HG8240 Optical Network Terminal

The EchoLife HG8240 is a bridge + voice home-side device in Huawei's FTTH solution and also a G/EPON dual-mode optical network terminal. As a key optical network terminal in FTTH network access, it consists of a PON optical access unit, a voice processing unit and an Ethernet switching unit, and it serves to provide ultra-broadband access for home and SOHO users while carrying voice, data and high definition video services on the same device. In an FTTH network, the HG8240 sits at the opposite end of the OLT and at the end of the ODN: on the uplink it connects to the PON network through the optical port via an optical splitter, and on the downlink it provides users with 2 POTS voice interfaces and 4 GE/FE adaptive Ethernet ports, meeting the multi-service carrying requirements of FTTH network access scenarios.

Key Specifications at a Glance: 2POTS+4GE · G/EPON dual-mode adaptation · SIP/H.248 dual protocol · OMCI/OAM remote automatic provisioning · POTS port outside line test and call simulation · GE line-rate forwarding

What Is an Optical Network Terminal?

An optical network terminal (ONU) is an optical access device deployed on the user side in FTTH network access. Its role is to convert the PON signal carried over the optical fiber into service interfaces that users can use directly, such as telephone and Ethernet interfaces, and to communicate with the central office OLT through the PON protocol. The EchoLife HG8240 belongs to the bridge + voice type: it completes bridging and forwarding between the PON side and the user side at the link layer, and its built-in voice processing capability registers the analog telephones on the POTS ports with the softswitch platform, so that one optical fiber carries both voice and data services at the same time.

For private network users such as industrial parks and electric power and energy companies, the installation location of the optical network terminal determines the on-site workload: the devices sit on the user side, are numerous and distributed across many sites, so whether services can be provisioned remotely and faults can be located remotely directly determines the enablement and O&M cost of the whole network. The HG8240 provides 2 POTS voice interfaces and 4 GE/FE adaptive Ethernet ports on the same device, so a single terminal can carry voice dispatching and multiple data backhaul links at the same time, and no voice gateway or fiber optic switch needs to be added on the user side.

Figure 1: Panel layout of the 2 POTS voice ports and 4 GE Ethernet ports of the EchoLife HG8240 optical network terminal

What Interfaces and Functions Does the HG8240 Provide?

The interfaces and application capabilities of the HG8240 can be summarized into six items, all carried by the same terminal and covering two kinds of on-site deployment actions: service provisioning and fault handling.

These six capabilities correspond to two kinds of on-site actions during deployment: for service provisioning, OMCI/OAM is used to complete the remote automatic provisioning of voice, broadband and multicast services, and on site only the optical path connection and cable wiring need to be completed; for fault handling, the POTS port outside line test and call simulation are used to first determine, without sending anyone on site, whether the problem lies in the outside line, the terminal or the softswitch platform.

How to Choose Between G/EPON Dual Modes?

The conclusion on how to choose between G/EPON dual modes is: when a park has both an existing EPON network and a new GPON private network to build, it is enough to select a terminal that supports dual-mode adaptation, and there is no need to purchase two batches of ONUs separately according to the format. EPON corresponds to the IEEE 802.3ah series of standards and GPON to the ITU-T G.984 series of standards, and the two types of networks follow different technical approaches on the central office OLT side; through its dual-mode adaptation capability, the HG8240 is compatible with both formats on the same terminal, so the terminal does not need to be replaced when connecting to either an existing EPON network or a new GPON private network.

From an engineering point of view, the value of dual-mode operation is concentrated in three areas: existing EPON sites and the new GPON private network in the park can share the same terminal model, which reduces the variety of spare parts; during phased network upgrades, the subscriber-side terminals are not replaced when the central office format is adjusted; and the same terminal configuration template can be used for both types of networks, keeping the service provisioning process consistent. The phased construction approach, in which EPON carries the existing sites and GPON carries the new backbone, is fairly common in FTTH network access for industrial parks.

Key Parameters and Performance Specifications

The table below lists the interface and capability parameters of the HG8240 according to the product documentation; for items that are not specified, the manufacturer's technical documentation applies.

How Is the POTS Port Outside Line Test Used?

The answer to how the POTS port outside line test is used is: test and simulation commands are issued remotely from the network management side, the POTS outside line status is tested first, then a call simulation is initiated, and on that basis it is determined whether the fault lies in the outside line, the terminal or the softswitch platform, with no need to send anyone on site. The POTS port outside line test is used to check the status of the outside line between the terminal and the telephone; the call simulation is used to verify the signaling and voice channel between the terminal and the softswitch platform. If the simulated call can be established, the terminal registration and the uplink optical path are normal, and the problem is most likely in the outside line or on the telephone side; if the simulated call cannot be established, the fault lies in terminal registration, the PON uplink or the platform side, and these three points need to be checked in turn.

For projects with distributed sites such as electric power and energy and industrial parks, the remote diagnosis capability maps directly to O&M costs: when no voice service is available at an unattended site, one remote outside line test and call simulation can narrow the failures requiring an on-site visit down to the few cases that really are on site.

How to Wire and Deploy the 4-Channel GE Optical Network Terminal?

For the wiring of the 4-channel GE optical network terminal, cables are run in three directions: the uplink optical port connects to the ODN, the voice ports connect to telephones and fax machines, and the 4 GE ports connect to data terminals. The usual deployment sequence for the HG8240 is: first complete the optical path termination and the optical splitter connection, then connect the telephones to the POTS ports and the computers or wireless APs to the GE/FE ports, and afterwards have the network management side remotely provision voice, broadband and multicast services through OMCI/OAM, with no parameter configuration performed on site.

The 4 GE/FE adaptive Ethernet ports can be allocated as follows in an industrial park or an unattended equipment room: one port for a duty computer or office terminal, one for a wireless AP, one for a video camera or environmental monitoring terminal, and the remaining ports kept as spare or for later expansion. The 2 POTS ports on the voice side can connect a duty telephone and a fax machine respectively, or two dispatch telephones at the same site. GE line-rate forwarding means that when voice, data and video services share the same uplink optical fiber, the forwarding stage does not become a bottleneck, and capacity expansion within the park does not require laying new optical cable.

Typical Application Scenarios

The target scenarios of the HG8240 are concentrated in three kinds of environments with many sites on the user side and inconvenient on-site maintenance, where the same terminal handles voice with 2 POTS ports and data backhaul with 4 GE ports; in the product showcase it is a typical optical network terminal on the user side.

Industrial Park FTTH Private Network

The difficulty in building an industrial park FTTH private network lies in the distributed sites such as factory buildings, dormitory buildings, gatehouses and distribution rooms, each of which has both telephone requirements and data requirements. HG8240 units are deployed at each site, with 2 POTS ports connecting duty telephones or intercom terminals and 4 GE ports connecting office terminals, wireless APs and video surveillance devices, while the uplink is aggregated into the park OLT through an optical splitter. The park network solution provider can enable voice and broadband services in batches remotely through OMCI/OAM, so private network service provisioning does not require on-site configuration point by point; when the new area uses GPON and the existing area retains EPON, the user side continues to use the same terminal model. The terminal can also work with a fiber optic switch to complete networking at the park aggregation layer, and as the end-point device of FTTH network access it supports the implementation of the government private network optical fiber communication solution in park scenarios.

Energy and Electric Power Remote Sites

Remote sites in the energy and electric power industry are usually unattended or staffed only by on-duty personnel, and their communication sites include substations, pumping stations and metering points. Inside the site the HG8240 handles both voice access and data backhaul: the POTS ports connect duty telephones or dispatch telephones, and the GE ports connect metering and acquisition equipment, environmental monitoring terminals and cameras, with voice and data sharing one uplink optical fiber, so both the variety of cables and the number of devices in the site are reduced accordingly. When the voice channel fails, O&M personnel can first locate the fault remotely through the POTS port outside line test and call simulation, and arrange for personnel to come on site only after confirming that the problem is on site. The deployment experience of such sites can also be reused for the integrated voice and data access requirements of the military emergency communications vehicle solution.

Unattended Equipment Room

The communication requirement of an unattended equipment room centers on remote manageability. The HG8240 is installed in the equipment room, voice services are provisioned remotely and automatically through OMCI/OAM, and the data terminals in the room connect to the uplink optical fiber through the GE ports; device registration and service configuration are completed centrally on the network management side, so the equipment room can be delivered without waiting for on-site commissioning personnel. For equipment rooms put into service in batches, remote provisioning keeps the service provisioning process consistent at every location and also makes it easier to adjust voice and broadband services in batches later.

Differentiated Value: Which Capabilities Do the Three Selling Points Correspond To?

The differentiated value of the HG8240 is concentrated in three aspects: interface configuration, format compatibility and remote O&M; the three differentiated selling points and their corresponding capabilities are shown in the table below.

Conclusion: Deployment Highlights of the G/EPON Dual-Mode Optical Network Terminal

The HG8240 G/EPON dual-mode optical network terminal does three things inside one device on the user side: 2 POTS ports and 4 GE/FE ports carry voice and data at the same time; G/EPON dual-mode adaptation lets existing EPON and new GPON private networks share one type of terminal; and OMCI/OAM remote automatic provisioning, together with the POTS port outside line test and call simulation, moves both service provisioning and fault handling to the network management side. When deploying an industrial park FTTH private network, an energy and electric power remote site or an unattended equipment room, it is recommended to first confirm the on-site PON format and the ODN optical splitting design, then allocate the interfaces according to the actual number of voice and data channels, and reserve the remaining ports for later capacity expansion; parameters such as the optical port rate, power supply and operating temperature are not yet recorded in the knowledge base, so please refer to the manufacturer's technical documentation and commercial confirmation. As an optical network terminal product recommended by a media converter manufacturer, the HG8240 can work with media converters, fiber optic switches, SIP telephones and other devices, providing reliable access capability on the user side for FTTH network access, the government private network optical fiber communication solution and the military emergency communications vehicle solution.

How Is the POTS Port Outside Line Test Used?

The answer to how the POTS port outside line test is used is: test and simulation commands are issued remotely from the network management side, the POTS outside line status is tested first, then a call simulation is initiated, and on that basis it is determined whether the fault lies in the outside line, the terminal or the softswitch platform, with no need to send anyone on site. The POTS port outside line test is used to check the status of the outside line between the terminal and the telephone; the call simulation is used to verify the signaling and voice channel between the terminal and the softswitch platform. If the simulated call can be established, the terminal registration and the uplink optical path are normal, and the problem is most likely in the outside line or on the telephone side; if the simulated call cannot be established, the fault lies in terminal registration, the PON uplink or the platform side, and these three points need to be checked in turn.

For projects with distributed sites such as electric power and energy and industrial parks, the remote diagnosis capability maps directly to O&M costs: when no voice service is available at an unattended site, one remote outside line test and call simulation can narrow the failures requiring an on-site visit down to the few cases that really are on site.

How to Wire and Deploy the 4-Channel GE Optical Network Terminal?

For the wiring of the 4-channel GE optical network terminal (ONT), cables are run in three directions: the uplink optical port connects to the ODN, the voice ports connect to telephones and fax machines, and the 4 GE ports connect to data terminals. The usual deployment sequence for the HG8240 is: first complete the optical path termination and the optical splitter connection, then connect the telephones to the POTS ports and the computers or wireless APs to the GE/FE ports, and afterwards have the network management side remotely provision voice, broadband and multicast services through OMCI/OAM, with no parameter configuration performed on site.

The 4 GE/FE adaptive Ethernet ports can be allocated as follows in an industrial park or an unattended equipment room: one port for a duty computer or office terminal, one for a wireless AP, one for a video camera or environmental monitoring terminal, and the remaining ports kept as spare or for later expansion. The 2 POTS ports on the voice side can connect a duty telephone and a fax machine respectively, or two dispatch telephones at the same site. GE line-rate forwarding means that when voice, data and video services share the same uplink optical fiber, the forwarding stage does not become a bottleneck, and capacity expansion within the park does not require laying new optical cable.

Typical Application Scenarios

The target scenarios of the HG8240 are concentrated in three kinds of environments with many sites on the user side and inconvenient on-site maintenance, where the same terminal handles voice with 2 POTS ports and data backhaul with 4 GE ports; in the product showcase it is a typical optical network terminal on the user side.

Industrial Park FTTH Private Network

The difficulty in building an industrial park FTTH private network lies in the distributed sites such as factory buildings, dormitory buildings, gatehouses and distribution rooms, each of which has both telephone requirements and data requirements. HG8240 units are deployed at each site, with 2 POTS ports connecting duty telephones or intercom terminals and 4 GE ports connecting office terminals, wireless APs and video surveillance devices, while the uplink is aggregated into the park OLT through an optical splitter. The park network solution provider can perform remote bulk provisioning of voice and broadband services through OMCI/OAM, so private network service provisioning does not require on-site configuration point by point; when the new area uses GPON and the existing area retains EPON, the user side continues to use the same model of terminal. The terminal can also work with a fiber optic switch to complete networking at the park aggregation layer, and as the end-point device of FTTH network access it supports the implementation of the government private network optical fiber communication solution in park scenarios.

Energy and Electric Power Remote Sites

Remote sites in the energy and electric power industry are usually unattended or staffed only by on-duty personnel, and their communication sites include substations, pumping stations and metering points. Inside the site the HG8240 handles both voice access and data backhaul: the POTS ports connect duty telephones or dispatch telephones, and the GE ports connect metering and acquisition equipment, environmental monitoring terminals and cameras, with voice and data sharing one uplink optical fiber, so both the variety of cables and the number of devices in the site are reduced accordingly. When the voice channel fails, O&M personnel can first locate the fault remotely through the POTS port outside line test and call simulation, and arrange for personnel to come on site only after confirming that it is an on-site problem. The deployment experience of such sites can also be reused for the integrated voice and data access requirements of the military emergency communications vehicle solution.

Unattended Equipment Room

The communication requirement of an unattended equipment room centers on remote manageability. The HG8240 is installed in the equipment room, voice services are provisioned remotely and automatically through OMCI/OAM, and the data terminals in the room connect to the uplink optical fiber through the GE ports; device registration and service configuration are completed centrally on the network management side, so the equipment room can be delivered without waiting for on-site commissioning personnel. For equipment rooms put into service in batches, remote provisioning keeps the service provisioning process consistent at every location and also makes it easier to adjust voice and broadband services in batches later.

Differentiated Value: Which Capabilities Do the Three Selling Points Correspond To?

The differentiated value of the HG8240 is concentrated in three aspects: interface configuration, format compatibility and remote O&M; the three differentiated selling points and their corresponding capabilities are shown in the table below.

Conclusion: Deployment Highlights of the G/EPON Dual-Mode Optical Network Terminal

The HG8240 G/EPON dual-mode optical network terminal does three things inside one device on the user side: 2 POTS ports and 4 GE/FE ports carry voice and data at the same time; G/EPON dual-mode adaptation lets existing EPON and new GPON private networks share one type of terminal; and OMCI/OAM remote automatic provisioning, together with the POTS port outside line test and call simulation, moves both service provisioning and fault handling to the network management side. When deploying an industrial park FTTH private network, an energy and electric power remote site or an unattended equipment room, it is recommended to first confirm the on-site PON format and the ODN optical splitting design, then allocate the interfaces according to the actual number of voice and data channels, and reserve the remaining ports for later capacity expansion; parameters such as the optical port rate, power supply and operating temperature are not yet recorded in the knowledge base, so please refer to the manufacturer's technical documentation and commercial confirmation. As an optical network terminal product recommended by a media converter manufacturer, the HG8240 can work with media converters, fiber optic switches, SIP telephones and other devices, providing reliable access capability on the user side for FTTH network access, the government private network optical fiber communication solution and the military emergency communications vehicle solution.