers to create each duplex 14m run.
- Use existing SC/APC on either end.
- Get SC/APC to LC/UPC adapters (dongles?).
- Use current LC keystones.
- Buy cheap 2-3m LC/UPC patch cables.
- Cost ??
Option 2:
- Use 4x free fibers with free couplers to create each duplex 14m run.
- Chop connectors off an re-terminate with LC/UPC.
- 4.8mm cable gonna be a problem?
- I can borrow tools from brother, but I realize it's a whole skillset...
- Use current LC keystones.
- Buy cheap 2-3m LC/UPC patch cables.
- Cost ??
Use 4x free fibers with free couplers to create a duplex 14m run.Use existing SC/APC on either end.Get SC/APC keystones?Buy cheap(???) 2-3m SC/APC to LC/UPC patch cables?Cost - WAY more expensive.
Option 4:
- Buy premade 15m fiber patch cables.
- Use current LC keystones.
- Buy cheap 2-3m LC/UPC patch cables.
- ~$10 to keystone + ~$5 from keystone to machine = $15. 6x links = $90
Option 5: Biting off more than I can chew?
- Buy a spool of fiber.
- Buy LC/UPC ends.
- Use current LC keystones.
- Buy cheap 2-3m LC/UPC patch cables.
- Cost ??
So much new stuff.
So much to learn.
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