For years experts have been telling fiber-optic technicians not to use isopropyl alcohol (IPA) to clean fiber endfaces. Some technicians have listened; some haven’t. Today, one of Covid-19’s many effects on global commerce is the scarcity of IPA. Sticklers national accounts manager Rick Hoffman talks about the IPA shortage and its practical impact on fiber cleaning in this article.
Static is an invisible hazard to fiber-optic networks. Electrostatic charges draw and hold unwanted dust particles onto fiber network connector endfaces just like a magnet. Although this dust contamination is merely microns in size and only visible when magnified with an inspection scope, it can still cause serious performance problems for a network. Dust in a signal’s path may change or obstruct the light’s index of refraction, or the route of the signal, through the fiber. This causes insertion loss that weakens the signal and slows down the network speed. And if the refraction angle is altered enough, the network signal may be lost altogether.
Fiber connectivity is essential for the physical infrastructure in any enterprise or data center network. While it certainly has advantages, there are also challenges that come along with fiber. Contamination is the #1 cause of troubleshooting in fiber networks, so it is critical that anyone working with fiber is aware of and implementing best practices when handling, installing, or testing fiber connections. During this one-hour session, we will take a closer look at fiber connectivity and educate attendees on the impact that contamination has on fiber connections and network performance. We will also provide guidance on best practices and standards that are in place to ensure clean connections.
Sticklers Fiber Optic Cleaners has created three training videos focused on best practices for fiber cleaning. As the demand for faster and more-reliable networks increases, inspecting and cleaning each and every fiber-optic connection has never been more important. Whether installing a new fiber network or maintaining an existing one, it is essential for service providers to implement proper fiber cleaning procedures to ensure its performance.
To provide the kind of faultless multi-gigabyte service promised by 5G, the fibre used in networks must be properly installed and maintained correctly. Therefore, it is important to address the need for the effective training of technicians. The deployment of 5G networks will only be successful if a skilled workforce is created who understand the correct way in which to carry out all of the processes.
