Category: Testing

Cisco adds ruggedized industrial switches, APs, routers for IoT edge

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Cisco’s new networking technology is purpose-built to withstand the rigors of the harshest of environments, while providing IT and OT teams with “intent-based networking” capabilities to scale and accelerate IoT projects. Extending intent-based networking to some of the most challenging work environments on Earth, from chemical plants and oil refineries, to mines, the company’s new line of ruggedized industrial switches, access points and routers are designed to withstand extended exposure to water, dust, and other extreme environmental conditions.

AFL intros FlexScan FS300-325 Quad OTDR

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AFL’s FlexScan FS300-325 Quad OTDR helps contract installers and network operators deploy and maintain single-mode and multimode networks, including Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH) Passive Optical Networks (PONs), Passive Optical LANs (POLANs) and point-to-point networks. The new OTDR includes many of the same capabilities found in AFL’s FlexScan FS200 family of single-mode OTDRs.

Mixed Mindfulness

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When it comes to a cabling infrastructure, not all media and applications are always the same. So for each and every link, it’s important to be aware of what you’re testing—from both a media type and application standpoint. Often customers will determine that they only need Category 5e or Category 6 for some applications and Category 6A for others, or they may realize the need to upgrade some but not all links.

With Fiber Certification… Are You Working Smart?

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Higher fiber-count cables are being laid, leading to a challenge for installers and contractors: how to manage, track and report on the test and certification of the individual fibers and the cable as a whole. The questions are many: how far along are you in testing all the fibers? Did you already test this or that fiber? Did it pass or fail? Where is the test result so you can check? And how do you consolidate a bunch of individual test results into one certification report? Without a clear and simple view of where you are with your project (and a little bit of automation), you can waste a lot of time figuring these things out, potentially duplicating tests (accidentally testing the same fiber twice) or worse, missing a fiber and having to return to site (at your own cost if you’re a contractor) to fill in the missing data.

Cabling Mistakes #10: Skipping Fiber Inspection Steps

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Contaminated connections are the number one cause of fiber-related problems and failures in a data center, Enterprise backbones and other fiber networking environments. The #10 most common cabling mistake is skipping out on proper fiber inspection! One tiny speck of dirt on the fiber core can cause loss and reflections that increase error rates and degrade performance.

Is Your Fiber End Face Up to Scratch?

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Contamination remains the number one cause of fiber link failures. Defects on a fiber end-face come in all types, shapes and sizes. They include scratches, cracks, and pits and contaminants like dirt, dust, oil and even salt. If you properly clean a fiber end-face with lint-free wipes and a specialized solvent designed specifically for fiber cleaning, it’s possible to remove contaminants from the fiber end-face. But what about permanent surface defects like scratches, cracks and pits that can’t be removed via cleaning?

Splice Loss Estimation with the Fujikura 41S Fusion Splicer

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Splice Loss Estimation is the process used within the splicer to gauge the amount of optical power lost at the splice joint due to core misalignment. This is accomplished by analyzing the profile image of the fused fiber and is typically common knowledge for fiber optic technicians in today’s industry. However, there is often a lack of clarity regarding the differing splice loss estimation methods. Not all splicers use the same estimation technique, nor do they possess the same level of accuracy or precision. This blog focuses on the Fujikura 41S fusion splicer and its loss estimation advantage compared to other cladding alignment splicers.

Testing in the Data Center Spaces

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Depending in which functional area of the data center you are testing, there are different applications, cabling and connectivity that you will encounter. Understanding the functional areas of the data center and what you will likely need to test in each can help prepare you for data center testing.

AddOn Introduces New Fiber Testing Solution

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AddOn Networks has launched a new testing solution that detects problems within optical fibers. The EON-NSV-OTDR devices rapidly locate and report any faults in an optical fiber link of a communication network – saving service providers time and money by allowing them to quickly address the root cause of any issues and providing real-time monitoring of jitter and latency.

Viavi unveils rugged field testers for cable and fiber broadband networks

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VIAVI has introduced new test and measurement solutions to help service providers and contractors validate, qualify and troubleshoot cable and fiber broadband networks: the DSP TDR Time Domain Reflectometer and the OCC-4056C DWDM Optical Channel Checker. Both deliver fast and accurate performance analysis and troubleshooting to ensure successful network installation and operation, according to the company.