I think most of the cheap SFP+ cards from ebay have Windows drivers, but definitely do some googling of each model to be certain.
Six Strand Pre-Terminated Single-Mode LC Fiber Optic Cable Installation Question on Wall Plate
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Ordered all the parts on my list. I should have it by Thursday 8/15/19. I am guessing that there will be some kind of light indicator to show if the fiber wires are making a connection.
Edit: looks like the switch has a set of lights on the side of the box / panel to show if the connections are functional.
Edit: looks like the switch has a set of lights on the side of the box / panel to show if the connections are functional.
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Besides status lights, the switches each have a web interface which will give you more information than you knew was even possible 
Well, I tested out the switches and I used a single mode duplex cable and the light on the side lit up. Then after establishing a baseline that the switches function, I connected the six strand single mode simplex cable to the switch and no light. Is there a certain order the colored cables have to go?
I am really worried that I will have to run a new fiber line.
Or is is possible the six strand simplex cable will only with with a SPF+ adapter specifically for simplex connections? I.E. I can't double up my simplex strands (group them in two's) and simulate duplex.
Thanks for any help.
EDIT: NEVERMIND --- I switched the color pairs on one end and they all work now. So for some reason the colors are switched on the main switch. Whatever. Happy it works. Ready to nail down the office floors now that fiber is verified to work.
I am really worried that I will have to run a new fiber line.
Or is is possible the six strand simplex cable will only with with a SPF+ adapter specifically for simplex connections? I.E. I can't double up my simplex strands (group them in two's) and simulate duplex.
Thanks for any help.
EDIT: NEVERMIND --- I switched the color pairs on one end and they all work now. So for some reason the colors are switched on the main switch. Whatever. Happy it works. Ready to nail down the office floors now that fiber is verified to work.
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Congratulations!
The way the modules work, one side transmits while the other side receives, so the way you originally connected them, you had one fiber with a transmitter on each end, and another fiber with a receiver on each end, and no communication could happen.
A duplex connector is just two simplex with a plastic bracket holding them together at an appropriate position. If you fiddle with your fiber patch cables you will probably notice you can pop the connectors out of the bracket and effectively have two separate fibers.
The way the modules work, one side transmits while the other side receives, so the way you originally connected them, you had one fiber with a transmitter on each end, and another fiber with a receiver on each end, and no communication could happen.
A duplex connector is just two simplex with a plastic bracket holding them together at an appropriate position. If you fiddle with your fiber patch cables you will probably notice you can pop the connectors out of the bracket and effectively have two separate fibers.
Wish me luck, I picked up a couple TFC-1000MGA media converters ($4 !) and took my first crack at buying the proper used optical modules and a test cable just for tinkering and learning more about the ins and outs of fiber. These just happened to be at the local thrift store.
Super cool! Nice deal. I can't wait to get my office finished so I can start using my fiber line. LMK how it goes and take a picture and post it please!
Yeah just going 1 meter for starters, to see if everything works, and then decide what to do from there. I read that using media converters drastically increases risk of failure (more devices in the path = more devices/power supplies to fail), but for $8 for two units and another $40 for modules and optical cable just for a little learning it seemed smarter than a giant purchase of something like an optical switch to start with.
After 25 years of marriage, the wife has learned when she asks "what are those are for?", and I say "just something to play around with".....that there is no actual purpose for the purchase and it's probably going to my office to never be seen again!
After 25 years of marriage, the wife has learned when she asks "what are those are for?", and I say "just something to play around with".....that there is no actual purpose for the purchase and it's probably going to my office to never be seen again!
Update on office build. Floor is installed and all cables are punched through the floor and the floor openings are sealed with closed-cell foam. Wall / window frames are up and mostly set. Windows came in today.
I'll be working on terminating the Cat 6 lines once the outside wall is up and windows are in.
For the outside IP cameras I picked up two EmpireTech PFA130-E Water-Proof Junction Box Brackets -- I'll be painting them black to blend in.
The IP Cameras I will be running on the East and West wall is EmpireTech IP Camera Black IPC-HDW5231R-ZE
EDIT: Quick slightly off topic question: I will be running an underground fiber cable to my garage in the next couple of weeks. I was NOT planning on running CAT6 due to lightning risk. The cable will be in a conduit (est 18" deep).
Any conduit recommendations?
Any junction box recommendations for the house and the garage? I want this to be waterproof but accessible.
Thanks!
I'll be working on terminating the Cat 6 lines once the outside wall is up and windows are in.
For the outside IP cameras I picked up two EmpireTech PFA130-E Water-Proof Junction Box Brackets -- I'll be painting them black to blend in.
The IP Cameras I will be running on the East and West wall is EmpireTech IP Camera Black IPC-HDW5231R-ZE
EDIT: Quick slightly off topic question: I will be running an underground fiber cable to my garage in the next couple of weeks. I was NOT planning on running CAT6 due to lightning risk. The cable will be in a conduit (est 18" deep).
Any conduit recommendations?
Any junction box recommendations for the house and the garage? I want this to be waterproof but accessible.
Thanks!
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Technically, and mathematically, yes. That said, in my 20 years in enterprise networking, those devices are amongst the most bomb-proof gear I've used. I think I had 1 fail at some point. I've had some failures with them becoming unplugged (usually a simple barrel DC power plug)... I have a few in production that were made when I was still in school. Allied Telesis (formerly Allied Telesyn) is a well-known brand in that market.
Does anyone know if there is a specif color grouping / pairing for the six single mode fiber strands when run in duplex mode? Or can they be matched / grouped in whatever way?
I currently paired the six strands as such:
green / blue
orange / white
grey / brown
I ran an underground fiber line to my garage to provide a hard line for my IP cameras as well as to extend my wireless reach. The IP cameras have been working just fine but I noticed every time my cell phone connected to the Unifi AP wireless the connection to the AP was strong but the actual speeds were terrible. I ran a speed test to confirm. Download was less than one mbps and upload was about 15 mb.
Oddly enough the upload speed is just fine and matches the speeds of the other Unifi AP's in my house. The download speed should be around 100 - 150 mbps though.
Appreciate any thoughts
I currently paired the six strands as such:
green / blue
orange / white
grey / brown
I ran an underground fiber line to my garage to provide a hard line for my IP cameras as well as to extend my wireless reach. The IP cameras have been working just fine but I noticed every time my cell phone connected to the Unifi AP wireless the connection to the AP was strong but the actual speeds were terrible. I ran a speed test to confirm. Download was less than one mbps and upload was about 15 mb.
Oddly enough the upload speed is just fine and matches the speeds of the other Unifi AP's in my house. The download speed should be around 100 - 150 mbps though.
Appreciate any thoughts
There is no color pairing. Those colors are just to let you identify which strand is which on the other end. All that matters is that you connect transmit to receive, so for example if you connect green on the left side of one fiber module, you would connect the other end of that green to the right side of the remote fiber module.
Your switches should be able to tell you the link speed of your fiber, and have Stats and Error tabs to show you transfer statistics. Check these on both ends of your links. You can also try transferring a file over these links as an easy way of testing throughput up to the speed of the disks involved (can be 3+ Gbps if using SSDs on both ends, or 1+ Gbps if using HDD(s)).
Okay good to know. Thank you. I get green lights on all three pairs so I know there is a connection. There must be something set up incorrectly with the MikroTik switches that is throttling download speeds so much.