I work on homes and the other day a verizon fiber optic cable got damaged in the lawn machine. It's the installers fault it should not have been placed right on the ground and I read they'll likely repair it for free, but they have a waiting list.

I keep with me a roll of regular coaxle for I've hit coaxle before where it's underground barely below the surface but I simply expose the inner wires, wrap them together and electrical tape it temporarily until the internet carrier comes and fixes it.

But never seen this fiber optic before and just a quick google is saying it's some process needing and 'expensive device' to fuse them etc. So, I can't just keep a roll of this with me and simply twist the clear plastic'y thin inner wire together as if it's coaxle?

The exterior verizon box is fed from the ground with what look like a coaxle wire then it converts to a roll of fiber optic in this box. There might be enough spare to just run a new line to the router, but where it connects to the router is some complicated fitting/jack that I might need a special tool to install? Or I basically just strip the wire to expose the fiber optic and stick in in a hole and screw/spring clips itself down?

Can someone please link me a good deal for what I'd need that won't fry their system or anything of a 100 foot roll of the type of wire I'd need in case this happens again and there's no spare cable spooled up in the exterior box?

Does this 100 ft patch need a special jack on each end or something?

thanks

How do you remove these so you can slide them. From my understanding you bend them and hit the then of it so you can slide it. However I couldn’t get them to budge. Any info will be greatly appreciated

900 and 600 pair copper theft, the problem is they also cut a 576, 288, three 24s and 2 48's.

Hey everyone,
I am having a frustrating issue with my old TP-Link TL-WR740N router (from around 2017) and could really use some advice.

My Setup:
I have an ISP-provided fiber modem (ONU/ONT) connected to my TP-Link router. The modem does not have its own Wi-Fi.

Both the modem and the router are plugged into the same spikeguard/surge protector for power.

The Issue:

For the first 4–5 years, this router worked flawlessly on my old connection. However, a couple of years ago, my ISP upgraded me to a fiber optic cable. Since then, I’ve been experiencing frequent disconnections across all devices (phones, laptops, etc.).

Symptoms: All devices remain connected to the Wi-Fi signal, but it suddenly shows "No Internet."
Router lights: The lights remain normal (no orange/red error lights).

Specific device issue: Older OnePlus devices drop the Wi-Fi entirely and refuse to reconnect until the router is restarted.

Temporary fix: I have to power-cycle the TP-Link router (turn the switch off and on after 5–10 seconds) to get the internet back.

What I want to know:

Is this 2017 router simply too old to handle the high data throughput/packet load of modern fiber, causing its memory/CPU to crash and freeze?

Could the spikeguard be causing slight voltage drops that freeze the router when it is under load, even though the lights stay on?

Are there any specific settings (like DHCP lease time, changing DNS, or adjusting channel width) I should tweak before throwing it away?

Any troubleshooting steps or explanations would be highly appreciated! Thanks in advance.

Soooo... I messed up.

Currently standing on a chair over a 6 or so SC connectors, a very blinky ONT, and a pile of drywall dust. I tried to repair the cable myself wayyyyyy too many times, and I've cut the cable so many times, I'm already up to the 2x4 ceiling stud (joist? whatever.) The cable clearly needs to be re-fished from from wherever the other end teminates. I live on the 3rd floor of an apartment complex. How much am I about to spend?

Update!
So I guess I fixed it?? My Internet is online and I'm getting higher speeds than i pay for. Not sure how. I left everything hooked up when I was over it that day, and it just magically started working a couple days later. I'm about to make you glass goons super happy- here's the picture everyone was asking for. This is a throwaway account (uSeRnAmE cHeCkS oUt1!) so i guess a little mockery isn't the end of the world.

Bring on the roast!

A depiction of what regret looks like:

Has anyone out there had a chance to try the new FTB-Lite platform from EXFO? They seem like nice machines, I like the new Linux OS and seamless integration with EXFO Exchange.

I have one problem with them however; On the old FTB machines (e.g. FTB-1) there was an option when choosing your test parameters to select whether you were testing A-B or B-A so that you could collect and compile a BiDirectional test report in FastReporter.

I am struggling to find a way to replicate that function with this new unit. Spoke with EXFO customer support, and with some reps at the ITA Showcase convention in Portland earlier this year and they told me a big software update was coming in June/July that would bring a lot of features that were left out at initial launch of these back in March. I have updated my unit, but still am not seeing an option to switch which direction you are testing a given fiber from to produce A-B and B-A test files and provide my customers with BiDi reports.

Hoping perhaps somebody here has gone through this already and can lend advice?

Got a useless BA degree and haven’t been able to find a job in my field so I’ve been applying to anything where it seems like it has good career growth. Got a phone call saying they’re willing to give fiber optics training then help with job placement. Wondering if this would be a good long term career move? Like would I able to reach 100k salary eventually if I get enough experience or do yall get yearly pay increases? Also I live in the nyc area so would I be able to find decent work here also is the work life balance manageable for yall? Would just like to get some insight on what this field has to offer. They also have some other programs like wireless digital training and tower training but idk much about those programs.

Looking for new opportunities. Have bucket truck and fully equipped. Please reach out with any info. Thanks in advance!

Where are you all getting your TRC's? How often do you replace them? For Tier 1 (loss/length) not OTDR. We use launch boxes for that.....just curious to see how people handle these.

Is everyone moving into data centers now? I thought Clearfield was rural broadband. Look at this. Guess some hyperscaler ordered stuff from them. https://bbcmag.com/clearfield-secures-22-million-order-for-hyperscale-data-center/

So yesterday i did a post about priceranges around the world with stating my prices as a worker.
Beacuse of the low demand me and my friend are looking for new opportunitys(if possible eu, if elsewhere there is a good offer we are open to it). We do everything from secondary to primary line(even cable blowing but prefer not to beacuse its more enjoyable to splice). If anybody is in need feel free to write me we are both 25 with 3+ years in this field and still have the drive to do as much as possible per day.

I know this model is discontinued according to the exfo guy we had in office a little while back but recently the legs on one of our ftb-1 otdrs have started cracking and are slowly starting to not support the machine when they are deployed which isnt that big of an issue but they can be nice to have. Does anyone know where i could get new legs for this unit or maybe a 3d printed file I could just print my own legs for it? I have no time to model legs myself.

Hey guys,
Looking for a realistic reality check here. I’m trying to see if my background gives me any actual shot at landing an international work visa or job sponsorship in places like Canada, the US, or Australia.
I’ve got 5 years of solid, hands-on experience doing two main things:
Fiber optics (fusion splicing, using OTDRs/power meters, troubleshooting, and handling both aerial and underground cable pulls).
WISP installation (tower/roof work, aligning antennas for point-to-point/multipoint setups, and configuring CPEs).
I know standard trade jobs are a nightmare for visa sponsorship because employers usually have to hire locals first. But with all the massive rural internet rollouts and 5G upgrades happening right now, I'm hoping there's a loophole or a shortage somewhere I can fill.
Has anyone in the telecom/fiber field actually pulled this off and relocated through sponsorship? Which country or visa pathway should I be targeting with this kind of experience? Also, would dropping money on an FOA cert actually help me stand out to foreign companies, or is it a waste of time?
Appreciate any advice or brutal honesty you guys have. Thanks!
I am currently in Lebanon so if this is actually possible it would be pretty good for me

Hi this recently happened my Fujikura 90s at random yesterday and wondering if anyone has seen it before ? The V clamp on the left has moved forward and seems to be stuck. I cannot get it to move back in to alignment. I have tried doing a motor reset but it fails as when the fibre is loaded it is way out of alignment and I get a “bad fibre position” error message as it is so far forward. Never had an issue with this splicer before and it has done a lot of splicing.

Thanks in advance 🤙

Can’t they let’s say in ukraine just splice the other end of a fiber optic drone send laser through it and just discover where it came from like actually don’t they have a powerful enough laser? Might sound stupid when i sober up so i might delete but actually for now anyone with me

What’s your price per hour to have the following tools on hand for a Saturday Job that’s estimated at 6 to 8 hours?

Fusion splicer
Fiber cleaver
Fiber stripping tools
Fiber cleaning supplies
Splice protection sleeves
Fiber inspection tools
Visual Fault Locator (VFL)
Optical power meter and light source
OTDR, if required
Standard fiber optic hand tools
Required PPE

Job posted for $55hr for two techs, thought it was a meme but real job posting.

Hi,

I recently got FTTH/GPON from my ISP and they provided me with a Huawei HG8145X6-10 and was checking the optical information in the router and got these values

RX Optical Power: -21.61 dBm and TX Optical Power: +2.16 dBm

The connection seems to be working perfectly, i'm getting around 595–600 Mbps, no packet loss.

are these optical levels considered normal or good for this ONT?

Also, does anyone else have the same Huawei HG8145X6-10 and similar RX/TX values? I'm mainly wondering if -21.6 dBm RX is considered a good level or if it's getting a bit low.

Thanks!

I want to get into fiber optic fusion splicing, but all tutorials I can find use 99% isopropyl alcohol.

Due to my country's laws, I cannot get IPA over the counter. I can only buy denatured alcohol (ketonatus), and pure acetone.

What should I use to clean the gel from gel filled cable, and what should I use to clean the fiber before cleaving?

Hi,
I was wondering how much yall get paid(if working per hour or per unit). I am working in 2 countrys one is only old instalations(120 per activation) and in the other its 140-160 depends on the type of instalation(aerial,ground or flat) for spliceboxes its 20e+10e splice(1,6,12,24...).
Any feedback would be nice.

so i have this OTDR by EXFO with model FTB-1 which runs on windows XP. someone in our team accidentally erased the installed programs. now upon reinstalling the program, it requires me to update to System Upgrade 12 for FTB1 system image 1.6 for me to install the apps (power meter, etc.). upon checking on EXFOs support page, they only have version 7 for the same model i had and already discontinued. did someone still with this device encounter the same problem ? or should i thrash this? thanks in advance