Can optical modems be relocated? The weak current box couldn't fit all the boxes, so I wanted to move it to the living room. I went through all four roads from 0 to 100 yuan, passing through them one by one

My low-voltage box is a small box I decided to install during renovation. I stuffed in the optical modem, router, and power strip, and once the door closed, it would be hot to handle in summer. What's even more annoying is that the WiFi on the optical modem is separated by two walls, leaving only one bar behind, so watching videos on the living room sofa just spins around. My first reaction at the time: move the optical modem to the TV cabinet, wouldn't the signal be better? Before I started, I measured it—the yellow leather wire ran from the entrance hole to the weak current box, with not a single centimeter left. This article clearly describes the four paths I later taught, from 0 yuan to 100 yuan, with every account and pitfall here.

Let me clarify first: the difficulty with moving the light cat has never been the cat, but the yellow wire

move the router wherever you want, it's just a matter of changing the network cable. The optical modem doesn't work; it drags fiber optic cables behind its backside. The cable is made of copper wire, which can be bent and bent at most due to poor contact; Inside the optical fiber is a glass core, which transmits light by total reflection, the bending radius must not be less than 5 centimeters. What does that mean? If you bend it at a right angle, get caught in a door gap, or strangle it with a zip tie, the light leaks out through the bend, showing a sharp increase in light decay and a slash in internet speed.

my colleague's home is a living example: the renovation worker tied the leather wire to a nearly right-angled corner of the wall, causing light degradation to be -30 years old, always disconnecting at midnight, and it took half a month to solve the case. I wrote this part in the of light fading. So before moving the Light Cat, think clearly: the leather line isn't long enough. Do you plan to extend it or just avoid it? The following four paths are divided according to this idea.

Method 1: Keep the modem on the light and pull out the network cable (starting at 0 yuan, 90% of the time is optimal)

this is my top recommended route and the one I finally chose. The logic is simple: fiber not even a millimeter away, pull the cable to the desired spot, and move the router over to . The optical modem stayed in the weak current box to continue as a translator, and the WiFi was going to be turned off anyway (the optical modem's signal was clingy and inactive, so I turned it off WiFi the article about how my internet speed increased tenfold after turning it off).

network cables are much sturdier than fiber optic cables. Category 5 cables can be easily run within 100 meters, running gigabit with no problem. I've tested transmission distance for cables, and within 90 meters, 1000Mbps is reliable. Pressing the crystal head yourself costs only three yuan each; the wiring sequence is just for carrying the T568B. the post on the crystal head pressing has an eight-step process. The weak current box is usually only about five or six meters from the TV cabinet, and it's done in half an hour.

someone asks what to do with an IPTV set-top box. The set-top box uses a separate VLAN channel. Plugging directly into the router's LAN port may have no signal. You need to do single-wire multiplexing on the router or have a technician direct the IPTV port to the TV. I'll write about the specific connection method in the article single-wire multiplexing IPTV. If you need it, check it out.

the advantage of this route can be summed up in one sentence: zero fiber changes, zero light attenuation, and the lowest probability of problems. The downside is that the optical modem is still trapped inside the weak current box, so you have to figure out the cooling yourself. Don't lock the door tightly, leave a gap.

Method 2: Extension of the cold connection of the leather line (30 to 50 yuan, a manual route)

if you want to move the modem itself — for example, if you want to check the modem indicator light on the TV cabinet or connect to IPTV for multicast — then the cable must be long. The most common household method is to flange connector : buy an SC-SC flange coupler (about ten yuan), then buy a strip of leather cord with SC connectors at both ends per meter. Plug one end of the original indoor leather cord into the flange, plug the new patch cable into the other, and connect the other end of the new patch cable to the optical modem. No fusion splicer is needed for the whole process; having scissors at home can dry it (strictly speaking, it's best to have a cutting knife, costing several dozen yuan).

But before taking over, calculate the loss account. Just from your home to the optical modem, the total budget is just about that much. every extra docking point eats up 0.1 to 0.5dB—good flanges with well-cut end faces can reduce wear to 0.1dB; poor-quality flanges with crooked end faces and dust can't even be stopped by 0.5dB. If your backend margin is -27, eating 1dB won't show any issues; The margin is already -26, and connecting two dots might directly hit the -28 line. So the first thing I did after receiving it was to refresh the backend to check the receiving light power. The algorithm for these numbers is in the light decay self-check : -8 to -27 healthy, below -28 you have to check the contact points.

three pitfalls mentioned in advance. First, don't buy the wrong connector standard: Telecom residential leather cables and optical modems are basically SC/UPC (blue connectors); flanges must be paired with UPC; The green connector is APC, and the end face is ground at an 8-degree angle. If the UPC is inserted into the APC and the end doesn't match, the light decay explodes. This isn't a matter of loss, but whether it can be lit. Second, when the jumper is not plugged in, wear a dust cap; even a speck of dust on the end face is a point of wear. Third, cold joints accumulate dust and age over the years, causing wear to grow larger and worse—the passages in the hallway from the early cold connection are lessons from previous years. My problem with that incident was an aging cold connection, which I will also record in the light decay section.

Method 3: Call the 10,000 number to call a master (main route, 0 to 100 yuan)

you don't dare touch fiber yourself, then call a technician—this is the safest path. Note the caliber: The you need to do is not "mobile device migration" is that broadband is moving from one address to another, which involves a different process and cost. I have written article broadband device relocation. If you relocate your room and tell customer service, "Let's change rooms with the fiber optic modem, the fiber optic cable isn't long enough, need to be extended or rerouted." Some places count it as installing and relocating the device, some only charge a door-to-door fee, and some even offer it for free.

I checked

fees: the traditional caliber relocation fee is 90 yuan per session (80 yuan for testing plus 10 yuan for handling fees), but it varies greatly by region. Starting in March 2024, Shanghai will waive home broadband relocation, and in many provinces, even minor indoor relocations are only a few dozen yuan. So call 10000 first to get clear before booking; don't randomly order packages on the app. If you don't want to make a phone call, Xiaoyi's butler can also report a disability App and arrange a master.

technicians coming is that they bring fusion splicers: either you re-stretch the entire long leather wire with both ends of the fusion fiber, or extend the fusion fibers, with joint losses an order of magnitude less than cold joints, and all done in one go. There's also a hidden benefit: take the opportunity to have the technician replace the aging cold connector in your hallway along with it. That thing is the number one chronic light deterioration disease, so it's easy for the technician to handle it.

Method 4: Stay in place for the optical modem, just move the WiFi over

if your original intention is just "poor WiFi signal inside the house," then you don't need to move the optical modem or router. Turn off the optical modem and WiFi, place the main router in the weak current box or the entrance of the weak current box. Add a Mesh sub-router where the signal coverage is insufficient. How to choose the placement location? I tested eight points, which I wrote about in the Mesh sub-routing placement article. For larger households, how to connect a sub-router and how many units are enough? You can refer to my article the optical modem connects to two routers. Among the three connection methods, AP mode is best suited for this scenario.

this router changes the least, you only spend a router, and you can even take the router with you when moving later. The downside is that having to add one device requires power supply and seating, so if your home sockets are tight, you have to think carefully beforehand.

must complete three checks after moving, plus three rules for handling the fiber

No matter which path you take, after using the fiber, you must do these three things. First, check light degradation: check the reception power in the backend of 192.168.2.1, compare it with before moving, and if it suddenly gains more than 1dB out of thin air, go back to check the contacts and bending; second, check the PON light: always on is the registration issue; if it keeps flashing, it's LOS or registration fault. Reconnect first and then check; third, check IPTV: can the set-top box be included in the live streaming list? Multicast channels are more sensitive to bending than broadband. Many people have normal broadband TVs but have distorted screens, with the root cause being the new line segment.

There are three rules for

reel fiber, which are even more important than checking: bending radius should not be less than 5 centimeters excess wire should be wound in a large loop, and no right angles should be bent; Leave a finger of loose with the zip tie; strangling is equivalent to slow breakage; don't press or pinch —sofa legs, door gaps, and drawers are all hotspots.

in the end, one sentence: Can the optical modem be moved? Yes. But first, ask yourself—do you really want to move that cat, or just want WiFi to follow you? The former uses a technician's fusion fiber for the most worry-free, the latter just needs a network cable and a router, and the yellow wire should be left untouched if possible.