An innovative testing solution lets FTTH deployers test their networks 85 percent faster than the methods used today. The intelligent Optical Link Mapper (iOLM), recently launched by test equipment supplier EXFO, automates the setting of complex acquisition parameters for the optical time-domain resolution (OTDR) equipment that testers use to characterize fiber networks. The solution also presents the pass/fail status of the FTTH network in an easy-to-understand manner. EXFO says the tool is simple enough that installation teams – even Tier-1 technicians – can get up and running with minimal training.
The rapid growth of fiber to the home has put pressure on network operators to hire technicians and train them as fast as possible. The iOLM application was designed to help reduce operators’ need for hiring and training. It dynamically chooses the optimal testing parameters and returns a clear link view, using icons and diagnoses to pinpoint elements that failed the test. It can launch and analyze multiple acquisitions, and then compile and interpret the results, within seconds via one click. It also allows users to connect to the fiber, check power readings, get a link map and find potential faults without disconnecting the fiber.
Housed in the cutting-edge FTB-1 Platform and developed based on EXFO’s FTB-730 OTDR hardware, the iOLM leverages new and advanced algorithms to identify every fault on the network, ensuring no faulty network is left behind. Prompt diagnoses of possible faults guide users to rapidly fix the issues, increasing the overall quality of fiber optic network characterization.