Category: Fiber Transceivers

Optical transceivers, Active Optic Cables, data center switches, and cable management in data centers.

WHY FIBER OPTIC TESTING IS IMPORTANT

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There are several methods you can utilize to conduct fiber optic testing. You can use visible light source testing, power meter and light source testing, and optical time domain reflectometer testing to get the job done. Nevertheless, no matter which approach you take to fiber optic testing, it’s important that you do it for many different reasons. Take a look at some of those reasons below.
FIBER OPTIC TESTING WILL ENHANCE THE PERFORMANCE OF YOUR SYSTEM.
Fiber optic networks are superior to other networks because of their bandwidth and speed. But if you don’t have regular fiber optic testing done, you might not get to enjoy just how powerful the performance of a fiber optic network can be. Testing your system will help it perform at its best at all times.
IT’LL INCREASE THE LONGEVITY OF YOUR FIBER OPTIC SYSTEM.
In addition to giving your fiber optic network performance a boost, fiber optic testing will also increase the lifespan of the system. If your system is ever having any issues, you’ll catch them sooner rather than later so that you can have repairs or maintenance done.
IT’LL REDUCE THE DOWNTIME YOU MUST ENDURE WITH YOUR FIBER OPTIC SYSTEM.
Few things are more frustrating than a fiber optic system that’s gone down. To eliminate downtime, maintain your system by having fiber optic testing done from time to time. It’ll make downtime a thing of the past.
IT’LL ALLOW YOU TO UPGRADE YOUR SYSTEM WITHOUT A PROBLEM.
Need to upgrade your system or reconfigure it in a different way? This can be difficult if you haven’t done fiber optic testing in a while. By testing your system, you’ll be able to prepare it for an upgrade and make sure everything goes off without a hitch.

WHAT CAUSES DAMAGE TO FIBER OPTIC CABLES?

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As long as fiber optic cables are installed properly, they should stand up to just about anything and continue to do their jobs. Nevertheless, there are certain instances in which fiber optic cables stop working due to unpredictable damage. Here are a few common examples:
ANIMALS CHEW THROUGH THEM
There are all kinds of animals out there, including everything from rats and rabbits to squirrels and bears, that will do damage to fiber optic cables if they come across them. In some cases, squirrels have been known to gnaw through fiber optic cables and knock out internet service for millions of people. In others, bears have ripped fiber optic cables to shreds with their teeth. Although it’s relatively rare to see animals damaging fiber optic cables, it does happen every now and then.
VANDALS CUT THEM
Animals aren’t the only ones who seem to enjoy cutting off fiber optic connections. Over the years, there have also been thousands of vandals who have intentionally cut fiber optic cables for one reason or another. While some of them have done it in an effort to steal fiber optic cables, others have done it just to do it and have restricted internet access for others in the process.
WEATHER RESTRICTS THEM
Fiber optic cables are designed to stand up to most weather conditions. But there have been times when hurricanes, blizzards, and other bad storms have knocked out fiber optic cables and forced repairs to be made. Something as simple as the wind blowing over a telephone pole can restrict fiber optic networks greatly.

HOW DOES WINTER AFFECT FIBER OPTIC TESTING?

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Fiber optic testing can be performed at any time of the year. It doesn’t matter if it’s the dog days of summer or the dead of winter. You can have a fiber optic network tested to make sure signals are moving through it quickly. But there are some challenges that come along with conducting fiber optic testing in the wintertime. Check out a few of them below.
FIBER OPTIC CABLES AREN’T ALWAYS EASY TO ACCESS.
To carry out fiber optic testing, a fiber optic company needs to be able to get access to fiber optic cables. If those cables have just been installed, that’s usually not a problem. But if fiber optic testing is being done on an existing network, it can be slightly more difficult. Fiber optic cables could be located in an area that’s not particularly easy to access due to wintry conditions, the rock-hard ground, and other factors.
FIBER OPTIC TESTING EQUIPMENT NEEDS TO BE WARMED UP PROPERLY.
There is a bunch of equipment that is used to conduct fiber optic testing. While that equipment can usually perform well in wintry weather, freezing-cold temperatures might cause problems with it. Additionally, the equipment will often need to be warmed up before fiber optic testing can take place. This can cause fiber optic testing to take a little bit longer than usual.
SNOW AND ICE CAN DELAY FIBER OPTIC TESTING BY A FEW DAYS.
In the event of snow, ice, hail, or some other winter weather, a fiber optic company will still make every effort to come out and do fiber optic testing for you. But there’s a chance that winter weather could force you to delay fiber optic testing if it gets to be bad enough. Things don’t always go as planned when it comes to doing fiber optic testing during the winter.

WHY FIBER INTERNET IS A BETTER OPTION THAN CABLE AND DSL

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You’ve probably heard of/use cable or DSL to access the internet. Have you heard of fiber internet? It could become the future of digital communication. The U.S. government has considered expanding access to it, and internet providers are showing interest. Fiber internet might be coming to your town in the near future.
Basically, fiber internet utilizes fiber-optic lines to transmit information, as compared to cable or DSL internet services which use copper lines. Fiber-optic lines consist of tiny strands of plastic or glass which carry binary transmissions of light. Data can be transmitted using fiber internet in a really fast and reliable way– more so than even cable/DSL!
FASTER SPEEDS
Ultimately, internet speed is dependent on how much data the current infrastructure can handle. Keep in mind that copper wires were originally intended to just transmit people’s voices, right? So they’re limited in the amount of data they can deal with. Now if you think about satellite internet, which takes the copper wires out of the equation, it’s about the same speed as cable/DSL but has a higher latency. The problem with satellite internet is that information has to travel huge distances– from one spot on the planet, up to the satellite, then back down again… It’s good, but not ideal.
MORE BANDWIDTH
Now fiber-optic lines are able to use modulated light to transmit data. This gives them a higher bandwidth capacity than cable/DSL copper lines, which use electricity. For example, fiber internet connections work at speeds of up to 1 gigabit per second– and this is 100 times faster than what copper wires allow.
BETTER SIGNAL STRENGTH
Fiber internet utilizes fiber-optic lines, which are great at carrying info over long distances. Copper systems have to deal with electromagnetic and/or radio interference, messing with the signal strength. Fiber, however, is insulated against interference, so signal transmission is more secure. Fiber also doesn’t have the wear and tear damage problems copper does. Copper can break down over time. Fiber, meanwhile, is stronger and can handle much more pressure before being damaged.
It’s no surprise that internet providers are looking into fiber internet to replace their somewhat antiquated copper line systems. Fiber-optics are the future of digital communication.

THE IMPORTANCE OF TESTING FIBER OPTIC END FACES

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To make sure that the fiber optic cables in your fiber optic network are working properly at all times, it’s important for you to inspect, test, and clean your fiber optic end faces on a regular basis. If you don’t do this, your fiber optic end faces can get contaminated, which can eventually lead to fiber link failure if you’re not careful. You can avoid this by taking a good, long look at your fiber optic end faces to decrease the chances of them facing contamination.
DEFECTS FOUND WHEN INSPECTING FIBER OPTIC END FACES
There are all kinds of defects that you can find when inspecting fiber optic end faces. In some cases, you’ll see dirt, dust, oil, and other debris built up on them. In others, you’ll find that cracks, scratches, and even pits have done damage to your fiber optic end faces. The good news is that, more often than not, you can use special wipes containing a solvent created to clean fiber optics to get your fiber optic end faces clean. But the bad news is that there are certain scratches that can shut your fiber optics down and prevent them from performing as well as they should.
By running tests on your fiber optic end faces, you can see which ones pass an inspection and which don’t. The fiber optic end faces that pass can be used like normal moving forward. However, the fiber optic end faces that fail will either need to be repaired or replaced to bring them back up to speed. Many pits and cracks can be fixed by an experienced fiber optic company. But larger scratches in the wrong location could doom fiber optic end faces. You’ll likely need to have replacement done before you start using your fiber optics again.

HOW FIBER OPTIC CABLES HELP ORGANIZATIONS IN MANY WALKS OF LIFE

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When most people think about fiber optic cables, they automatically associate them with the internet. Nevertheless, it’s important to note that fiber optic cables are used to do more than just help people connect to the World Wide Web. There are a wide range of uses for them, which is what has made them so popular in a litany of industries. Here are some of the ways in which fiber optic cables have benefited those in different fields.
TELECOMMUNICATIONS
There are quite a few telecommunications companies that have come around to using fiber optic cables over the years. If you’ve placed a phone call either at home or at work over the course of the last few days, there’s a good chance that fiber optic cables made it possible.
MEDICAL
Fiber optic cables have also found a place in the medical field. They can be used to create flexible strands that can be inserted in different areas of the body, like the lungs and even blood vessels. Fiber optic cables allow for doctors to get a glimpse of what’s going on inside of a person’s body without putting them through an exploratory surgery.
GOVERNMENTAL PURPOSES
Even government agencies have started to put fiber optic cables to good use in a variety of different ways. They play an integral role in sonar and are often found in submarines, certain types of aircraft, and other defense vehicles.
Data storage
The data storage industry has obviously grown by leaps and bounds over the last decade or so. And you could argue that both data storage and data transmission wouldn’t be as widely used as they are today without fiber optic cables. They make it possible to store and transmit data quickly and efficiently.