It's an old adage that a workman is only as good as his tools. Technology may have changed but the adage still applies. When you are providing fiber optic services, a complete set of fiber optic tools lets you complete the job more quickly and completely. Let's consider the example of troubleshooting a fault in a fiber optic cable plant:

The Hard Way - Without The Right Fiber Optic Tools

An under-equipped technician might have nothing but a Visual Fault Locator (VFL). Although it is technically possible to diagnose a fiber optic fault with a VFL, it is a tedious procedure that might create more faults along the way.

Using the VFL, the technician would have to trace the fault by laboriously checking the entire plant, section by section. Each patch panel has to be opened and all the connections checked. Not only will this take a long time, but when engaged in such a monotonous routine it's easy for the technician to miss a connection and overlook the fault entirely.

However there is a more important problem. Checking the fiber optic cable plant out in this manner can actually damage the fiber. Each time the fiber is handled by the technician, there is a chance that a new fault could be created. Once a fault is found, the question remains is this the real fault or one induced by inspection?

Not only can handling the fiber create problems, but each time the patch panel is opened it can introduce environmental contaminants into the system. Ruggedized fiber optics may be resistant to certain types of intrusion, but they can also be damaged by all sorts of contamination.

The Easy Way

A technician armed with a full set of fiber optic tools will find the troubleshooting job much easier. A high quality launch cable and an Optical Time Domain Reflector allow the technician to locate the general location of the fault in no time, saving hours of manual checking. The technician merely has to note the location of the last Fresnel reflection to narrow down the break, which is usually in or near an interconnection box.

The Optical Loss Test Set will show the technician whether the fault is on the input side (fiber or connector), the output side (fiber or connector), or in the box itself. Again this is an easy test that saves manual checking which runs the risk of damaging the fiber.

If the fault lies in the fiber the technician can often see or feel it. If it is in the connector, a microscope will reveal the fault most of the time. If the technician still can't find it, an Optical Leak Detector or VFL will show it.

This is just one example of how the right fiber optic tools can save your technicians time and effort. The faster you get a fault fixed, the happier your customer will be.