| Optical Insertion Loss (OIL) |
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| OIL is the loss of optical signal power resulting from the insertion of a device into an optical fiber. This loss varies by wavelength and length of optical fiber. It is measured by comparing transmit and receive powers. |
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Optical Return Loss (ORL) |
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ORL is the reflection of optical signal power resulting from the insertion of a device into an optical fiber. An acceptable ORL is usually the measure of where a fiber will work or not. High reflectance can be remediated by cleaning the fiber end. It is measured by comparing incident and reflected powers. |
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| Optical Time Domain Reflectometry (OTDR) |
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OTDR traces give a holistic view of the health of a fiber strand, including connectors, splices and fiber loss. OTDR identifies high loss elements that can be remediated with cleaning or replacement. |
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Chromatic Dispersion (CD) |
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Different wavelengths of light travel at different speeds in different media. This causes a spreading of pulses, making them difficult to detect at the receive end of a fiber optic cable. CD measures the amount of spreading of optical pulses due to the wavelength-speed-media characteristics of fiber plant. It is used to gauge the number of wavelengths and bit rates that can be supported. |
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| Polarization Mode Dispersion (PMD) |
In some media, different polarizations of light travel and different speeds. As with Chromatic Dispersion, this causes a spreading of pulses, making them difficult to detect at the receive end. PMD measures the amount of spreading due to the polarization-speed characteristics of fiber plant. It is used as to gauge the number of wavelengths and bit rates that can be supported. |
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