Types of Fiber Optic Tester
Fiber optic cable is an excellent media for data transmission, which is known for its flexibility, low cost and high performance. However, this cable is more expensive and the installation is fairly difficult, and requires special test equipment. Below is a list of the most commonly used optical cable test equipment, including:
1. Light Source
Light sources, both LED and laser, are test devices for checking connection loss or optical loss, continuity, and transmission quality of fiber links. This type of LED is usually used for multimode fiber applications, while lasers are used for single mode fiber applications. At present, Light source has been widely produced and offers 3 to 4 wavelengths and the consistency of various combinations of light-emitting diodes and lasers.
2. Power Meter
Power meter is a device that can measure the strength of optical fiber equipment or the strength of optical signals that pass through a fiber cable. Most of these devices are used to check the loss of power and absolute power of a fiber optic cable.
3. LSPM (Light Source/Power Meter)
LSPM is a combination of the two types of testers above. Typically, this tool is used to test end-to-end performance of fiber optic systems.
4. OLTS (Optical Loss Test Set)
OLTS is a mainstay for testing optical fiber cabling because it offers the most accurate method for determining the total loss of a link and is required by industry standards to ensure that the link can meet the loss requirements for a given application. Both TIA and ISO standards use the term "Level 1" to describe testing with OLTS.
5. OTDR (Optical Time Domain Reflectometer)
OTDR is an instrument used to create "images" of virtual fiber optic cable routes. This tool is useful for detecting problems with existing fiber links.
6. VFL (Visual Fault Locator)
VFL is a test tool to find the location of a loss on a fiber link and can also be used to confirm the continuity of the fiber. VFL offers a simple way that is more efficient in terms of price and time