Hardened SC APC to SC APC Fiber Drop Cable, OS2, IP68, Custom Length

This fiber drop cable connects the sealed outdoor terminal to the subscriber premises with one purpose-built interface at each end: a hardened SC APC connector, IP68 rated and environmentally sealed, mates directly with the terminal port on the distribution side, while a standard SC APC connector plugs into the optical network terminal or indoor hardware on the subscriber side. The cable is the flat 2.0x5.0mm LSZH drop construction with one G.657.A2 bend-insensitive OS2 fiber, factory terminated and manufactured to the ordered length.

Product Highlights

• Hardened SC APC (IP68) to standard SC APC
• Sealed connector mates directly with outdoor terminal ports
• G.657.A2 bend-insensitive fiber, 7.5mm minimum bend radius
• Insertion loss ≤0.3dB, return loss ≥60dB
• No splicing at the terminal, tool-less sealed mating
• Manufactured to the ordered route length

The distribution end of a drop route lives outdoors: in a terminal on a pole, a facade box or a handhole, exposed to rain, dust and condensation for years. The hardened SC APC connector is built for exactly that mating point. Its sealed housing threads directly onto the matching terminal port and closes to IP68, so the optical interface is protected against water and dust ingress without an enclosure around the connection itself. The connector accepts a standard SC APC interface inside, keeping full compatibility with the access network design.

The traditional alternative to a hardened drop is a field-spliced pigtail inside the terminal: a fusion splice, a splice tray position, heat-shrink protection and the craft time to do it well on a ladder. The hardened drop removes all of that. The installer routes the cable, threads the connector onto the terminal port, and the link is complete. Rollout crews connect more homes per day, and the skill requirement at the drop point falls from splicing technician to installer, which is precisely where large FTTH programs save their cost.

The two ends of this cable serve different worlds. Outdoors, the hardened connector faces weather, handling and repeated mating as subscribers are added and moved. Indoors, the standard SC APC end plugs into the optical network terminal on the subscriber wall. The 300mm breakout between the flat trunk and the 2.0x3.0mm tails gives both ends enough free fiber to dress into their enclosures without strain, and the G.657.A2 glass tolerates the tight corners of the indoor route.

The hardened end always faces the terminal, the standard end faces the subscriber, and the orientation is fixed at the factory. When ordering, state the route length together with the terminal type so the breakout and connector boot match the hardware. For routes where both ends terminate at sealed outdoor ports, the hardened-to-hardened version of this family extends the same sealed interface to both connectors.

Every drop cable in this family is manufactured to the length stated with the order rather than picked from fixed stock sizes, because last-mile routes differ from a few meters to well over a hundred. The cable is manufactured to the length stated with the order; measure the route from the terminal port to the optical network terminal, including the vertical drop and entry path, and allow working slack at both ends. Specifying the measured route length avoids both the slack storage problem of an overlong cable and the strain risk of one that is too short.

Each assembly is terminated with precision zirconia ferrule connectors and optically tested as a complete cable: insertion loss is verified against the 0.3dB ceiling and return loss against the 60dB minimum. The hardened connector is checked for seal integrity as well as optical performance, so the delivered drop can be threaded onto the terminal port and put into service without on-site rework.

Refer to the hardened to standard SC APC drop cable family when requesting a quotation and state the route length, terminal type and quantity per length. For other hardened connector styles or both-end sealed builds, send the site requirement with the enquiry and the factory will confirm the manufacturable specification before production.