Hardened Connectors

Overview

Designed for use in the network access and drop cable portions of a network, hardened OptiTap® and OptiTip® connectors make installations faster, easier, and less costly. These connectors, used alone or integrated into hardware products, must be able to protect against environmental factors common in the outside plant, such as extreme temperatures, moisture, humidity, and other harsh conditions.

Hardened Connectors

Five Reasons to Use Hardened Connectors

Accelerates the rate of homes passed – the OptiTip® connector allows up to 12 homes passed with each tether – to more quickly capture revenue
Saves time at the drop when connecting homes, with preconnectorized or field installable options available
Requires lower level of field craft with simple plug-and-play connection
Undergoes extensive and rigorous testing before leaving the factory to ensure all preconnectorized
connectors come to you with top-notch quality and reliability
Connectors tested in extreme temperature ranges, demonstrating product robustness for multiple applications

Accelerates the rate of homes passed – the OptiTip® connector allows up to 12 homes passed with each tether – to more quickly capture revenue
Saves time at the drop when connecting homes, with preconnectorized or field installable options available
Requires lower level of field craft with simple plug-and-play connection
Undergoes extensive and rigorous testing before leaving the factory to ensure all preconnectorized
connectors come to you with top-notch quality and reliability
Connectors tested in extreme temperature ranges, demonstrating product robustness for multiple applications

Proven Technology

Widely Deployed and Proven Technology

The greatest proof of the reliability of our OptiTip^® and OptiTap^® hardened connectors lies in the deployments. In the millions of homes passed with our preconnectorized products, more than 58 million hardened connectors have been deployed. More than 58 million connections, each one enabling transmission of the never-ending stream of data that consumers demand.

Setting the Standard

When the mass deployment of fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) networks was just beginning, we set out to develop the keystone component that could enable reliable, quick, and cost-effective installations. The result was the OptiTap® single-fiber and OptiTip® multifiber connector. Today, those products – as well as the testing procedures that surround them – have become the standard in mass FTTH deployments.

Reliability at the Core

Forming the connections that can make or break a network, the reliability and performance of hardened connectors are crucial. Since the early deployments of FTTH networks almost 20 years ago, we have helped connect more than 58 million homes using our hardened connector technology. For proof of the product’s dependability and longevity, look no further than the millions of satisfied consumers.

Ensuring the reliability of our hardened connector offering starts in the factory. We have dedicated more than 100,000 hours to testing our preconnectorized solutions, and our hardened connectors pass, and often exceed, the rigorous Telcordia outside plant reliability protocols Telcordia GR-3120-CORE (for single-fiber OptiTap® connectors) and GR-3152-CORE (for multifiber OptiTip® connectors).

The testing procedures we developed during the infancy of FTTH have become standard in today’s mass deployments. Learn more about our hardened connectors.

Hardened Connectors | Corning