How to choose Fiber Optic Cable tester?

Fiber optic cable is an excellent medium for the transmission of data, due to its flexibility, low cost and high performance. However, it is more expensive to install. This is because it needs to be installed and tested by specialists and special test equipment is often required.

Therefore, choosing the right equipment for the job would save you both time and money.

Below list the most common optic cable test equipment and their main applications.

1.        Light source

Light source includes a source, either an LED or laser, which is stabilized using an automatic gain control mechanism. LEDs are typically used for multimode fiber, while lasers are used for single mode fiber applications. Today’s light sources offer more. Some even offer 3 to 4 wavelengths and consist of various combinations of light-emitting diodes and lasers. Some also incorporate visible lasers (visual fault locators) for troubleshooting.

It can be used to check 1)connection loss or optic loss, 2)continuity, and 3)transmission quality of fiber link.

2.        Power meter

Power meter is a device that can measure the power of fiber optic equipment or the power of an optical signal passed through the fiber cable.

Therefore, it is mostly used to check power loss and absolute power.

3.        LSPM

LSPM (light source/power meter) is simply a combination of light source and power meter.

It is mostly used to test the end-to-end performance of an optical-fiber system, which is a crucial step in the fiber optic installation.

4.        OLTS

OLTS (optical loss test set) a mainstay for testing fiber optic cabling because it provides the most accurate method for determining the total loss of a link and is required by industry standards to ensure the link can meet the loss requirements for a given application. Both TIA and ISO standards use the term “Tier 1” to describe testing with an OLTS.

Note that a LSPM also accurately measures loss per industry standards but does not include some of the key OLTS features that facilitate testing, such as duplex testing, hands-free bidirectional testing, preloading of loss limits, length measurement and other advanced features.

5.        OTDR

OTDR (optical time domain reflectometer) is an instrument used to create a virtual “picture” of a fiber optic cable route. It is often regarded as a handy tool to detect problems with existing fiber links. However, it can also be used to certify the performance of new fiber optics links. As a matter of fact, OTDR testing is highly recommended by both industry standards before OLTS insertion loss testing, so as to avoid loss budget and error.

6.        VFL

VFL (visual fault locator) can be viewed as a special version of light source or OTDR. It is widely adopted to visually locate loss locations on fiber links and can also be employed to confirm fiber continuity. VFL provides a simple and convenient way to quickly locate faults in fiber optic cable, which is proved to be time saving and economical as well.