Optical Splitter
An optical splitter is an unpowered device that divides the light from one fibre into several fibres, so that one network connection can be shared by many customers.
What is an optical splitter?
Splitters are what make a passive optical network "passive". A 1:N splitter takes one input and produces N outputs, where N is typically between 2 and 64. Some designs use 2:N splitters with two inputs, for resilience or testing. Each split divides the optical power, so higher split ratios shorten the distance the signal can travel. Planar lightwave circuit (PLC) splitters are the common type in FTTH because they split evenly and are compact.
How it works
Splitters can sit in the central office beside the OLT, in the FDT cabinet, in the FAT or in a splitter box inside a building. Using two levels (for example 1:4 at the FDT and 1:8 at the FAT, giving 1:32 overall) is a common way to balance cost against flexibility.