You will come across many types of fiber patch panels out there. Their classification depends on many factors. Here are the major types you are likely to use:
Indoor and Outdoor Types
Indoor types fiber optic patch panels are those you will use with applications inside or a room. They are uniquely created in a way that makes them adaptable to such areas of use. They will often have a structure as illustrated in the picture below:
While it serves the same work just as the indoor type, the outdoor fiber patch panel has unique features. For instance, it is waterproof to help keep it intact in moist or rainy outdoor conditions. Its structure is thus a bit different as shown in the picture below:
Loaded Versus Unloaded Types
Loaded fiber termination boxes are those that have adapter panels or cassettes. In most cases, you will find that these types are loaded with MTP and LC adapter types.
The unloaded type of fiber optics termination box does not have adapters loaded in it. It is simply an empty panel. You will, therefore, select the adapters to use depending on what you want to use it for. This type is thus flexible as it gives you room to choose what best suits you.
Small versus Large Fiber Patch Panels
Small fiber patch panels are those with few ports. Usually, if you get one with 12 it is a small type. Actually, 12 is the smallest since there are many others with several ports. Others are those with 24 ports and even 48.
The large type of optical fiber ODF has several ports. The number of ports can go to as many as 96 and even more, especially for large networks. Any panel with 64 ports and above is relatively large compared to others.
Wall versus Rack Mount
You can easily mount this type of panels on any wall, hence the name. A panel of this kind often comes with a mounting holes in the inside part. These help in mounting them on the wall. Here is what most of them look like when it comes to design:
Rack Mount Type
Bwinners rack mount type of fibre patch panel usually holds fibers in a horizontal manner. You should thus mount them onto relay racks, so you use it properly. Standard relay racks are often 19″ or 23″ in size and the panels look as shown in the picture below:
You are likely to find other types of fibre optic termination boxes. What we’ve explored here are the most common ones in the market as well used by network systems owners.
