Application · small business
Small Venue All-Optical
A compact all-optical design for bars and restaurants, kindergartens and villa/large-flat projects: a small OLT or optical gateway, ONT/AP per zone, PoE for cameras and access control, PoF for ceiling devices without mains, and one management view.
Updated October 24, 2026
- Copper limit
- 100 m
- PoF limit
- 200 m
- PoF power
- 12 W / port
- PON reach
- 20 km
The engineering problem
Why the obvious answer fails.
The endpoint is small; the distance, the power and the environment are not. Three paragraphs explain where the design usually breaks.
A small venue rarely has an IT department. The bar, kindergarten or villa needs Wi-Fi, CCTV, access control and perhaps a payment network, but there is no server room, no rack and no one to manage a stack of separate boxes.
The building layout is irregular. A villa may have a main house and an annex; a bar may have a front-of-house, kitchen and terrace; a kindergarten may have classrooms, a play area and a gate. A single router in the middle rarely covers all of them, and copper runs may exceed 100 m.
Some ceiling or outdoor points have no mains. Cameras at the gate, APs on the terrace or a display in the play area may be far from a socket. PoE works only within 100 m; PoF can reach 200 m at up to 12 W, which fits many small-venue devices.
Path comparison
Four paths, one decision.
The correct path is the one that matches the endpoint power, the distance and the presence of mains. Do not compare only on cable price.
| Path | Reach | Power at the endpoint | Mains at endpoint | Best for | Limits |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Copper PoE | 100 m channel | 15.4 / 30 W at the source (af / at) | Required for the switch | Devices within 100 m of a powered cabinet | Cable loss, surge path, no reach beyond 100 m |
| PoE extender | 200 – 500 m with hops | Reduced at each hop | Required at every extender | Retrofit where a mid-point has power | Another powered box outdoors; still copper |
| Power over Fiber | Up to 200 m per port | Up to 12 W per port | Not required | Ceiling APs, pole cameras, readers, sensors | 12 W per port, hybrid cable, 200 m limit |
| Fibre + local PoE switch | 20 km PON backhaul | Local switch budget | Required at the local cabinet | Cabinets, buildings, dense clusters | Needs a powered cabinet and a switch |
The correct path is the one that matches the endpoint power, the distance and the presence of mains. Do not compare only on cable price.
Design approach
How we lay it out.
Start with one compact headend
Use a compact OLT or optical gateway instead of a full chassis. It provides the PON ports, routing, AC and management for a small venue in one box.
One drop per zone
Run fibre to each zone: bar/restaurant, kitchen, terrace, classroom, play area or annex. Terminate with an ONT/AP that provides Wi-Fi and GE ports for local devices.
Use PoE and PoF only where they fit
PoE for cameras and APs within 100 m of a powered cabinet; PoF for a ceiling AP or gate camera at 100–200 m without mains. Do not put a motor, heater or high-power AP on PoF.
Keep the network simple to run
Use one SSID/VLAN plan for guest, staff and devices, a cloud/AC view for remote support, and a labelled as-built so the local electrician or installer can service it.
Bill of materials
A starting BOM.
Quantities follow the endpoint count and the number of cabinets. Adjust after the site survey.
| Line | Typical configuration | Why it is in the BOM |
|---|---|---|
| Compact OLT / gateway | 1–8 PON ports, routing, AC, 10GE uplink | One headend for a small venue |
| Zone ONT/AP | Wi-Fi 6, 1–4 GE, PoE/PoF option | Wi-Fi and ports per zone |
| PoE switch | 8–24 ports, 802.3af/at | Cameras, access control and short copper runs |
| PoF splitter and cable | 8 outputs + cascade, hybrid cable | Ceiling or gate devices without mains |
| NVR / storage | 8–16 channels, ONVIF | CCTV recording where the venue needs it |
| Cabling and ODF | SC/UPC or SC/APC, 4–24 ports | Terminates and labels the small ODN |
| Management | AC/cloud, VLAN/SSID plan | Remote support without an IT team |
The port count and PoE/PoF mix follow the zone count and the device list. Confirm the final BOM on the quotation.
Numbers to check
The design rules.
| Design rule | Value to confirm |
|---|---|
| Zone drop | 1 ONT/AP per zone; 4–32 zones typical |
| PON reach | 20 km Class B+; 3 dB ageing margin |
| PoE limit | 100 m channel including patch cords |
| PoF limit | 200 m per port, ≤12 W per device |
| Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi 6 for guest and staff; separate SSIDs |
| Security | Guest isolation; separate VLAN for payments and cameras |
Recommended equipment
What this design usually uses.
PON access · OLT
GPON OLT
From a 1-PON gateway to a 112-PON headend.
GPON OLT platforms for FTTH, campus and hotel access: 2.5 Gbps downstream and 1.25 Gbps upstream, 1:64 split per PON port and 20 km reach on Class B+ optics. Configurations run from a compact 1-PON gateway with built-in AC to a chassis with up to 112 PON ports.
- Line rate
- 2.5 Gbps ↓ / 1.25 Gbps ↑
- Max split
- 1:64 per PON port
- Reach
- 20 km, Class B+
- PON ports
- 1 – 112
Best for FTTH Access Network · Campus Fibre Network · Outdoor Wireless Coverage
View specifications
PON access · ONU / ONT
GPON / XPON ONU & ONT
From a 1-GE bridge to a 4-GE Wi-Fi 6 gateway.
XPON ONU and ONT options for FTTH, hotel rooms, offices and outdoor cabinets: 1, 2 or 4 GE ports, Wi-Fi 4/5/6, CATV and POTS options, and 10G PON models. All units are SC single-mode, 20 km, EPON/GPON dual-mode where the model supports it.
- PON
- XPON, EPON/GPON
- User ports
- 1 – 4 × GE
- Wi-Fi
- Wi-Fi 4 / 5 / 6
- Reach
- 20 km
Best for FTTH Access Network · Campus Fibre Network · Outdoor Wireless Coverage
View specifications
CPE & wireless · access points
Wi-Fi AP & AC
Ceiling, wall-plate and high-density APs.
Wi-Fi 6/7 access points and software AC for hotels, campuses and offices: ceiling APs with 2.5GE PoE, wall-plate APs, high-density models, PoF ceiling APs and a built-in or software AC.
- Wi-Fi
- Wi-Fi 6 / Wi-Fi 7
- Uplink
- GE / 2.5GE / PoF
- Power
- PoE / PoF
- Management
- AC / OLT
Best for Campus Fibre Network · Outdoor Wireless Coverage · FTTH Access Network
View specifications
PoE switching · managed & unmanaged
PoE Switches
8 to 48 PoE ports, with 10G and 100G uplinks.
PoE switch families from compact 4–8 port units to 48-port Layer 3 switches with 100G uplinks. IEEE 802.3af/at power, VLAN and IGMP isolation, and a 100 m copper limit that decides where the fibre has to take over.
- Ports
- 4 – 48 × GE PoE
- Uplinks
- GE / 10G / 100G
- Power
- 802.3af / at
- Distance
- 100 m copper
Best for CCTV & Surveillance Power · Parking Lot Camera System · Perimeter Security Power
View specifications
Power over Fiber · access
PoF Switch & PoF ONU
One hybrid cable to the ceiling: data and 12 W.
A Power-over-Fiber access set: an optical gateway, an 8-output PoF power splitter, hybrid PoF cable and a ceiling Wi-Fi 6 ONU. Each output delivers up to 12 W to 200 m, so ceiling APs and cameras run without a local mains socket.
- Power per port
- Up to 12 W
- Reach
- Up to 200 m
- Outputs
- 8 + 1 cascade
- Wi-Fi
- Wi-Fi 6 AX3000
Best for Outdoor Wireless Coverage · Campus Fibre Network · Parking Lot Camera System
View specifications
Surveillance · storage
NVR & Surveillance Storage
Recording and storage for camera networks.
NVR and surveillance storage options for CCTV projects: 8–64 channel recording, PoE or non-PoE, HDD bays, RAID options and ONVIF compatibility. The channel count and storage are quoted with the camera schedule.
- Channels
- 8 – 64
- HDD bays
- 2 / 4 / 8
- Network
- 1–2 GE
- Protocol
- ONVIF
Best for CCTV & Surveillance Power · Parking Lot Camera System · Perimeter Security Power
View specificationsApplication FAQ
Small Venue All-Optical: site questions.
If your question is not here, send the site details and we will answer with the calculation, not a brochure.
Ask an engineerIs this overkill for a bar or a villa?
It can be simpler than a stack of routers and extenders. A compact optical gateway replaces the router, the AC and the first switch; one fibre per zone removes long copper runs and gives each zone a managed AP/ONT.
Can one venue use both PoE and PoF?
Yes. Keep the power domains separate: PoE for devices within 100 m of a powered cabinet, PoF for ceiling or gate devices at 100–200 m without mains. Do not parallel the 48 V PoF bus with a PoE or local power supply.
How many zones can one compact OLT serve?
It depends on the PON port count and the split ratio. A 1-PON gateway with a 1:32 split can serve up to 32 ONTs, but plan for 50–70% fill and leave ports for cameras and future zones.
Do we need a technician on site?
The fibre drop and the PoF/PoE power path should be installed by a qualified installer. The cloud/AC view lets a remote engineer support SSID, VLAN and firmware changes after handover.
Can the same network carry CCTV and guest Wi-Fi?
Yes, with separate VLANs and a bandwidth plan. Keep CCTV on its own VLAN, reserve upstream bandwidth, and do not let guest traffic and video recording compete for the same uplink without QoS.
How many PoF ports does a small venue need?
Count the no-mains endpoints and add 20% for growth. One 8-output splitter covers up to eight devices at 12 W per port, with a 120 W supply; a second splitter on the cascade port takes it to 16. Keep CCTV, access control and guest Wi-Fi on separate VLANs even when they share the splitter.
Next step
Planning Small Venue All-Optical?
Send the device list, the longest run, the mains condition and the country. We return the path, the BOM and the budget assumptions.
No obligation. The plan states its assumptions so your engineer can check it.