ONU vs. ONT vs. SFU vs. HGU: What is the Difference?

When we talk about FTTH or FTTX, many people will be confused about the difference between ONU, ONT, Single Family Unit (SFU), and Home Gateway Unit (HGU). Here we will give you a brief introduction to them and compare their difference.

What is ONU?

An Optical Network Unit (ONU) is a device used to terminate an optical fiber link at the user premises, typically in a business or residential environment. The ONU connects to the Optical Line Terminal (OLT) in the service provider’s central office.

What is ONT?

An Optical Network Terminal (ONT) is a device used to terminate an optical fiber link at the user premises, typically in a residential environment. The ONT connects to the Optical Line Terminal (OLT) in the service provider’s central office.

What is HGU?

A home gateway unit (HGU) is an integrated device that combines the functions of a modem and a router. It is mainly used in FTTH networks, providing Internet access and local area network (LAN) sharing services for terminal users. The HGU is connected to the ONT and is placed in a user’s home.

What is SFU?

A single Family Unit (SFU) is single-user equipment independently billed by the operator. The SFU is mainly used in FTTB networks and is connected to the optical splitter. The split ratio of FTTB networks is generally 1:8; that is, one optical line from the optical fiber termination box is connected to 8 homes. Therefore, the equipment used by each home is SFU.

ONU vs. ONT vs. HGU vs. SFU, What is the difference?

Sometimes ONU and ONT are the same devices. The only difference is that the ONT is always placed in the user’s home, while the ONU can be placed in either the user’s home or the provider’s central office. Below the table is a summary of the differences.

HGU and SFU belong to ONUs. The difference is that SFU is mainly for FTTB networks and HGU for FTTH networks. Besides that, HGU usually supports more functions such as WIFI, CATV, VoIP, etc. 

Final Words

We hope this article can help you understand the difference between ONU, ONT, SFU, and HGU. If you have any questions or suggestions, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us.

Read more:

• Passive Optical Network (PON) Knowledge Introduction
• GPON vs EPON, what is the difference?
• Overview of GEPON Technology