Effectively Test and Troubleshoot FTTH Networks

September 15, 2022 at 10:00 am

By Keith Foord

With the recent growth of FTTH installations, the front-line technician is tasked with testing and troubleshooting fiber optic links in a timely manner. To be able to achieve this goal they require easy-to-use, cost-effective tools. Traditionally, the Optical Time Domain Reflectometer (OTDR) was considered to be an advanced piece of test equipment reserved for the exclusive use of the top-level technician. This prevented the front-line technician from being able to locate most cable discontinuities, so a second truck roll would usually be required. This is no longer the case with the release of the Tempo Communications OFL100. The OFL100 is an affordable OTDR that empowers the front-line technician to quickly locate faults in the last mile of FTTH installations.

OTDR theory will be explained in plain English, with trace evaluation and measurement tips and tricks shown to reduce the fear of using an OTDR. This will help even the novice technician to gain confidence in troubleshooting and locating faults in FTTH installations.