Get a Quote

The Get a Quote feature allows users to evaluate pricing options straight from the FiberLocator interface. By requesting a quote through FiberLocator, the network selection process gets even easier: an experienced consultant from NEF will work with carriers to get multiple quotes with the best pricing options. NEF, the creator of FiberLocator, is a provider-neutral third party with expertise in high capacity optical fiber solutions and colocation services. Because of our relationships with providers and volume of orders, NEF can often secure pricing below the listed rates of many carriers.

After centering the map on your desired location, use the ‘get info’ tool to click on any visible fiber line. This will bring up a gray dialog box:

You can request pricing either through this dialog box, or through the icon in the upper right corner of the user interface:

Click on the green icon with the dollar symbol, and this will bring you to a form on the FiberLocator website. In the form, you will be asked to fill out general information about your needs, including your location of interest, desired products and speeds, contract term length, and the installation time frame needed.

Validate

Having the most accurate information about a network, down the specifics, is sometimes best. For a deeper dive into the fiber routes, lit buildings and data centers mapped in FiberLocator, users can request to have the fiber experts at NEF validate the fiber and network data, including additional research, market analysis, and field surveys.  In fact, it is a good idea to have a neutral third party provide additional information before making large purchase or investment, such as a new data center build.  NEF can validate the information supplied by the providers found within FiberLocator with a variety of reporting options that best suit the needs of your project.

To use the Validate tool, simply follow the same steps as the Get a Quote tool. After centering the map on your desired location, use the ‘get info’ tool to click on any visible fiber line. This will bring up a gray dialog box:

You can request validation either through this dialog box, or through the icon in the upper right corner of the user interface:

Click on the purple icon with the “i”, and this will bring you to a form on the FiberLocator website. You will be given the option to choose a connectivity report, feasibility study, data center site survey, and/or a due diligence report. Having added insight from the experts at NEF and FiberLocator provides honest, neutral insight that is integral to making a large purchase or network decision.

Feedback

The Get a Quote and Validate features were a direct result of user feedback – our user community has great ideas and we love to hear them! To make voicing your opinions and ideas simple, we added a button in the upper right corner of the interface:

When you click on the Feedback button, it opens a page on the FiberLocator website where you can let us know your thoughts:

Another option is to answer our brief six-question survey here.

Do you have any suggestions on how to make FiberLocator better? Are there features that you’d like to see? We welcome all feedback and use it to improve your experience as a FiberLocator subscriber – let us know what you think!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media Contact: Joy Milkowski, 720-939-5858

NEWTON, Mass. (May 4, 2012) – FiberLocator Online, the centralized, searchable fiber network research database from NEF (www.NEFiber.com), has added critical new workflow-optimization features to the user interface. In addition to displaying key telecommunications data and research such as fiber maps, lit buildings and data center locations, FiberLocator Online now offers two other important information resources to users: two-click Quote Requests and Validation Requests. With these new features, FiberLocator Online enables users to seamlessly integrate time-intensive activities such as pricing requests and third-party network validations into the telecom research and procurement workflow.

The latest release of FiberLocator Online, which launches today, gives users the ability to send pricing requests to NEF based on a fiber route or carrier at a specific location. Users can also request to have the fiber experts at NEF validate the fiber and network data they are seeing in FiberLocator Online. The three available report options for validation requests are connectivity reports, feasibility studies and data center site surveys. Connectivity Reports highlight area and location-specific infrastructure options and deliver research and field level data. Both feasibility studies and data center site surveys involve similar information and also include competitive analysis, recommendations and pricing. Custom validation projects are also available depending on client requirements.

Both the Quote Request and Validation Request features were added to FiberLocator Online based on user feedback with the goal of simplifying and streamlining the processes used by FiberLocator subscribers.

“The biggest benefit we hear from our users is what a time savings tool FiberLocator is. Research and information gathering tasks that used to take our typical user days and several phone calls and emails to complete, now just takes them a few minutes in FiberLocator,” says Steve McCarthy, COO of NEF and co-creator of FiberLocator.

“By integrating the pricing and validation request features into FiberLocator, it maximizes our users’ efficiency and keeps key functions like quote requests and network validations closely aligned with their workflow,” McCarthy continued.  “Any time we can remove extra steps for our customers’ to-do lists and help them make their jobs easier and faster, we’re creating tremendous value.”

With FiberLocator Online, network planners, commercial real estate professionals and myriad related telecom and IT professionals  can search and pinpoint fiber network and colo intelligence down to street level. FiberLocator provides detailed maps on nearly 200 network providers, 1600+ data centers and 150,000 lit buildings all across the US.  Subscribers can view maps and information on networks at specific addresses/building locations and utilize numerous intuitive features within the application including radius and measurement tools, dynamic legend and layer controls, map print functions and more.

To schedule an interactive demo of FiberLocator Online or learn more about individual access or enterprise licenses, contact NEF today at 617-597-6800.

About FiberLocator Online

FiberLocator Online is a unique, searchable telecom application mapping thousands of “lit” buildings, data centers and street-level facilities based carrier networks in the US. FiberLocator was created by the fiber experts at NEF, Inc., one of the nation’s top telecommunications consulting and procurement firms. FiberLocator continues to grow as one of the most trusted central repositories of telecommunications infrastructure maps and intelligence as well as a source for consulting and network verifications. For more information, visit www.FiberLocator.com.

NEWTON, Mass. (April 10,  2012) – NEF, a leading telecommunications consulting and brokerage firm focused on dark fiber, colocation and high-capacity bandwidth, announced this week that CEO, Michael Murphy, will present at Data Center Summit West April 12, 2012, at the Santa Clara Convention Center. Murphy will serve as a dark fiber and high capacity network subject matter expert for the session “Data Center Design & Its Impact on Marketability, Management and Operations” moderated by Steve Finnerty, Business Development at zColo.

The panel, which focuses on what makes a data center asset “marketable” in today’s commercial property and IT landscape, will be one of many educational sessions held throughout the day at the Data Center Summit West. Over 300 data center, commercial real estate, telecom and other related professionals are expected to attend the event, a sequel to the highly successful summit held in New York City last November.

“When it comes to developing a data center, whether you’re considering an existing building, a powered shell or even a greenfield site, telecom bandwidth plays an enormous role in the marketability of your site,” said Murphy. “A majority of the audience understands the importance of connectivity and will benefit from the discussions surrounding critical components like telecom facilities.”

In addition to the connectivity topics including new and unique fiber and related data-infrastructure requirements, the session will tackle a trending topic of repositioning existing commercial assets, namely what’s required to transform a traditional commercial real estate property into a data center. Moreover, the speakers will touch on electrical requirements and power backup, new and cost-effective water and cooling systems and innovations in security and redundancy measures.

Murphy commented, “Many companies are realizing the overwhelming benefits of moving their data center off-site and away from their office locations, and at the same time, investors and commercial property owners are seeing the potential of their assets as data center facilities. Those two ideas together fuel tremendous demand for smarter infrastructure planning and decision making.”

Murphy has more than 16 years of telecommunications sales and management experience, with 12 years working directly with large bandwidth connectivity and colocation for enterprises and carriers. He has formed and cultivated strategic alliances and channel partnerships throughout the nation with a number of standard and non-standard providers. His extensive first-hand experience working with dark fiber, international networks, fiber optic network maps and colocation gives him a wide knowledge base in working with providers, commercial real estate brokers, IT professionals and customers alike.

Murphy and the NEF team will be on hand to wrap up the Data Center Summit West with a post-show networking event, Summit After Hours, in the Great America Room at the Convention Center. The networking event is co-sponsored by Quality Technology Services, the third largest data center provider and leader in innovative data center solutions at locations across the country.

About NEF

NEF, Inc., is one of the nation’s top telecommunications consulting and procurement firms, offering a combined 60 years of industry experience and a proven methodology for providing its customers with the best networks, information and pricing available. NEF provides a broad spectrum of solutions from procurement of dark fiber networks and high bandwidth, fully managed optical services, to buying and selling entire assets through the Asset Marketplace. Through their many partners and carrier relationships, NEF designs custom connectivity solutions and provides access to over 200 fiber providers throughout the US and EU, 150,000 lit buildings and 1400+ data centers. For more information, visit www.NEFiber.com .

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Offerings Include One Duct System in Downtown Richmond and Three Duct Systems in the Growing Austin Metro

NEWTON, Mass. (Mar 22, 2012) – NEF, a leading telecommunications consulting and brokerage firm focused on dark fiber, colocation and high-capacity bandwidth, announced today that Tri Star Holdings has listed two duct systems for sale with NEF. NEF leverages a collaborative network of private equity and telecom buyers with those wishing to sell whole network or data center assets, including fiber networks, unused fiber capacity, duct systems and colocation properties.

NEF was selected to represent Tri Star Holdings’s duct systems because of its track record of successful asset sales. Tri Star Holdings desired a trusted resource for the two unique duct assets and sought NEF for their knowledge of duct systems, their understanding of the telecom industry, as well as for their extensive network of buyer contacts. Tri Star Holdings also chose NEF for the visibility in the Asset Marketplace, a hub of available fiber optic and colocation assets among investors and acquisition-minded telcos.

Tri Star Holdings’s Richmond, Va., asset is a 2.1 mile conduit system in the downtown area and is the last available duct in a multi-duct system. The asset is situated in the heart of Richmond, a welcome business climate with ties to the exploding Northern Virginia region (NOVA) in a state named #1 for business by Forbes.com and CNBC.  The duct passes the local exchange carrier central office, 36 commercial buildings and other key interconnection points and can be activated quickly post-purchase by pulling fiber through the existing duct.

The business-friendly capital city of Austin, Texas, is home to a second available asset from Tri Star Holdings. The three available duct systems, each system with four HDPE ducts, share the same footprint spanning 2.7 miles in downtown Austin. Austin is a rapidly growing market for businesses spanning all industries, including technology, health, power and government. The duct system was built with open-cut construction and runs by each of the key components of the public telecommunications network, including the LEC central office and 10 major inter-exchange carriers, as well as multi-tenant commercial buildings.

“The Tri Star Holdings assets are well placed in their markets – which are both hot markets right now — and offer a turn-key opportunity for interested parties to develop a retail network, wholesale network or a lit services offering,” said Charlie McLravy, head of NEF’s asset sales.  “The existing Tri Star Holdings duct systems are each an attractive option for companies wanting to establish or grow a presence in the Austin or Richmond markets in a cost-effective and efficient way. The costs to build a similar system from scratch are substantial and prohibitive.”

Contact NEF for more information on the Richmond or Austin duct systems. See the NEF Asset Marketplace or learn more about listing or purchasing assets.

About NEF

NEF, Inc., is one of the nation’s top telecommunications consulting and procurement firms, offering a combined 60 years of industry experience and a proven methodology for providing its customers with the best networks, information and pricing available. NEF provides a broad spectrum of solutions from procurement of dark fiber networks and high bandwidth, fully managed optical services, to buying and selling entire assets through the Asset Marketplace. Through their many partners and carrier relationships, NEF designs custom connectivity solutions and provides solutions spanning 200 fiber providers throughout the US and EU, 150,000 lit buildings and 1600+ data centers. For more information, visit www.NEFiber.com.

About NEF Asset Sales & the Asset Marketplace

NEF Asset Sales leverages extensive industry relationships and specific telecom and colocation expertise to get available assets to the right buyers without unnecessary cycles. Through direct brokerage opportunities or an auction setting, NEF has the experience to make the sales or M&A process streamlined and win-win. NEF also offers specialized consulting, strategic advisement and due diligence solutions for both sides of the asset transaction in support of the large-scale deals.

The Asset Marketplace from NEF is a niche listing destination for buying and selling telecommunications and data center assets, such as high capacity fiber optic networks, unused fiber bandwidth, duct and conduit systems and colocation properties. The Asset Marketplace enables asset owners to monetize or sell their excess fiber, infrastructure or data center space including underutilized capacity or non-strategic assets that could produce revenue that owners may not have time or desire to market.

For more information, visit the NEF Asset Marketplace today or call 877-DK-FIBER.

NEWTON, Mass. (March 7, 2012) – FiberLocator Online, the centralized, searchable fiber network research database, is now offering a cost-effective Enterprise License option for businesses with sizable user populations. The FiberLocator Online mapping application began as a tool for individual users but has quickly grown into an invaluable tool for larger organizations for improving the efficiency and accuracy in the fiber network planning process.

FiberLocator Online’s enterprise licenses are based on multiple sessions running simultaneously, rather than unique user accounts, which help companies to avoid the impractical single-seat model. With simultaneous sessions, an enterprise is able to offer wider opportunity for more users to have access to the platform and realize much better value and adoption across its network planning efforts.

“FiberLocator Online is becoming the resource of choice for many in network planning because it gives them access to all the maps and data they need in one place,” said Steve McCarthy, COO of NEF and co-creator of FiberLocator. “The larger the organization, the benefits like time savings, data accuracy and access to carrier-neutral information multiply to produce a measurable ROI.”

With FiberLocator Online, enterprise organizations can search, locate and identify fiber network and colo intelligence down to street level detail on nearly 200 network providers, 1600+ data centers and 150,000 lit buildings all across the US. With the innovative tool set in FiberLocator, enterprise users can view maps and information on networks down to specific addresses/building locations and utilize numerous intuitive features within the application including radius and measurement tools, dynamic legend and layer controls, map print functions and more.

Previously, customers could purchase one, three, five, or 10 user licenses. The introduction of the Enterprise License program now accommodates companies that require more than 10 subscribers. For one flat monthly rate, enterprises can designate between 11 and 200 prospective users, and any 10 users can access the FiberLocator Online platform simultaneously.

McCarthy continued, “The simultaneous session concept is a great option for a larger company that wants to give access to FiberLocator Online to as many employees as possible without unnecessary costs. Most of the time, there isn’t a need for more than a few users to access the system all at once, but it’s smart to have adequate access if the situation ever presented itself.”

To schedule an interactive demo of FiberLocator Online or learn more about individual access or enterprise licenses, contact NEF today at 617-597-6800.

About FiberLocator Online

FiberLocator Online is a unique, searchable telecom application mapping thousands of “lit” buildings, data centers and street-level facilities based carrier networks in the US. FiberLocator was created by the fiber experts at NEF, Inc., one of the nation’s top telecommunications consulting and procurement firms. FiberLocator continues to grow as one of the most trusted central repositories of telecommunications infrastructure maps and intelligence as well as a source for consulting and network verifications. For more information, visit www.FiberLocator.com.

NEWTON, Mass. (Feb. 15, 2012) – FiberLocator Online, the centralized, searchable fiber network research database, has reported exponential growth in 2011, surpassing key milestones over the past year. The FiberLocator Online user base has more than doubled, including notable subscribers such as CBRE, Jones Lang Lasalle, Digital Realty Trust, AT&T, Verizon Wireless, XO and more.

The FiberLocator telecom data set grew substantially as well, with the number of carriers whose network maps and data are represented in the database surpassing 200 providers. In addition to the milestones over the past year, FiberLocator Online has also introduced many feature upgrades to optimize usability and offer more detailed information on carrier networks.

FiberLocator co-creator Steve McCarthy is thrilled with the success and growth of the FiberLocator product suite, saying, “It’s exciting to achieve this growth and to deliver a solution that makes people more effective and efficient at network planning and telecom research. Over the past year, we have truly seized the opportunity to provide a comprehensive fiber network mapping product used by many of the top carriers, REITs, commercial real estate firms and enterprise customers.”

Recent changes, according to McCarthy, have greatly impacted the quality and breadth of data as well as the user experience. Some 50 additional carriers have been added, bringing the grand total to just over 200 carriers in FiberLocator. The carriers added represent a wide variety of network types, ranging from the biggest name fiber providers to the smallest municipal networks.

In addition to the data set additions, FiberLocator boasts several other enhancements. New features and displays have made the SaaS application even more intuitive, and infrastructure upgrades have improved the loading speeds of map views. Other upgrades include the application’s compatibility with the smart phones and tablets, including the iPad and iPhone.

“Network planners and carrier sales pros can use the FiberLocator app  on-the-go on an iPad in prospect meetings and sales calls to show how their network can serve customer requirements,” McCarthy commented “We’re getting very positive feedback on the usefulness of FiberLocator in the field.”

With such immense growth comes the continued expectation for similar progress. “In the next year,  we will be adding more data sets, and the data available will largely be driven by requests and suggestions from our vibrant user population, their needs and contributions. We will see our user population double again, and most importantly, we’d like to continue our strong pace of adding value to the platform with carrier data and features,” said McCarthy.

To add your carrier network data to FiberLocator Online or to schedule an interactive demo of the product contact NEF today at 877-DK-FIBER.

About FiberLocator Online

FiberLocator Online is a unique, searchable telecom application mapping thousands of “lit” buildings, data centers and street-level facilities based carrier networks in the US. FiberLocator was created by the fiber experts at NEF, Inc., one of the nation’s top telecommunications consulting and procurement firms. FiberLocator continues to grow as one of the most trusted central repositories of telecommunications infrastructure maps and intelligence as well as a source for consulting and network verifications. For more information, visit www.FiberLocator.com.

If your maps, on-net buildings, and carrier information aren’t in FiberLocator Online – you could be missing out on qualified sales opportunities for big bandwidth and colo. Join the 200+ other metro and long-haul fiber providers that have already posted their maps, on-net buildings and product information in FiberLocator.

Get on the map – the FiberLocator map – and put your network in front of the prospects that are ACTIVELY searching for network and data centers. Increase your visibility among FiberLocator users like AT&T, Verizon Wireless and Comcast, REITs like Digital Realty Trust and DuPont Fabros, as well as mission critical commercial real estate brokers at CBRE, Cushman Wakefield and Jones Lang Lasalle — and the rest of the rapidly growing list of FiberLocator users!

At Metro Connect, you can create a FREE listing in FiberLocator including your network maps, lit buildings and even an informative carrier description telling prospects about your network and product suite. You can also schedule a private, live demo with us anytime during the show. Please email Emily at epietro@nefiber.com to book a convenient time.

About FiberLocator Online
FiberLocator Online is one of the only commercially available, carrier-neutral online search tools for locating, comparing and measuring high capacity networks and colocation. Created by the fiber experts at NEF, a top national telecommunications consulting and procurement firm, FiberLocator continues to grow as one of the most trusted central repositories of telecommunications infrastructure maps and intelligence, as well as a source for consulting and network verifications. For more information, visit www.FiberLocator.com.

NEWTON, Mass. (Jan. 25, 2012) – Leading fiber network maps resource FiberLocator announced today that Enventis, a subsidiary of HickoryTech, has published its metro fiber route maps and carrier information in FiberLocator’s quickly-growing database of high capacity networks, lit buildings and data centers. The Enventis fiber routes connect multiple strategic and geographic locations and extend throughout Minnesota, Iowa, the Dakotas and Western Wisconsin, areas generally under-populated with low-latency network solutions.

The Enventis network features more than 3,250 miles of fiber built as SONET rings for maximum redundancy and protection. Their product set offers fiber-based transport services including TDM from DS1 to OC192, DWDM and MPLS technology, and Ethernet and IP services up to GigE. Enventis provides secure, reliable connectivity to most national and regional carriers, and their footprint spans across Minnesota and into Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin.

Steve McCarthy, chief architect of the FiberLocator product suite and COO of NEF, welcomed the addition of the Enventis maps, saying “The scope and breadth of their network is impressive, especially considering the region that they’re in. There isn’t a preponderance of fiber carriers in Minnesota and the neighboring upper Midwest states, so the new data from Enventis provides FiberLocator users and network planners with more map and lit building data in these thriving northern states.”

McCarthy continued, “By adding their assets to our extensive database, Enventis has opened up their presence and their network footprint to many potential new clients – especially carriers, enterprise customers and those in the commercial real estate industry.”

In addition to publishing their maps in the FiberLocator searchable application, Enventis has also provided a solutions detail in the FiberLocator carrier information feature to help users learn more about the company and the services they offer. This is particularly helpful on a national scale to those who are not located in the region and may be unfamiliar with Enventis and its network.

FiberLocator is currently accepting carrier maps for long-haul and metro networks as well as seeking data center locations and specs.  Learn how to add carrier network maps and data in FiberLocator or find out how to search the FiberLocator database and access information on the 200 carrier maps and 150,000+ lit buildings available. Visit www.FiberLocator.com today.

About Enventis

Enventis specializes in providing integrated voice, data and network communication solutions to businesses and service providers across the upper Midwest. Leveraging its multi-state fiber optic network, Enventis provides IP telephony, high-capacity transport services and MPLS.  Enventis, a Cisco Gold Certified Partner, provides network solutions for a broad spectrum of business clients.  Enventis is a subsidiary of HickoryTech; NASDAQ: HTCO.  To learn more about Enventis and how “We’ll Network That,” visit www.enventis.com.

About FiberLocator

The FiberLocator suite of solutions combine a comprehensive fiber network research database with a team of expert analysts to make connectivity research and decision making more efficient and accurate. FiberLocator Online offers a unique, searchable telecom application mapping thousands of “lit” buildings, data centers and street-level facilities-based carrier networks in the US. FiberLocator was created by the fiber optic network experts at NEF, Inc., one of the nation’s top telecommunications consulting and procurement firms. FiberLocator continues to grow as one of the most trusted central repositories of telecommunications infrastructure maps and intelligence as well as a source for fiber analysis, consulting and network verifications. For more information, visit www.FiberLocator.com.

NEWTON, Mass. (Dec. 2, 2011) – FiberLocator announced today that Columbus FiberNet (CFN) has added its mapping data, including high bandwidth network locations and building intel, to the FiberLocator database. CFN joins over 200 other facilities-based carriers and Type 2 providers in publishing their data in the rapidly growing FiberLocator, the hub for high capacity optical network maps, “lit” buildings and data center locations.

The Columbus-based duct system was built with carriers’ needs and scalability in mind. CFN’s 70-mile ring touches nearly two dozen central offices and points of presence and includes 20 innerducts that are 1 ½ inches in diameter. The ducts can accommodate up to a 432 strand fiber cable and boasts three (3) manholes per 600 feet, ideal for enabling providers access to their facilities.

“CFN’s focus from the start has been to improve connectivity and promote competitive broadband for the Central Ohio region,” said Ian Smith, General Manager of Columbus FiberNet. “Publishing our asset maps and data in FiberLocator is just one more way we can raise visibility for this network and let others know that they have an ideal network option in and around Columbus.”

Smith also commented that as the community of Columbus and the Central Ohio region work to attract technology businesses and bandwidth intensive organizations, it is imperative that they demonstrate adequate telecommunications infrastructure to meet the needs of the telecom dependent companies.

“FiberLocator is a great place for Columbus FiberNet to raise awareness about their unique duct system, especially among the carrier community,” commented Steve McCarthy, chief architect of FiberLocator and COO of NEF, creators of FiberLocator. “Every day network planners, investors, commercial real estate professionals and consultants use FiberLocator to make significant network and data center decisions. With CFN having a presence in FiberLocator, they’re able to get on the radar of decision makers early on in the planning process and see the benefits of being more findable.”

Learn more about including carrier network maps and data in FiberLocator or find out how to search the FiberLocator database and access information on the 200+ carrier maps available. Visit www.FiberLocator.com today.

About FiberLocator
FiberLocator is a unique, searchable telecom application mapping thousands of “lit” buildings, data centers and street-level facilities based carrier networks in the US. FiberLocator was created by the fiber experts at NEF, Inc., one of the nation’s top telecommunications consulting and procurement firms. FiberLocator continues to grow as one of the most trusted central repositories of telecommunications infrastructure maps and intelligence. For more information, visit www.FiberLocator.com.

The following is a series of quick usage tips for getting started with FiberLocator Online. Click on the links within the summary below to jump to more detail on the feature or function of FiberLocator. As always, if you have any questions please contact us at 877-239-3043 or via email at support@nefiber.com.

1. To login and begin, go to FiberLocator.com and click on “Member Login” at the top. Enter your login info then read/accept the terms and conditions.
2. Search by location in the address field at the top or navigate the map with the tool bar controls. (See more detail on the tool bar controls.)
3. Once you’re in the area of interest, turn the layers on with the data you want to see. Layer controls are on the upper left side of the page and include networks, lit buildings and data centers.
4. If you’ve turned on metro or long-haul networks as layers, you will see those represented on the map as colored lines. You can associate the colors with the providers by using the Dynamic Legend in the lower left hand corner.
5. Select the info tool (circle “i” icon in the tool bar) and then click on any network lines, data center icons or lit building icons to see which carriers are present in that location.
6. You can also measure distances and set a search radius visual cue with FiberLocator using the tools in the tool bar.
7. Once you’ve got the map view you need, you can either output your maps to PDF or save your session using the controls in the top right corner of the FiberLocator screen. (View the session menu detail.)
8. Logout from FiberLocator by clicking on the orange arrow next to “Logout” in the top right corner.

Logging In

To begin, go to www.FiberLocator.com and click on the “Member Login” button in the top right hand corner.

Enter your username and password when the login box appears. Remember, the login credentials are CASE SENSITIVE.

Once you’re logged in, you’ll need to read and agree to the terms and conditions. Once you’ve reviewed and understood the terms and conditions, click on “Agree” at the bottom of the box to be taking into the FiberLocator Online application.

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Searching FiberLocator

After login, your initial map view will be that of North America with all layers turned OFF. This enables you to begin your search anywhere in the US either by searching for a location or by using the zoom controls in the tool bar.

You can search using the address field at the top of the page by typing a street address, city, state, region or even landmark into the field. Once you’ve entered text, click on the orange arrow button or simply press “Enter” on your keyboard.

Or you can begin navigating around the map using the controls in the tool bar in the top-center of the map. The magnifying glass with the plus icon zooms you in and the magnifying glass with the minus sign zooms you out. The crossed arrows icon enables you drag the map view in all directions to change the area in focus. With all the tools in the tool bar, you must first click on the tool icon and then go to the map to use the icon. For example, when you want to zoom in, click on the “zoom in” tool then click on a point in the map and the scale will change to bring you closer to your desired point.

TIP: search or navigate to your desired location FIRST before turning on layers. The performance and speed of the application are optimized by searching the maps without the layers activated.

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A Closer Look at the Tool Bar

The controls in the FiberLocator are straightforward and easy to use. Select any control icon and then go to the map to use the tool. You can also select “Clear” and choose from sessions, markers or measurements to start with a fresh slate. See the following diagram for a diagram of the tools and what each icon does within FiberLocator.

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Using Layers

Once you are at the location of interest, now you can start applying the various data layers in FiberLocator. Click the plus signs to open the layer options and click in any check boxes to reveal the desired data on the map view.

You can even drill down into the providers in the layers to include or exclude any specific providers. You can do this by clicking on the plus sign next to the “Metro” and/or “Long Haul/Nationwide” options and a list of carriers will appear. You can click the main category box to include ALL providers or select individual carriers by clicking the box next to the names of the carriers you would like to see.

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Dynamic Legend

Once you’re at the location of choice and you’ve turned the desired layers on, you can click on the Dynamic Legend blue bar in the lower left-hand corner. By clicking here, you’ll see a legend of carriers that you’re seeing on the actual map view in front of you.

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The “Info” Tool

Now start seeing more granular details using the info tool. Select the circle “i” icon in the tool bar, and then click on any carrier lines, lit building icons or data center icons to see which carriers are present.

Once you’ve clicked on a data center (green) or lit building (blue) icon, FiberLocator will show you the fiber in the building and the fiber in the street next to the building.

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Measure and Radius Tools

Two of the most common usages of FiberLocator involve determining fiber distances — either along a desired route or within a certain radius from a point. You can do both with just a click using FiberLocator’s tools.

Using the measure tool, you can click multiple “way points” on a map view to measure a total distance from starting point to ending point. To use the measure feature, click on the measure icon (as seen above) and select your first point. Because fiber cannot be accessed or constructed “as the crow flies” typically, the measure tool enables you to move your cursor and click on each way point along the path, meaning a point where the path would need to change course. When you’ve reached the end point of your measurement, double-click to see the distance of your selected path.

TIP: when using the measure tool, it is helpful to zoom in to the maximum extent. You can use the scale control slider in the top left hand corner of the map. Sliding the arrows up moves the view in closer and sliding the arrow down moves the view out wider. (See the scale control slider below.)

The radius tool enables you to see a highlighted area on the map that encompasses your desired radius around a specific point. You can set the radius in feet to your desired distance.

A closer look at the Max Distance box. The setting defaults to 1000 feet as most carriers can accommodate a build within that distance.

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Output Maps and Save Sessions

Once you’ve completed your searching, measuring and navigating map views within FiberLocator, you have a few options. You can output your map view along with the legend to a PDF. Or, if you need to end your session but you’d like to access the same data again in a future session, you can save your work. See the diagram below for the output and session save controls.

You can even customize the output/print options by naming the map (which will show on the PDF) by including or excluding carrier names, and adding your own custom branded graphical banner to the PDF. Below is view of the print options.

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A Closer Look at the Session Menu

The full session menu is diagrammed below with the controls marked. Along with the outputs and session save controls, you also have two options for support. The first is a support guide which gives basic usages and tips for working within FiberLocator. The other is a support contact button that will pop-up the contact number and email for FiberLocator support.

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Logging Out

When you’re ready to finally end your session altogether, you can simply click on the orange arrow next to the word “Logout” in the session menu.

Tip: Be sure you’ve saved your session if you want to access the data again in the future.

FiberLocator is constant evolving and improving with the suggestions and feedback from users like you. Please don’t hesitate to make comments or request features and functions that you think would be helpful or would improve the application. Email us at support@nefiber.com with your suggestions!

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