EZ-Bend® Indoor and Outdoor Cable Solutions
With EZ-Bend Ruggedized Cables, users have expanded options for MDU, in-home wiring and aggressive, space-constrained routing environments. When a low profile and durability are needed, select the 3.0 mm product. For more demanding deployments, the EZ-Bend 4.8 Ruggedized Cable is ideal. EZ-Bend Ruggedized Cables are purposefully designed for installations indoor, outdoor and inside risers. These cables can be routed around sharp corners and stapled using traditional fast and easy installation practices, with negligible signal loss, and are available with a complete set of terminals, modules and cables for any type of building and living unit.
EZ-Bend Ruggedized Cable
- EZ-Bend G.657.B3 Optical Fiber with a 2.5mm bend radius -twice as tight as the industry standard.
- backwards compatible with G.652.D fiber,
- offered as factory-connectorized and tested assemblies or Reel-in-the-Box,
- 3.0mm or 4.8mm diameter ruggedized cordage including a tonable option,
- 100 lb pull tension, enabled by aramid strength members
- rated for indoor distribution, outdoor including underground and risers,
- can be secured using zip ties, staples or clips,
- plenum and dual-rated low-smoke zero-halogen (LSZH) construction with fire ratings including UL, Plenum and Europe CPR (Construction Products Regulation) certification
EZ-Bend Ruggedized Cables are used in the following applications:
- Drop Cables: Underground drop cable options include the single fiber EZ-Bend 3.0 mm and 4.8 mm Ruggedized Cables and EZ-Bend Toneable Cables. The toneable cables enable easy above ground locating of buried cables to help avoid cable cuts when other underground systems are installed. These drop cables are installed from the aerial terminal down the pole to the ground, and are then buried to minimize disruption to landscaping, or pulled into existing duct. The cable is then connected into a demarcation box installed at the side of the house, ideally in a location close to the Optical Network Terminal (ONT) on the
- Multifiber Drop Bundles: Multifiber Drop Bundles provide the added benefit of saving time in installation by pulling 5, 6 or 12 assemblies at one time. These Multifiber Drop Bundles feature the ruggedized 4.8 mm Indoor/Outdoor cable and are placed on the outside of the building. The coils are located at each of the windows of the living unit where each individual end connectorized end will enter the living unit through the window seal connecting to the ONT. The un-connectorized end of the bundle is spliced into a Fiber Distribution Terminal (FDT), located at either ground level or on top of the building.
- Ruggedized Assemblies or Cordage: The EZ-Bend Ruggedized Assemblies are factory connectorized cables designed to withstand stapling while exhibiting negligible bend loss to help save time and money on installation. The innovative design conquers sharp corners without the need for bend management and is ideal for MDU indoor and outdoor drops to connect to the ONT inside the living unit, or for drop cabling to and into homes or commercial buildings. On the other hand, EZ-Bend Ruggedized Cables are also available for bulk purchase as Reel-in-the-Box when installers prefer to cut custom lengths using fusion splicing for in-field splicing or mechanical connectors.
EZ-Bend Frequently Asked Questions
1. What are the benefits of using specially designed bend-insensitive fiber cable to and into the dwelling unit or office?
Many factors can create a loss in an optical fiber. One of the main factors is tight bends. When optical fiber is bent below a certain radius, light in the core is no longer guided in the core of the fiber creating loss which can slow internet speeds and streaming applications or shut down service completely.
EZ-Bend has the lowest tight bending loss performance in the industry.
2. Why is the bend sensitivity of optical fiber a concern today?
With the advent of fiber-to-the-home (FTTH), fibers today are being installed in new pathways – for example, around doorframes and wall studs – where they are being bent and stapled like copper by installers, some with no previous fiber experience. New applications use advanced adhesives to attach fiber and route it around corners.
EZ-Bend may be stapled and bent around sharp corners twice as tight as competitor fibers, down to 2.5 mm bend radius.
3. What are some of the typical bend stresses an installer needs to be aware of?
Some of the inducers of stress that lead to signal loss include:
- Stapling around sharp corners
- Pulling
- Rodding and pulling through duct
- Pushing
- Direct buried installation
EZ- Bend when installed properly reduces these losses.
4. Are there optical fibers available that minimize the loss in tight bends?
Yes, EZ-Bend Optical Fibers do. A special OFS Labs patented fiber core design greatly improves the bending performance of EZ-Bend Optical Fiber when it experiences bends either during or after installation.
5. What bend-insensitive fiber optic cables are specially designed for residential use?
Once the fiber enters reaches the home and enters the residence, the customer typically dictates the terms, and bends can become unmanaged. Conforming the optical cable around tight corners around the base of a home, in the home, or in an apartment without using expensive unsightly bend management is strongly preferred by customers, and much easier for installers to deploy. For these applications, OFS offers EZ-Bend Ruggedized Cable and cable assemblies, and the InvisiLight® Optical Solution for inside living unit deployments. All the EZ-Bend Cabling solutions and InvisiLight Solutions use EZ-Bend Optical Fiber, which is superior to and compliant with the ITU-T G.657.B3 recommendation. EZ-Bend Optical Fiber provides ultra-bend insensitivity where it is needed (typically wrapping homes, in homes, or in apartments in mass FTTH deployments). These cables may be run around the many sharp corners along a hallway, around windows and door frames, and along other pathways with significant numbers of very tight bends. The cables may be secured by stapling or in the case of InvisiLight Solution using specially designed adhesives.
EZ-Bend® Single-Mode Optical Fiber Brochure
6. What are the benefits of using specially designed bend-insensitive fiber cable to and into the dwelling unit or office?
OFS EZ-Bend Ruggedized Cable and Cable assemblies provide a differentiated solution for any communication services provider seeking to connect subscribers in homes and MDUs.
Benefits include:
- Easy low-skill installation of optical fiber from the curb to and into the home to the indoor ONT.
- More economical to use per home compared to micro-duct systems and indoor moldings.
- Can save additional money: No need to transition enclosure from outside to inside.
- Improved Wi-Fi coverage: Easily transitioned to InvisiLight Fiber inside the cable to reach inside the living unit to the optimum placement of the ONT/Wi-Fi Router.
- Maybe stapled and bent around sharp corners twice as tight as the best competition, down to 2.5 mm bend radius.
- Best bending loss performance in the industry compared to competitor’s G.657B fiber cables.
- Reliable performance based on over 4M living units (and some businesses) connected since 2009 by 6 Tier 1 service providers, dozens of Tier 2 and 3
The EZ-Bend Ruggedized Cable and Cable Assembly Video below is a comprehensive Installation Guide.
OFS can also provide live virtual training on all aspects of EZ-Bend and InvisiLight Solutions!
7. What about fusion splicing bend-insensitive fibers?
OFS can also provide live virtual training on all aspects of EZ-Bend and InvisiLight Solutions!
8. Who is using EZ-Bend cabling and InvisiLight Solutions today?
Multiple Tier 1 Communications Services Providers in North America and Europe have deployed EZ-Bend cabling and InvisiLight Solutions to Millions of subscribers since the launch of EZ-Bend cabling in 2009.
Downloads and Resources
- EZ-Bend Ruggedized Assemblies
- EZ-Bend 3.0mm Ruggedized Assemblies
- EZ-Bend 3.0mm Drop Cable
- EZ-Bend 4.8mm Drop Cable
- EZ-Bend Tonable Drop Assemblies
- EZ-Bend 4.8mm Tonable I/O Cable
- EZ-Bend Multifiber Drop Bundle
- EZ-Bend Optical Technology
- EZ-Bend vs Single Mode Fiber Installations
