When I grew up in rural Ohio, my brother and I played cops and robbers with neighborhood kids in the fields and woods that surrounded our property. We were about the same age and it was big fun for us to sneak around to “get the drop” on the other guys. We’d draw our toy guns and yell “Stick ‘em up!” It worked best, of course, when the other guys didn’t know we were there. Once the “bad guys” were arrested and put in jail, we started over to see how sneaky we could be as the bad guys. We played like this for hours and switched up roles, depending on who wanted to be the good guys or the bad guys.

Today, I am a little older, and the word “drop” has a different meaning to me. I’m no longer running through the woods and fields chasing my friends, but I am trying to get the “drop” on providing a reliable broadband pathway that is installed easily, restored simply and has a pre-terminated fiber already in it.

FieldShield^® D-ROP is what I found that does all of these things.

D-ROP is a CIC (Cable in Conduit) fiber drop with either a 2mm or 3mm durable fiber pre-installed and pre-terminated. This is important when designers, installers and contractors want a one-pass drop solution, meaning they don’t have a conduit installed and then a fiber placed afterwards. This is a both a time and cost saver for installation crews and it provides a pathway for replacement if needed later.

An added benefit is that the FieldShield pre-installed fiber is also pre-connectorized, so the fiber doesn’t need to be spliced after placement…another big cost savings. Once the D-ROP fiber drop is placed, the tech only needs to ring cut the microduct at the length needed and slip the excess off the fiber. Pre-connected drops have had issues with how to best manage the slack. But the FieldShield fiber inside the D-ROP microduct is small and easy to handle, which helps when storing this excess slack.

So while I may no longer “get the drop” on my friends, I can get a craft-friendly drop to my friends and make sure they have the best quality fiber connection. Who knows…maybe after we get the high-speed fiber installed, we can sit down and stream an old movie about cops and robbers.

To get the drop (or D-ROP) on your fiber connections, reach out to Clearfield^®. We’re happy to help.

By Scot Bohaychyk

Scot Bohaychyk—Manager, Product Marketing—has nearly 30 years in the telecommunications industry. Scot’s background includes serving in The White House Communications Agency, providing communications infrastructure support. Scot’s private sector experience includes OSP field and engineering experience, as well as market development and sales work in the fields of blown and pushable fiber for long-haul fiber installations—both in the United States and overseas.