Fiber Optic Fusion Splicing – Arc Checking and Maintenance

Working with fiber optics takes a delicate hand and some patience. One of the most used pieces of equipment is a fusion splicer. A fusion splicer uses an electric arc to fuse two pieces of optical fiber (glass) together so that light can pass through with no scatter of light or light reflected back (backscatter) by the splice. Fusion splicing helps to reduce loss in your network. Typical loss through a fusion splice is .01dB to .05dB. When using these machines there are some important things that you need to do, as well as steps to maintain them. There are a few different types of splicers, as well as a couple of different concepts of splicing. We will discuss these and some other key points about splicing.
Different Types of Fusion Splicers
There are several different types of splicers. We have V-Groove splicers. These splicers typically only have one camera and align the fiber using the grooves that help to make sure that the cladding of both sides is matched up. These tend to be the low cost splicers which do not have sophisticated motors in them.
Then there is the active cladding alignment splicer. This type does have motors that move on the X and Y axis but it is still aligning the fibers by the cladding and not the core. These tend to be priced about a couple thousand higher than the V-Groove splicers.
Finally, you have a core alignment splicer that uses more than one camera to align your glass fibers by the core or center of your fiber. These were the first splicers that were on the market. This was due to early fiber having very poor concentricity of the core of fiber. These machines are also the most expensive of the splicers because of the advanced technology that is needed to align the fibers up by the cores.
Arc Checks
When you are splicing, there are certain things that need to be done every time before you start splicing your fibers together. The main thing is known as an arc check. This process is to make sure that your splicer is ready and able to help you complete your job without any hiccups. Arc checking will help to make sure a fusion splicer is tuned up for environmental conditions as well as that your machine settings are ideal for you to splice. One thing that is always brought up when performing this operation, is that when doing an arc check, single mode fiber should always be used whether you are splicing multimode or single mode that splicing session. Go to your splicer’s menu and click on the “Arc Check” setting. While doing this the splicer is looking at several different factors that can play a role that affects the splicer’s performance. Weather is a big part of this. It looks at the humidity, temperature and overall performance of the machine to have the perfect formula for the conditions at your job site. This process may need to be repeated several times before your machine is ready to splice. I have heard as many as fifteen times before it was ready, but usually one or two works. So – one thing most people don’t realize is, when splicing throughout the day – as the temperature changes another arc check may need to be performed later in the day. So you start splicing at ten in the morning and it is 65 degrees. You take a break for lunch around noon. When you get back the temperature is now 75 degrees and it has become more humid. Before you start splicing, an arc check should be performed as the temperature and humidity difference will cause your splicer to not be properly ready to splice in the different conditions.
Maintenance of the Splicer
There are a couple of things that can be done with your splicer to make sure it is well maintained and running to help complete important jobs. One of the most important pieces of your splicer is the heart of your fusion splicer. That piece being the electrodes. The electrodes are a pair of conductors that electricity flows through and this is what fuses your two pieces of fiber together. The electrical arc does wear them down over a period of arcs. The recommended number of arcs before these should be changed is typically a thousand. Now, there are some others out there that are trying to extend this amount by three times this. In this case, just keep an eye on your splice losses to determine when to change the electrodes. As the splice loss estimates get higher, your machine is closer to needing the electrodes to be changed. Another key part of splicing that needs to be maintained is your precision cleaver. A cleaver is the tool that you will use to score and cut the fiber so it can make a good splice. A cleaver has a wheel that rotates – this is known as the blade. This blade wears down and also needs to be managed with a certain number of good cleaves per position on the blade. Without good maintenance of your electrodes and cleaver your equipment can shut down a job or cause problems with your splicer.
Different Methods of Splicing
When splicing, there are a couple of different reasons why you do optical fiber splicing. In the end, it is all the same concept but there are different reasons to splice. The first one is to extend a fiber cable. This is where you will splice two different lengths together. This happens when a break occurs and you will use some of the excess fiber cable originally pulled to put your link back together. This can also be in a new deployment when you need to go a greater distance over what is the max length of fiber optic cabling that can be placed on a spool. When doing the long haul applications the core alignment splicer is the recommended machine.
The next two are the same concept just a different approach. This concept is to terminate the ends of your fiber. The first one is splicing on pigtails. Pigtails are a piece of fiber that is blunt on one side and has a factory polished connector on the other end. So you are splicing fiber to fiber and putting a splice protection sleeve (a heat shrinkable tube that contains a ceramic or stainless steel strength member) on to protect the splice. These will typically require a splice tray to put your splices in to protect them. The other concept is a splice on connector. This is also a pigtail but it is a lot shorter and uses a holder that is placed in the splicer. This allows your splice protection sleeve to be covered by the connector boot and does not require any splice trays.
So remember, always arc check using single mode fiber before beginning any splicing session, whether you are splicing single mode fiber or multimode fiber that day. Maintain your fusion splicer and your precision cleaver on a regular basis and your jobs will go much smoother. A fusion splicing machine can be a tech’s best friend, or his worst nightmare!

Different Types of Cable Jacketing

In the fiber industry, we have all probably seen the words plenum or riser in our day, as these are two of the most common jacket types in the United States. In Europe we are seeing more Low Smoke Zero Halogen cables being utilized. But there are other options out there in the fiber optic world that are lesser known and talked about, they are the likes of Low Smoke Zero Halogen (LSZH), and Polyethylene (PE).
When looking at the construction of any fiber optic cable, you will notice that the jacket is the first line of defense against physical damage from chemicals, water, burning and other potentially damaging effects that would compromise the viability of the cable. Cable jackets come in multiple colors, but there are industry standard color codes such as aqua for OM3 or yellow for single mode, but in some cases there are custom colored jackets. You will also see foot markers on the outer jacket, showing you length of the cable, and even a print string showing the type of fiber, brand of cable, and type of cable construction. The print string will also contain information as to whether or not the cable is UL listed, and if it is, it will contain the UL number. Most cable jacket material is made from PVC or Polyvinyl Chloride, and there are additives that determine its jacket rating.
Plenum and riser ratings are defined by the National Electrical Code (NEC). They are also responsible for the standards that these cables must abide by in order to be classified as plenum or riser cabling. This standard basically states that if a fire were to start within a structure, how much would these compounds contribute to the fire, and create a “fuel” source – transporting the fire from place to place along the cable.
Most fiber optic cables that adhere to these fire standards are Underwriter Laboratories (UL) tested, meaning that they bear the UL marker on the cable jacket and have been certified to meet the NEC Standard for the cable jacket type. These UL Listings are independently tested, and qualified to ensure that the safety measures are upheld. They (UL) have no monetary stake in the items that they test, and consumers can be assured that this UL listing means that the safety standards are upheld. These listings are given and can be taken away at any point if the quality of the product does not continue to meet that UL standard.
The real question that most technicians ask in the field is where to use what type of jacket. Below we will go into a breakdown of the cable jacket types and where they can be utilized within a building or structure.
Plenum Cable
Plenum has the highest fire rating, meaning that it can be installed in all of the plenum spaces within a building such as the air ducts and ventilation systems – any part of the building that has to do with heating or cooling. Plenum can sometimes be utilized in any space within a building as an alternative to other jacket types. Plenum cables are less hazardous and create less smoke and toxic fumes in the case of fire. If a job requires plenum cable then plenum cable must be installed, there are no alternatives for this type of cable install. Plenum cables for the above reasons are usually slightly more expensive than the other cable jackets.
Riser Cable
Riser cabling is only to be used within riser spaces in a building – such as between building shafts, for vertical runs. It is meant to be a backbone cable, the fire ratings that fit a riser rating are not as strict as plenum. You can utilize a plenum cable within a riser space, but you cannot utilize a riser cable in a plenum space. Such as in the case of a ventilation shaft – you could not install a riser cable because this is a plenum air space, but you can install riser say in an elevator shaft between the floors of a building. Typically, riser cables are less expensive than plenum because the standards are less stringent.
Low Smoke Zero Halogen (LSZH) Cable
Low Smoke Zero Halogen cable jacketing or LSZH is a separate classification from riser or plenum cables because it does not contain the same compounds or thermoplastics that produce smoke and other hazardous chemicals that could be harmful to humans and animals that may be in the vicinity of the cable, if it ever should burn. To be considered low smoke zero halogen cable, it must be made of flame retardant materials that do not excrete halogens, and produces little to no smoke when it burns. LSZH is not the same as a plenum cable – they are two different fire ratings. While it may seem beneficial to use LSZH within every space in a building, this type of cable does not fit the bill for every single application. Since this product is far more expensive than other compounds, it does not make sense to install this in areas that do not require a less hazardous, or low smoke material. LSZH is highly recommended for areas that have poor ventilation, where people tend to congregate or in a confined space. LSZH is primarily utilized in Europe currently but, this type of cable is gaining traction within the US markets. .
PE Cable
PE (polyethylene) rated cable is primarily used for outdoor cables only; this is not a cable that can be installed more than fifty feet inside of a building. PE cable jacket’s superior weather, temperature and water or moisture resistance makes this a great pick for harsh weather conditions and installations, but its rigid characteristics make it difficult to utilize in environments that require flexibility or movement of the cable. It also boasts superior UV protection because its black color absorbs the sunlight, which is a typical characteristic for outdoor rated cabling.
While there are more cable ratings and classifications than these shown above, these are the most common types that your average technician will run into on the job more. Familiarity with the cable jacket types is never a bad thing to have in a technician’s pocket. Knowing and being able to define what makes a plenum cable plenum or riser cable riser is superior knowledge that will benefit the technician on future jobs. .

How Do I Choose the Right Fiber Interconnect Box?

Decisions, Decisions
When talking about interconnect boxes (also known as enclosures), there are a variety of options that can be used. Often, a common question asked by customers is which box would be best for their application. This is a loaded question that requires some questions and answers to see what will work best for the situation that they have in front of them. There are a number of factors that will have to be addressed to come to a point where we can help to make a recommendation. Where is the interconnect going to be located, along with how many fibers are you going to be putting in the enclosure and if it will need to house fusion splices. Is there a 2 post rack existing or will you have to put that in as well?  Does your job have a spec that you need to follow? Specs are written by engineers and sometimes they call out specific manufacturers that can be used for a job. Other specs are open to different manufacturers as long as it covers what is needed for the job or project.
Wall vs. Rack Mount
When talking about interconnects we will discuss the two types that are primarily used in building your network. Not to say there are not other options, we will just be talking about the most common two used. The first one we will discuss is rack mount enclosures. These come is several different sizes and configurations. You can have anywhere from a 1RU (Rack Unit) all the way an 8RU. This is the amount of space that the rack mount will take up in your 2 post rack. So if you have 72 fibers to install and you are using SC 6 pack adapter plates then you would need a 4RU rack that accepts 12 plates. If you were to use duplex SC adapter plates you could use a 2RU rack with 6 adapter plates. Again, this will also depend on what you are looking to do along with if you are splicing in the back. If splicing you want to make sure you have enough room for your fiber management along with splice trays.
Now with wall mounts you have the same idea as rack mounts except now you will need to know how much room you have where it is being installed. So dimensions of the wall mount are important along with how many adapter plates it holds. You will still need to know if you are splicing in it. Fiber count is important, as well as what style connectors you will be using to determine how many adapter plates you will need. Some installers look at cosmetics for both the wall and rack mounts. Interconnects are offered in black and off white and they will be off the shelf items. We do also have the capability of customizing these to different colors as well. When you are customizing there are quantity requirements that need to be met. This not only applies to the enclosures but adapter plates as well. If you have a good size project and would like to customize it all to match it can be done.
Fiber Count
When talking enclosures one of the first questions that is asked has to do with how many fibers will you, the customer, be putting into these enclosures. This is a vital part of figuring out what you will need. When designing a system you will typically have a central point that will hold all fibers in one location. This has to have a little bigger rack or wall mount due to having a larger number of fibers. Then what happens is there are several runs of fiber that go out to several different locations that need to be connected. At these locations there is a smaller box that will hold the number of fibers needed for that location. For example, at your central location you have a total of twelve different runs that go to twelve different locations. So at your central point you will need to have an enclosure that will hold a minimum of 144 fibers (12 fibers per run x12 different locations). So for each of your runs of fiber you will need a rack or wall mount enclosure, at the end of the run, that will hold 12 fibers.
Splice Trays
When picking out the correct enclosures, a big part of the decision is whether or not splicing will occur in the back of the wall or rack mount. If you are splicing, then this section will apply to your decision. If not, you can skim over this part like most of us do with nutritional facts on the back of food products. Splice trays, like the rack and wall mounts, have several different options that you can choose from. There is the number of splices to consider, which is typically 12 or 24 per tray. There are dimension differences as well that will play in to the decision of which one to choose. Splice trays are one of the last things to consider because you will need the dimensions of the enclosure to choose the correct size splice tray. If you are trying to splice a higher fiber count you will want to try to use the splice tray that can accept more splices per tray. This will help keep the number of splice trays needed down and to make the fiber management look as professional as a man dressed in a tuxedo ready for his wedding.
LGX Style vs. Proprietary
In all interconnect boxes you need adapter plates loaded with mating sleeves that allow you to connect your fibers together. Along with knowing which connector style you are connecting, you will also need to know what style box you are using, especially if you are connecting in a panel that already is in place. There are plates that are “universal” that will fit in multiple manufacturers’ enclosures. One style is known as LGX adapter plates. There are several manufacturers that use this concept allowing for multiple manufacturers’ adapter plates to be interchanged and used with several different manufacturers interconnect boxes. There are other manufacturers that have proprietary adapter plates, meaning you can only use that manufacturers adapter plates with their rack and wall mount enclosures.

What Fiber Optic Connectors Are Used for Non Standard Fiber Sizes?

The question I seem to be asked over and over is “What fiber optic connectors are used when I have non-standard size multimode and singlemode fiber”? The frequency of this question led me to write this blog. It can be very frustrating when installers and technicians are faced with this situation, the proper fiber has been identified, but what good is it to me if I cannot install connectors. Fortunately, there are answers and I hope to relieve some of the angst that you may have.
Most telecommunications projects utilize standard equipment and fibers that are readily available, but what happens when this is not the case? The standard LC, SC, ST and FC style optical fiber connectors with ferrule holes at or around 126um will suffice 99% of the time but, nonstandard applications such as medical, automotive, high power and others utilize specialty fibers where the standards will not work.
Non-Standard (Specialty, Large Core) Fiber
As most of us know, standard singlemode optical cable is made with a 9um optical glass core and a 125um cladding (9/125) with multimode standards being 50/125 and the old North American standard of 62.5/125. Many non telecommunication optical applications utilize non-standard fibers. Following is a list of just a few of these fibers:
100/140 – This fiber is identifiable by its green jacket color and has a typical attenuation of about 4 dB/km.
200/230 – 200/230 will typically have a blue jacket and has a standard attenuation of 6dB/km. You may notice that as the fiber cores increase in size, so does the standard attenuation.
960/1000 – This fiber is actually manufactured using plastic instead of the glass we usually find in fiber. Commonly black jacketed, this fiber is popular for optical audio cables; its 300 dB/km attenuation relegates it to short distance transmissions.
Large core fibers are also available: 300/330, 400/440, 500/550/ 600/660, 800/880 and many others too numerous to mention.
Precision-Drilled Connectors
Specialty fibers will not accept the standard 126um fiber connectors, so the technician must search out alternative solutions. Let’s first address the components that make up a fiber connector:
The Fiber Connector:
Strain Relief Boot
The strain relief boot allows the fiber exiting the connector to maintain its bend radius. A connector without a boot would kink the fiber causing attenuation (loss) or possibly a break in the fiber itself. It is important that the boot not be glued into place, gluing the boot will hinder the spring inside the connector, so the boot should be slip fit onto the connector body.
Connector Body
The body of the connector holds the ferrule in place and allows the connector to be crimped to the fiber and body via the use of a crimp sleeve. Connectors that only crimp to the fiber and not the body (like an ST) will allow the ferrule to piston when force is applied to the fiber, this is why LC, SC and FC connectors are dual crimp and have the advantage of non-optical disconnection.
The Ferrule
The most important component of any connector is the Ferrule. In the past, ferrules were made from stainless steel but due to performance issues most of today’s ferrules are made from ceramic (Zirconia). The ferrule’s primary function is to hold the fiber precisely to allow for the transmission of optical signal. Most standard ferrules have a hole size of 126um.
When specialty/uncommon (large core) fibers are used, many times ferrules with the larger hole sizes are not available. When larger size holes are needed, the ferrule must be drilled to accommodate these sizes.
When drilling a ceramic connector ferrule, issues occur that effect the hole tolerance and concentricity. During the drilling process, the ceramic material will chip and flake making the ferrule unusable. Because of these issues, the only ferrule type that can be consistently drilled is stainless alloy.
When drilling stainless alloy ferrules, sizes range typically from 250um to as large as 1550um, these sizes step in 10um increments (example 310um, 320um, 330um etc). When manufacturing these drilled ferrules, specifications for hole tolerance, concentricity, length and diameter are all measured and have pass/fail criteria. Some companies offer two options for their drilled ferrules, standard and premium. A standard drilled optical connector has a hole tolerance specification of -10µm/+50µm and a concentricity value of +/- 50µm. Premium drilled connectors will have tighter tolerances; so if higher performance (low attenuation) is required the premium product is the answer. Premium drilled optical ferrules have a hole tolerance specification of -4 µm/+10 µm and a concentricity value of +/- 25 µm. The premium ferrule will allow for better light transmission, which makes this the most popular of all drilled connectors.
Understand that the ferrule cannot be drilled while inserted inside of the connector body. All ferrules are drilled before the connecter is manufactured. Once the ferrule is drilled and passes all specifications then it is installed into the finished connector. Many times (like in medical devices) the ferrule is the only thing that is installed onto the fiber, leaving the body and strain relief boot out.
It is important to also note that the older SMA905 and SMA906 connectors can be drilled and are commonly used in military, medical, aerospace and research facilities where higher power lasers and heat dissipation are required. The SMA connector uses a larger 3mm ferrule, compared to the typical 2.5mm for SC, FC and ST and the 1.25mm ferrules used for LC connectors.
Installation of the optical connector
Once you have identified the correct connector style (ST, FC, SC, LC) and hole drill size the next question is “How to install these connectors?” When considering standard fiber optic connectors (dozens of manufacturers) it really boils down to only three options on how to install the connector on the optical fiber. These options are:
Hand/Machine Polishing
All fiber optic connectors are manufactured using this epoxy/polish procedure. The move in the fiber industry over the last decade has been to shy away from this process. Labor, consumables, skill level and overall quality is deeming this process obsolete for field connector terminations. The thought process is to let the industry manufacturing professionals handle the task.
Mechanical Connectors
A mechanical connector is manufactured and machine polished by the connector manufacturer with a small piece of fiber inserted into the connector, this fiber is precision cleaved inside the back of the ferrule and the end is then machine polished. The field installer simply cleaves his fiber and inserts it into the back of the mechanical connector and clamps it into place. Using mechanical connectors drastically reduces labor, and the required skill level of the technician. These connectors are more expensive than epoxy style connectors but the savings in labor costs tend to outweigh the expense.
Mechanical Splice
Fusion Spliced Connector
Most people believe that fusion splicers are used to lengthen and repair fiber optic cables. While this is true, the most common use of a fusion splicer is to attach premade pigtails or the newer Splice on Connectors (SOC). Although the perception is that the investment in the fusion splicer makes this process expensive, the reality is that fusion splicing a connector is the least expensive, lowest labor, highest quality way to install a factory manufactured connector.
Now that we have identified the field installation processes for fiber connectors how do we apply this to large core/specialty/Non Standard drilled connectors? Reality is that there are really only two options you have. Fusion splicers cannot splice these specialty fibers and there are no mechanical connectors made today that can be used with these larger core fibers. This leaves us with field installing these connectors using the epoxy/hand polishing procedure or purchasing the cable with the connectors installed by a fiber optic manufacturer. The obvious choice is having your cables manufactured by a company that is a reputable fiber assembly house. These pre-terminated cables will be professionally manufactured and tested; your job is to simply install the cable.
Remember that when using specialty/large core fibers there are solutions to your connectorization needs and most of the time the answer is a precision drilled fiber optic connector.

Fiber Optic Patch Cable – (color coding)

Fiber optic patch cable, is also known as fiber optic jumper or fiber optic patch cord which is composed of a fiber optic cable terminated with different connectors on the ends.
Fiber optic patch cable is used to cross-connect installed cables and connect communications equipment to the cable plant.It is a very important component of the network.
In general, fiber optic patch cables are classified by fiber cable mode or cable structure, by connector construction and by construction of the connector’s inserted core cover.
Fiber Cable Mode & Structure
According to the fiber cable mode, fiber optic patch cables are divided into two common types – Singlemode fiber patch cable and Multimode fiber patch cable. Singlemode fiber patch cables use 9/125 micron bulk single mode fiber cable and single mode fiber optic connectors at both ends. Singlemode fiber patch cable is generally yellow with a blue connector and a longer transmission distance. Multimode fiber patch cables use 62.5/125 micron or 50/125 micron bulk multimode fiber cable and terminated with multimode fiber optic connectors at both ends. It is usually orange or grey, with a cream or black connector, and a shorter transmission distance. According to the fiber optic cable structure, fiber optic patch cables include simplex fiber optic patch cable and duplex fiber optic patch cable. The former has one fiber and one connector on each end while the latter has two fibers and two connectors on each end. Each fiber is marked “A” or “B” or different colored connector boots are used to mark polarity.
Connector Construction
Connector design standards include FC, SC, ST, LC, MTRJ, MPO, MU, SMA, FDDI, E2000, DIN4, and D4. Fiber optic patch cables are classified by the connectors on either end of themselves. Some of the most common patch cable configurations include FC-FC, FC-SC, FC-LC, FC-ST, ST-LC, SC-SC, and SC-ST.
Construction of the Connector’s Inserted Core Cover
Fiber optic connectors are designed and polished to different shapes to minimize back reflection. This is particularly important in single mode applications. Typical back reflection grades are -30dB, -40dB, -50dB and -60dB. The connector’s inserted core cover conforms to APC (Typical back reflection <-60dB), UPC (Typical back reflection <-50dB), or PC (Typical back reflection <-40dB) configuration.
The buffer or jacket on patchcords is often color-coded to indicate the type of fiber used. In addition, color-coding of connectors for different fiber standards make it easy to avoid confusion.
Fiber Color Codes
Similar to the color coding designations of copper cabling, optical fiber has a color code designation for strands of fiber within the larger cable, as well as the cable’s jacket. These color codes are set by the EIA/TIA-598 standards guide identification for fiber and fiber related units that determines which color codes are used in which applications. The colors don’t only apply for the application though, they also are meant to be of use in determining a cables properties. The differences in colors are based upon different levels of OM and OS fiber (Optical Multimode & Optical Singlemode).
Optical fiber cable is separated into strands, which are the individual fibers within the larger piece of cabling. Up to 24 individual strands can be manufactured loosely, and after that point they are usually sectioned into tubes containing 12 each. Each tube containing 12 strands is then given a color.
Connector Color Codes
Since the earliest days of fiber optics, orange, black or gray was multimode and yellow singlemode. However, the advent of metallic connectors like the FC and ST made connector color coding difficult, so colored strain relief boots were often used.

Deploying Tunable Transceivers: Advantages, Challenges and Solutions

Tunable transceivers represent a cutting-edge technology that allows on-site wavelength adjustment, transcending the fixed-wavelength limitation of traditional static transceivers. The need for tunable devices has become increasingly important as networking technology continues to develop. Dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM), which is expected to serve as the central technology in the future of optical networking, allows data of different wavelengths originating from different sources to share a single optical fiber.
One drawback of static transceivers is that multiple backups are needed to minimize network downtime in a DWDM environment, given the range of wavelengths present. This can greatly increase operating cost. While it’s true that individual tunable transceivers tend to cost between two to four times more than their static counterparts, they can both minimize cost and maximize flexibility when considered in the context of the system overall.
The flexibility afforded by tunable transceivers is also key to adapting to the needs of a growing network. This aspect will only become more important as transmission rates increase and flexible channel spacing becomes crucial to networking success.
That said, tunable transceiver technology can lead to challenges for operators attempting to interface with legacy equipment. One of the most significant challenges is an inability to tune over the command line interface (CLI); it’s a problem that presents itself for some switches and routers interfacing with tunable XFP transceivers, and is even more common among devices interfacing with tunable SFP+ transceivers.
Fortunately there is a solution: a transceiver management module, also known as a tuning box, which features ports designed for hosting tunable transceivers and that works in conjunction with tuning software.
Precision Optical Transceivers offers two major transceiver management modules – the TN100-XS and TN100-S-BT.
Precision’s TN100-XS tuning module is a USB-powered device capable of hosting both SFP+ and XFP devices. It allows for tuning to any of the standard ITU C-Band 50GHz or 100GHz spaced channels.
The TN100-S-BT is a Bluetooth® powered compact device capable of hosting SFP+ devices, allowing for on-the-go tuning through a proprietary mobile tuning application. The device also allows for tuning to any of the standard ITU C-Band 50GHz or 100GHz spaced channels.
Tuning software is included with both devices and offers the advantage of being web-driven, meaning that the device will stay up-to-date without the need for manual installations of new firmware, or the inherent security compromises that accompany manual network interaction.