Corning Unicam Connectors vs AFL FASTConnect

Harry Rose 19th Mar 2021

Are Corning Unicam or AFL FASTConnect Fiber Connectors better?

Features of both:

Field terminatable mechanical fiber connectors
No adhesives required
Factory polished end faces ready to install
Fast terminations
No consumables
Low insertion loss

Differentiating Features

Unicam adheres to the fiber with a cam action and a crimp ring.This requires a cam tool only available from Corning.There is a standard tool kit and a more technically advance kit.The advanced kit does give a positive connection reading.

FASTConnect is attached to the fiber when a clip is removed.This releases a clamp which holds the connector to the fiber.No proprietary tool is required.

The prep for both connectors is similar as they both need to be stripped down to the glass fiber, cleaved to a particular length and cleaned before the connector is placed on the fiber.

Both connectors are reusable.The FASTConnect says up to 3 times.The Unicam is reusable if it has not been crimped on the fiber.