FiberOptic.com Training Director recognized as one of the Top 10 Fiber Optic Certification Administrators for 2011

FiberOptic.com’s Training Director has been recognized by the ETA as one of the Top 10 Fiber Optics Certification Administrators for 2011. The ETA currently has over 1000 certification administrators and Richard has received this honorable award through his dedication to the program as well as administering one of the highest numbers of examinations.

With courses ranging from Certified Fiber Optic Installers to Master Technicians, we offer a variety of certifications for various skill levels and Rich is just one of several instructors working to uphold the highest of standards in these courses.

Bryant Smith, FiberOptic.com’s resident IT Manager has also recently received certification as a Ruckus Wireless Solutions Engineer. As the top level of certification offered by Ruckus, the Wireless Solutions Engineer is ensured to have the skills needed to design, deploy and manage complex wireless networks. This certification will benefit several courses, including the Panasonic i-PRO Installation course and the Wireless Network Fundamentals course. Additionally, this certification will allow new Ruckus products to be available through FiberOptic.com.

Congratulations Bryant and Rich!

The Fiber Optic Marketplace, LLC Has Announced the Recent Acquisition of FiberBase®

The Fiber Optic Marketplace, LLC (www.FiberOptic.com), a division of Adtell Inc., has announced the recent acquisition of FiberBase®, a mapping and asset management software solution from Corridor Technologies. Developed by industry professionals, FiberBase® allows network operators to visually diagram and document their network and network assets down to individual port assignments. Additionally, FiberBase® was designed to leverage the advantages of an Oracle relational database, allowing users to customize the user interface, reports and program functionality to meet the unique needs of their fiber or copper network.

FiberOptic.com’s FiberBase® system provides full documentation for all equipment and connectivity for premise and outside plant operations, including documenting entire fiber optic routes, from every foot of conduit down to sub-ducts and individual fibers. FiberBase® has been seamlessly integrated with industry standard software such as Visio and MapInfo, making FiberBase® a powerful tool for users to generate reports on equipment and resources.

FiberBase® is available as a client server application or a hosted solution. Pricing is based on the configuration and number of seat licenses a company would require.

The software has been developed to leverage the following features:

• A central point for record keeping that can be accessed remotely over the company network
• Support of multiple languages
• Detailed maps, drawings, equipment lists or photographs to take into the field when planning new networks
• Existing documents can easily be linked to newly entered data
• Custom security features provide controlled access throughout the organization, while giving each user the information they need; Access Control Lists (ACLs) and Task Based Security (TACLs) allow the administrator to place a security level on each database item and FiberBase® feature

Company President Chris LaBonge stated, “The FiberBase® system is a key component of our FiberSentry system (http://fibersentry.fiberoptic.com) and the acquisition of this software from Corridor Technologies will allow us to further develop the software while integrating with other network monitoring systems to create an automated approach to uploading and storing OTDR trace files.” Customers can expect the same great product they have grown accustomed to with an increased commitment to customer satisfaction.
About The Fiber Optic Marketplace, LLC

The Fiber Optic Marketplace, LLC, founded in 2001, is the leading online provider of fiber optic products, training and rental solutions. Beginning as an online business-to-business portal for the fiber optic community and expanding to include domestic and international business, The Fiber Optic Marketplace, LLC is committed to maintaining excellent customer service and client relations. Continuing into the future, the company will continue to offer expertise in the field of fiber optics by providing customized solutions for customers.

For more information on the product, or to request a demo, visit http://fiberbase.FiberOptic.com or call 877-529-9114.

New T-Berd 2000 Designed to Meet Customer Demands

We’ve been hearing that our customers love the T-Berd 4000 OTDRs but often wish they had something portable with the same power and great software. We’re happy to announce that very soon we’ll be able to sell the all new T-Berd 2000 which provides users with just that. With a lithium polymer battery designed for extended use, sturdy construction and the standard OTDR modules our customers have grown to rely on, we can heartily recommend this tool for mobile testing.

The T-Berd 2000 is a handheld modular test set that is nearly half the size of the T-Berd 4000, but has all the same great features and compatibility. This light-weight and easily portable test platform provides users with the means to perform the widest range of test applications. These applications include, but are not limited to, OTDR modules (LAN/WAN/Metro/Access/PON), insertion loss and optical return loss testing, PON/FTTX power meter, and a microscope to inspect connector end faces and perform pass/fail analysis. With Ethernet, USB, Bluetooth and WiFi connection capabilities, this test set is designed for remote communication that is convenient at any job site.

Be one of the first to get this tool and instantly become a master testing technician. Rick, our testing product manager would be happy to discuss how this tool can help you with your business needs. For more information or to request a product demo, be sure to contact sales@fiberoptic.com!

Missing the expertise needed to interpret your OTDR traces? No problem!

Maintaining a fiber optic network can be a challenge. In an industry that relies so heavily on the speed and accuracy of fiber installations, it is crucial that you are positive these installations meet certain specifications. Being able to quickly and accurately interpret fiber characterization test results is essential, but highly specialized. Having access to experts to help with your trace analysis is the ideal way to optimize your fiber optic network but those assets aren’t always available “In House”.

Expert Trace Analysis from third party professional optical and/or electrical engineers is the most cost effective way to identify problems within in a fiber network that is continuously growing, changing or aging. Third party analysis can provide network planners with an easy to read report containing the relevant OTDR data and certify that the link indeed meets certain specifications. Allowing an expert to perform bi-directional analysis saves you time, money and headaches.

FiberOptic.com is introducing a new product that will provide customers with this beneficial service. TraceVault™ is your one-stop shop for storing, evaluating, and referencing all types of OTDR traces. With this service, you can request detailed analysis and an accredited certificate verifying that your traces meet specifications. Aside from our Expert Trace Analysis feature, TraceVault makes storing and organizing your OTDR results, and accessing your files directly from the field easier than ever. As an added bonus, this software will allow you to place an order for Fiber Characterization from our fiber experts with a few clicks of the mouse.

For more information or to request a product demo, please email sales@fiberoptic.com!

Can your fiber cable network support 10G, 40G or 100G traffic?

Planning on building out a new network or thinking of upgrading your current system to keep up with the ever increasing bandwidth demand? Service Providers key objectives are to increase bandwidth, reduce costs, create new revenue streams, and provide a competitive and reliable service. To meet customers demand for more bandwidth and to future proof network investments, providers will most likely be deploying OC-192, DWDM, ROADMs, G.709, OC-768, 100GigE, POTS, etc. However before any design work is implemented it is imperative to test the fiber optic lines to make sure the fiber can actual carry these services without affecting the integrity of the data in anyway. Many times fiber characterization is considered after the fact and this leads to a very costly mistake.

Fiber characterization consists of a series of tests that help determine if the embedded fiber plant can support the optical services that will be deployed for a given network architect and transmission rate. The primary tests usually consist of OTDR, end to end loss, Optical Return loss (ORL), Polarization Mode Dispersion (PMD) and Chromatic Dispersion (CD). These tests are required for designing any high speed network ranging from 2.5Gbps, 10 Gbps, 40 Gbps, 100Gbps and these tests should be carried out before or during the design phase.

Dispersion is the key fundamental limiting factor in transmission rate and distance. To build a cost-effective, high capacity optical transmission network, dispersion management becomes a key factor. Before compensating for chromatic dispersion, the chromatic dispersion of a fiber network has to be measured accurately to determine the proper amount compensation required. PMD testing is also a major requirement and too much PMD can significantly affect the overall data rate which can impede your overall network design. End to end loss is also important in the overall network design and indicates when amplification is necessary and how much amplification is required. ORL testing is another important requirement and if not tested it can cause unforeseen errors in the network once it’s turned up.

If you deploy a network using incorrect data or if you do not test the actual fiber, you will spend significantly more than an investment in Fiber Characterization. You will run into common problems such as wrong compensation schemes, in-correct amplification, incorrect placement of regens etc. You may also experience physical failures within the fiber plant that need to be rectified for error free transmission. All this will lead to down time, more man power and more expenses will incur to rectify these issues. You will also discover that you now need additional equipment or you may discover you bought too much or even the wrong equipment.

Typically fiber characterization cost is usually around 1% of the network investment and this minimal cost helps guarantee network design and performance from the get go. This saves a lot of headaches and unforeseen expenses down the road. With a minimal investment up front you can’t afford not to test!

Need help with Fiber Characterization then let Adtell Integration assist you with your needs? If you would like to know more about our fiber characterization services please contact us 215-499-8959 or sales@adtell.com

Multiplexing Basics

When you need to carve up an expensive resource (such as an active fiber route) into pieces, multiplexing is the way to go. What is multiplexing, you may ask? It's the process by which multiple signals are combined into a single signal, then split back into pieces upon arrival.

There are lots of types of multiplexing. The most simple is space division where the signal carriers are literally held separate by some kind of insulator (like CAT5 or telephone wire.) Time division multiplexing involves using a timer on either end to determine which signal the carrier is carrying. Core-division multiplexing (CDM) uses a code followed by data to specify which signal is being carried. Finally, frequency-division multiplexing (or in the fiber optic world, wavelength division multiplexing) involves sending signals over several distinct frequency ranges over a carrier.

The easiest way to think about this is in terms of light. At one end of a  fiber optic cable you have a lens that takes many colors of light and combines them into high energy white light. That white light is sent to a prism at the other end of the fiber which splits the white light back up into it's constituent colors. If the red light at the beginning of the fiber blinks in a certain pattern, the red light at the far end will also blink without interfering with the other colors (wavelengths.)

Image from Wikipedia

The device responsible for combining the signal is often called a MUX while the one responsible for splitting it apart is called a DEMUX. In two way communications a MUX/DEMUX pair is required at each endpoint so that communications can be sent and received.

WDM (wave-division multiplexing) is further broken down into two flavors, CWDM or Coarse WDM and DWDM or Dense WDM. In Coarse WDM fewer signals are combined onto the fiber and they are spaced farther apart. In DWDM more signals can be combined resulting in increased hardware and system design complexity and higher costs. Depending on the system needs CWDM and DWDM are both viable options.

I hope that helps explain why multiplexing is such an important part of fiber optic communications!

Hot Item: The Brand New CWDM Analyzer from EXFO

CWDM is trending hot right now and we've got a whole new suite of instruments available for all your testing needs.

Want to future proof your CATV broadband and hybrid networks? Try the FTB-5240S Optical Spectrum Analyzer. It's a highly accurate OSA and is ideal for multiservice operators and CATV operators.


Want to achieve end-to-end characterization by testing through CWDM-based multiplexers and demultiplexers at ITU-recommended wavelengths?

Try the high-resolution OTDR covering longer metro distances and ITU-based CWDM networks.

Are you looking for an innovative, low-cost alternative for activation and troubleshooting of a CWDM network?

Look no further than the new EXFO FOT-5200 CWDM Analyzer! This small handheld devive packs in all the essential features including:

• CWDM Channel Analyzer
• Broadband Power Meter
• Loss Test Set

It's the fastest and smallest CWDM tester on the market and we've got it!

Interested in a quote? Drop us a line at sales@fiberoptic.com!