Underground fiber optic cable installation cost

[Ira]

I want to have a couple of IP security cameras at my driveway gate, which is about 1500' from my house. I got an estimate for the job that includes...

1. All materials and labor for a 12 strand single mode cable from the house to the gate area.
2. Two intermediate "drops" between the two endpoints.
3. Terminations at the drops and endpoints.
4. Fiber distribution units at the drops.
5. Terminating the house end inside an exterior garage wall where a LAN switch will be located (I provide the switch).
6. Testing the cable.

The installer will use directional boring instead of trenching. He said the cost difference "isn't very much". The fiber optic cable will be pulled in 1.25" HPDE tubing.

The soil type is clay. No rocks. The land is flat. The runs are straight lines between the drops and end points. It's all on my property. Only one natural gas main that has to be crossed.

I was shocked by the cost... $41K. 12 strand vs 6 strand adds maybe $500 to the cost. I haven't talked to them about the estimate yet, so I don't know where the costs lie. He said it was an easy job and would only take a day and a half. I estimate the materials to cost about $10K.

Is directional boring really expensive (and maybe overkill for this project)? I can get a trench dug for $2/ft.

 

[JonW]

Is wireless not an option? That distance could be problematic for wireless cameras, but a wireless bridge with hard-wired cameras would have no issues - as long as there is line of sight.

 

[Ira]

Line-of-sight is a problem due to trees. Also, since I have to run power underground out to the gate as part of this project, it makes sense to look at wired solutions that can make use of the same trench.

I found out that the directional boring is $15K of the cost, which I can eliminate if I leave the trench for the power open for the fiber optic cable. According to the installer, there's about $9K in materials/equipment/etc. so I was pretty close. That leaves $17K for labor and profit, which seems really high for what would be a one day job if he doesn't have to do the boring or trenching.

Cat6 with ethernet extenders is looking pretty good.

 

[JonW]

Hate to say it, but the fiber would be a better choice since you are going to run electrical in the same trench. Running CAT6 cable in parallel to the power will create EM interference in the cable.

 

[Ira]

I agree that fiber is the best option if the price is competitive. Shielded cat6 cable may take care of the interference.

 

[RAL]

CatX cable transmission distance is limited to 100m (328 feet), so you're not going to be able to go 1500 feet without multiple repeaters along the way. Fiber is the best option.

 

[sic0048]

At 41k, I would be doing this project myself!

I don't know if the labor to terminate the fiber is higher than average, but that might explain some of the cost. Or perhaps they are charging "labor" on top of the directional boring piece (that they are going to sub out I bet). 17k in labor on a 24k job doesn't sound out of line, but 17k on a 9k job sounds excessive.

 

[RAL]

Fiber termination isn't all that hard, but experience and practice helps ensure good quality terminations. Termination kits cost anywhere from $50 to $3000. The difference is the quality of the tools and how long they will last.

Another option to terminating the fiber in the field is to buy pre-terminated fiber cable. That will provide you with high quality terminations and it doesn't cost all that much more than raw cable. And you can get custom lengths.

For 1500 feet, 12 strand cable will run you around $2200. It sounds like you want to have cameras along the way and not just at the gate, so I would go with several shorter cables to allow that by giving you intermediate connection points (e.g. 500' + 500' + 500', or whatever you need.) It will increase the cost somewhat because of the additional terminations, say by $400 for each additional segment over the cost of a single run (e.g. $3000 total for 3x500' segments)

Here's an example of where you can buy pre-terminated cables:

https://www.lanshack.com/12-Strand-CustomLine-Corning-ALTOS-Outdoor-Armored-Direct-Burial-OSP-DB-Singlemode-Assembly-by-QuickTreX-P8016.aspx

And here's a tutorial about what is involved in terminating fiber:

https://www.lanshack.com/fiber-optic-tutorial-termination.aspx

If the trench is being dug for electrical power anyway, going the DIY route on the fiber with pre-terminated cables wouldn't be all that difficult and could save you a lot of money.

 

[kurtmccaslin]

I installed 600 ft of pre-terminated cable in existing conduit and it cost less than $1000 including the fiber, media converters, and termination boxes. I used lots of lubricant and pulled very slowly.

I can provide pictures and a bill of materials if you decide to go this way.