What is POL?
Many enterprises have recognized that their current copper-based (CAT5/6) Local Area Network (LAN) architecture is reaching the limits of bandwidth capacity. The bandwidth constraints have led to the emergence of a new, high bandwidth, fiber optic-based technology called the Passive Optical LAN (POL). Built on the foundation of the Passive Optical Network (PON), the POL is a point-to-multipoint network architecture where voice, video and data services are transported at gigabit speeds via single optical fiber to serve multiple users.
Powering POL
The conventional means of powering remote devices is through a rectifier or UPS connected to a local source of electricity. This local power technique is costly, requires batteries at each remote device, and is prone to downtime during electrical outages. Alpha Technologies offers an alternative to the local power technique that provides a more reliable and resilient solution along with a significantly lower total cost of ownership. Alpha’s technique, known as POL Line Power, uses copper cabling run alongside the fiber cables to deliver DC power to the remote devices from a centralized source.
In Alpha’s POL power architecture, Line Power equipment, a 48Vdc power plant, and batteries are located in a central site such as a telco equipment room. This highly reliable source of power is then distributed over standard 12AWG to 20AWG copper cable or composite fiber/copper cables to energize the remote nodes. The power circuits meet the National Electrical Code (NEC) requirements for Class 2 circuits, i.e., current-limited 100 Watt circuits that are safe from a fire initiation standpoint and provide acceptable protection from electrical shock. Traditional copper cable can be used in this architecture, eliminating the need for protective conduits or installation by licensed electricians. At the remote device, the copper cable pair connects directly to the Optical Network Termination (ONT).
