An Overview Of Fiber Cable Monitoring And Cables – Obtain An Overall Idea

An Overview Of Fiber Cable Monitoring And Cables – Obtain An Overall Idea

Fiber monitoring is not a term unknown any longer. The literal meaning is lucid for all but not everyone can understand the concept clearly. It refers to the overall evaluation of fiber quality with devices in a network for an integrated fiber monitoring and management system. These elements combine comprehensively for determining the functionality of the network. It is a process to facilitate the detection of faults, areas of degradation, security intrusions, etc. 

Understanding fiber cable monitoring system

The fiber optical cable monitoring system reviews and controls the fiber optical cable. The monitored report exhibits if the optical cable is operating normally. If any abnormal situation occurs, the alarms get issued. It helps in the proper identification of the faulty area. 

The identification and judgment of fault data in the correct position play a critical part in ensuring the best operations. This way, one can manage the cable system and network cautiously. 

Implementing the monitoring system - The implementation steps of the optical cable monitoring system comprise three parts. It includes -  

1. Information collection
2. Summary and analysis
3. Evaluation and diagnosis of equipment operation

The information is recorded for the workers to help them know the monitoring status correctly. The function of data collected from the site is effective only if it gets summarized and analyzed. It gets easy to resolve the problem with the optical cable with an analyzed report. Monitoring is an elementary maintenance activity, ensuring the best evaluation and diagnosis.

What is a remote fiber test system (RFTS)?

A remote fiber test system or RFTS is a consolidated system of optical fiber test heads with an OTDR, a switch, and processors for data transmission. An RFTS could be a single fiber test head as well. These are critical network performing tests on one part of the cable location. 

Understand the structure

The optical cable monitoring system consists of a monitoring center, RTU remote testing station, and an operation terminal. The remote monitoring system includes -  

• OTDR or optical time domain reflectometer 
• OPM or optical power monitoring unit
• An optical switch or OSW, etc. 

The structure is divided into a monitoring unit and a testing unit. The monitoring unit regulates the cable information. The testing unit reviews the running status of the cable. The monitoring center is the core of the optical cable monitoring system. It includes the monitoring network management systems and servers. 

The process of testing – The primary function of the monitoring system is to send test and switching instructions to the OTDR or optical time domain reflectometer and optical switch, based on the alarm received from the tube power monitoring unit. It is essential to follow the correct course, ensuring an accurate analysis and determination of the fault point, based on the feedback test results. 

The operation terminal is an integral part of the system, including the PC terminal and corresponding software. The combined operation helps the user recognize the fault point.

Proactive solution with an effective outcome

Ensuring the faulty points with a proactive approach is convenient. The communication network and fiber service utilize the simple monitoring technique to improve service availability. In fact, the proactive monitoring approach can lower operational costs. 

One can ensure an efficient way to identify and localize the critical problems already existing in their fiber infrastructure. It could be detected even before services get affected. With real-time data with optimal accuracy, the operational teams can respond immediately and take action. It facilitates the process of resolving any fiber issue, reducing the time taken for repair.

In the long run, it improves the service quality. Any degradation in the system is easy to identify with immediate fault isolation. It is a reason the monitoring process is getting popular with real-time proactive solutions, avoiding time-consuming onsite visits. With streamlined repair cycles, customer satisfaction increases effectively. 

Know the applications of fiber monitoring – The application of fiber monitoring is diverse, and thus, it is a popular operation for the following industrial and commercial needs.

1. Dark fiber and wholesale providers
2. Fiber optic cable monitoring in telecommunication network, submarine, etc.
3. FTTx for business services and mobile networks
4. Cloud services and enterprise networks
5. Adding fiber monitoring capabilities to an SDN, etc.

Get futuristic solutions with the best technology

The ever-increasing demand for optical fiber cables and networks has made the monitoring setup an indispensable choice across the globe. With enhanced operations, the complexities in the optical fiber network have increased as well. The critical features with efficient fault detection have made the fiber monitoring process more significant than ever. The innovations to improve OTDR accuracy and network performance will benefit fiber optic monitoring systems. It will reduce the inefficiencies and impacts of dead zones, facilitating the security of fiber optic networks. The evolving techniques and equipment pieces for fiber monitoring technology are futuristic for combating the challenges.