RF connectivity solutions guide

Transcription

1 RF connectivity solutions guide

2 CommScope RF connectivity solutions The pressure on MSOs has never been greater because subscriber expectations have never been higher. Whether streaming digital video or high-speed broadband internet VoIP telephony, the expectation is 100 percent uptime 24/7 wherever and whenever. So it s no surprise that service reliability is one of the biggest variables when it comes to increasing average revenue per user (ARPU) and decreasing churn. At the headend, MSOs have invested heavily in upgrades to increase redundancy and eliminate service interruptions. But, unless the same criteria and careful consideration are used in selecting the best home connectivity components, the investment will not pay off. This means that even the least expensive components like splitters, ground blocks, interconnects and amplifiers must be chosen based on their reliability and dependable RF performance not just price. At CommScope, we take a long-term view to every solution we engineer. As a solutions-based provider of RF systems, we understand the critical role every component in the RF path plays in reducing OpEx and meeting subscriber expectations. Therefore, we engineer our home connectivity solutions to maintain consistent, superior physical and electrical performance over their lifespan. Value over price Based on price alone, splitters, ground blocks, interconnect and amplifier product solutions are among the least expensive components in the home connectivity path. Yet their value is priceless. A well-engineered component that is reliable and resistant, regardless of the environment, saves tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of dollars by reducing service outages, truck rolls and customer churn. Bottom line there is a lot more to selecting the best RF home connectivity components than price. Everything you need from tap to tuner As a global leader in end-to-end RF system solutions, CommScope engineers a complete line of RF connectivity solutions for the home. The same insight, resources and experience we put into our antenna, cabling and headend solutions goes into our splitters, ground blocks, interconnects and amplifiers. While others focus on decreasing purchase price, we focus on maximizing addressability, signal integrity and product life span while reducing corrosion, CPD and noise ingress/egress. This is what you expect from CommScope. 2

3 All-ports down amplifier The CommScope all-ports down amplifier is fast and easy to install and gives operators an open path to adopting future technologies. Designed with the flexibility inherent in all CommScope solutions, the all-ports down amplifier enables MSOs to respond quickly to new opportunities in the market. Configuration options include: Forward gain with passive reverse Active forward and reverse gain With or without VoIP capability With or without MoCA capability With both VoIP and MoCA capabilities Easier installation: The all-ports down amplifier features a variety of mounting options to ensure clean and defined wiring within the installation box. Three LEDs allow technicians to confirm the powering state of the amplifier and power adaptor at a glance. Multiple labels with color-coded tabs help quickly identify the various amplifier types in use. Plus, the CommScope all-ports down amplifiers offer five- or nine-port housings so you can manage installs large and small. Greater flexibility: The amplifier s printed circuit board is designed to be future-proof. It provides flexibility in gain levels, including unity gain, and can be deployed as a standard forward gain with passive reverse or active forward and reverse gain. Additional options include with or without VoIP, and or MoCA. As a result, MSOs can take advantage of emerging broadband configurations as they are introduced. Greater reliability: Unique to CommScope is the continued use of the aluminum housing. Because of aluminum s greater thermal conductivity, the housing transfers and dissipates heat more effectively, extending the lifespan of the amplifier. At the same time, the all-ports down amplifier is engineered using a 7 /16th split-bolt design that improves torque-setting accuracy and increases the grounding contact area without any damage to the ground bond wire. 3

4 MoCA amplifiers Customers are gravitating towards bringing all their media, data and voice content under a single, easy-to-manage umbrella and CommScope is making it easier for MSOs to respond. CommScope s MoCA amplifiers combine superior RF performance, reliability and flexibility that enable operators to meet and exceed customer expectations. Excellent RF performance: CommScope s MoCA amplifiers are available in 42/53 (NTSC) mid split design and provide MHz capability for enhanced RF performance. The 6kV combination-wave protection (IEEE C B3) on all ports ensures consistent signal integrity. With a unique positive tilt feature, operators can easily compensate for greater attenuation at higher frequencies. Dependably tough: Armed with flat-end brass F ports, each with four-sided center conductor contacts, a heat-dissipating aluminum die-cast housing, plus neoprene moisture and mesh RFI gaskets, the CommScope MoCA amplifier meets or exceeds all SCTE requirements. VoIP compatible: With VoIP capability, this MoCA amplifier supports the technology driving today s high-speed voice, video and data networks. A non-interruptible passive VoIP port preserves lifeline telephone service in the event of a power failure. MoCA, the MoCA logo, and It s in your house! logo are trademarks of Multimedia over Coax Alliance in the United States and other countries. 4

5 Surge protection solutions CommScope ensures protection with ground blocks and surge-protected ground blocks that defy the elements so the customer is always protected. With 35 db minimum return loss for ground blocks and 30 db for surge-protected ground blocks, CommScope surge protection solutions ensure the best possible RF performance. Corrosion resistant: The ground blocks in CommScope surge protection solutions feature an all-brass design instead of the zinc, aluminum or stainless steel used by other providers. Because the primary element in brass is copper, CommScope grounding blocks are far less susceptible to galvanic corrosion when paired with standard copper or copper-clad bond wire. Surge withstand rated: Our design meets both IEEE C62-41-A3 and B3 surge protection. We have designed our surge grounding solution to be compliant with ANSI/SCTE to meet both the A3, 6 kv, 200-Amp ring wave as well as the B3 6 kv, 3,000-Amp combination wave suppression for close-proximity lightning strikes or electrical faults. Intelligent design: CommScope surge protection solutions feature a more intelligent design that extends the lifespan and increases protection. The split-bolt design presses the wire rather than twisting into it, eliminating the stress on the bond wire that can lead to breaks and open circuits. The patented four-sided, diamond-shaped contact accommodates all types of cable center conductors, from inches (based on SCTE ), without damaging the center conductor. 5

6 Are you protected against galvanic corrosion? Most, if not all, professionals in the cable industry are familiar with the theory of galvanic corrosion, a process that occurs when dissimilar metals are connected in the presence of an electrolyte such as water. During galvanic corrosion, electrons flow between the two metals and form a galvanic couple. The greater the voltage difference between two metals, the higher the potential for corrosion between them. In a broadband network, there are multiple points where the presence of dissimilar metals makes the network highly susceptible to galvanic corrosion. One of these areas is the bonding point where the bond wire ties into the ground block. Despite awareness of the cause and effects of galvanic corrosion, many bonding product suppliers continue to design ground blocks whose metallurgic composition usually aluminum, zinc or stainless steel becomes volatile when paired with a standard copper or copper-clad steel bond wire. At CommScope, however, our extensive experience in developing end-to-end RF system designs has taught us the potential problems of designing with dissimilar metals. So, in engineering the ground blocks used in both our standard and surge protection solutions, we invested in a solid brass design. Brass, whose primary element is copper, makes the ground block far more stable in the presence of the copper or copper-clad steel bond wire. As a result, CommScope standard and surgeprotected grounding solutions exhibit less corrosion and promote greater RF performance and corrosion resistance. Even the ports on our amplifiers are designed with the same principle of preventing galvanic corrosion. Wherever there is a CommScope RF device interface with a copper or copper-clad steel conductor, we ensure the junction is protected against galvanic corrosion through our brass or proprietary plating designs. 6

7 Drop passive solutions CommScope s drop passive solutions naturally complement our coaxial cable products and highlight our commitment to superior HFC performance and reliability. Our drop passives are engineered to SCTE standards and backed by a 30-year history of reliability. Unique design: A problem often encountered in mating coaxial cable with splitters or couplers is the lack of contact between the center conductor of the coaxial cable and the ports on a drop passive device. Contributing to this problem are the range in center conductor sizes, as well as the effect of cutting the center conductor of the cable. CommScope designed an innovative four-sided center conductor contact that successfully addresses the problem and provides for superior retention and electrical performance. This contact is standard in all of CommScope s splitters and couplers. Product breadth: CommScope offers a complete range of splitters and directional couplers. Splitters are offered with a range of two to eight output ports and configured for horizontal, vertical, wall mount and dual mount options. Splitter designs with an ac power pass leg are also available. A family of directional couplers is available with two to nine output ports. Couplers can be purchased for either horizontal or wall mounting. All of CommScope s drop passive solutions are designed with 6 kv ring wave protection on all ports, flat-end F ports to ensure proper ground plane match and RFI protection that exceeds 120 db. In addition to ground blocks, CommScope offers a full line of RF interconnect products that are designed in-house. This product line includes our F81s, attenuators, KS port probes and locking terminators and are constructed of solid brass for superior performance. 7

8 Intelligent addressable taps Advancements in intelligent addressability are creating a competitive advantage for operators looking to increase revenues, reduce operating cost, improve customer satisfaction and more cost-effectively manage churn. With notable features such as advanced service filtering, telephonycapable power passing F ports and a flexible and upgradable design, CommScope s intelligent addressable taps are a perfect fit for today s demanding environment. ROI and cost reduction: Through a headend intelligent tap gateway, customer service or network technical service can instantly send connect, disconnect or change-of-service commands directly to the tap through the broadband plant. This remote operation reduces truck rolls, saves on the high cost of fuel and technician overhead expenses while reducing the loss of revenue from coffee shop disconnects, inaccessibility of gated areas or not-at-home customers. Advanced filtering services: An intelligent addressable tap integrates an FSK receiver and controller into the tap, allowing for on/off and band-pass filtering control for each individual subscriber port. Filtering options include reverse window filtering, which controls emergency telephony and data-only services as well as reverse and forward tiering filter options, which control noise mitigation and selective advanced services. If our current filters don t meet your needs, our engineering team will gladly work with you to develop a custom filter set that is what being a trusted partner is all about. Ideal solution for high-churn environments, including: Multidwelling units (MDUs) Hotels College campuses 8

9 The value of a single, trusted partner Using one experienced and trusted partner for multiple RF connectivity components creates a variety of unique benefits, including performance, cost and, most importantly, peace of mind. While CommScope s RF connectivity solutions can certainly be deployed individually, they are even better together. Compatibility of component design, manufacturing and testing means the pieces of your home connectivity solution are designed to fit and work with each other. When used together, CommScope RF connectivity solutions can help reduce corrosion, CPD and noise ingress/egress and boost overall RF efficiency. Specifying multiple home connectivity solutions from CommScope can also help streamline everything from purchasing to inventory management. The bottom line is a stronger bottom line. With CommScope as your trusted advisor, you have an experienced partner capable of providing more than just the industry s best performing RF components. We take a systems approach to everything we do and go out of our way to help create better value and productivity in your RF path, whether it involves our solutions or not. Build more value into every installation, starting today RF connectivity elements like splitters, amplifiers, grounding and interconnect solutions are among the least costly components in your RF path. That is, however, until something goes wrong. Then the value of quality, testing and reliability becomes obvious. For more information on the entire portfolio of CommScope RF connectivity solutions, visit 9

10 CommScope RF connectivity solutions for your home TAP Inside the house - Splitters - Directional couplers - Amplifiers - Barrel splices - Wall plates - Power inserters TV In the HFC network - Addressable taps - Intelligent tap gateway - Locking terminators and tools - Inline attenuators COMPUTER PEDESTAL TAP Outside the house - Ground blocks - Surge-protected ground blocks - Splitters - Directional couplers - Amplifiers NID - Power inserters TV SET-TOP 10

11 Everyone communicates. It s the essence of the human experience. How we communicate is evolving. Technology is reshaping the way we live, learn and thrive. The epicenter of this transformation is the network our passion. Our experts are rethinking the purpose, role and usage of networks to help our customers increase bandwidth, expand capacity, enhance efficiency, speed deployment and simplify migration. From remote cell sites to massive sports arenas, from busy airports to state-ofthe-art data centers we provide the essential expertise and vital infrastructure your business needs to succeed. The world s most advanced networks rely on CommScope connectivity. Visit our website or contact your local CommScope representative for more information CommScope, Inc. All rights reserved. All trademarks identified by or are registered trademarks or trademarks, respectively, of CommScope, Inc. This document is for planning purposes only and is not intended to modify or supplement any specifications or warranties relating to CommScope products or services. CommScope is committed to the highest standards of business integrity and environmental sustainability, with a number of CommScope s facilities across the globe certified in accordance with international standards, including ISO 9001, TL 9000, and ISO Further information regarding CommScope s commitment can be found at BR EN (01/17)