Below are some basic terms used when discussing the construction of our fiber to the premises project.
What is a mainline?
Haviland Broadband is working to lay mainline fiber in utility right-of-ways. This means that the primary line is buried in alley ways and does not typically require access to private property. The mainline will be terminated at various pedestal cabinets along the pathway. Multiple locations can be served from a single pedestal.
What is a drop cable?
The final cable to the customer’s house is called the drop cable. Haviland Broadband intends for all drops to be buried through the customer’s yard. To prevent digging up current services, our installation crew will use the Kansas One Call service to locate existing services to the house.
What is a NID?
The drop cables will be terminated at a Network Interface Device (NID) on the outside of the home or building that fiber is being supplied to. A NID is a small box (approximately 11” tall by 9” wide) which connects the fiber outside to your telephone and Internet inside. The box is placed on the exterior of your home or business and is installed at no cost to you. All installations require cable(s) to enter the house at some point. Technicians will work to find and use a location where current services already enter the house, as they are generally more accessible and acceptable to the property owner. In the event that a utility entrance does not exist, or is not suitable to the needs of the fiber install, a small hole up to 1” in diameter will need to be drilled to allow cables to enter the house. Either way, connections will need to penetrate the outside wall of the house. As always, extreme care will be taken when drilling holes and the interior access point will be properly sealed to prevent moisture (or creatures) entering the house.
What is an ONT?
The ONT (Optical Network Terminal) is the equipment that connects the home to the NID and converts the optical signal coming through the fiber into separate signals for phone and Internet. It is comparable in size to a standard modem or router.
Typical locations are inside a garage, basement or closet, ideally within 100 feet of the incoming cable connection. One consideration to keep in mind when choosing a place for the ONT, is that it will need to plug directly into an existing electrical outlet. This will also be where the fiber cable will need to come into the house. If the customer already has Internet (phone company DSL or HTC wireless), the indoor ONT is generally placed at the same location to take advantage of any current cables.
If you choose to add additional battery backup power, space for the backup power supply is needed as well.
What is Battery Back-up?
In the event of a power outage, a battery back-up would be able to extend the operation of telephone service. Battery backups can be purchased at most home store retailers, online, or through Haviland Broadband.