How Fiber Optic Monitoring Systems Work

By Margaret Phillips


Companies need internal systems to organize and work their operations and productions. Systems vary in usage so they need to have one in every aspect of operations. These serve as control technology to analyze performance and detect errors. Here, we are going to tackle about the fiber optic monitoring systems.

Infrastructure, maintenance, network security are the provisions for the system. It assesses the quality of fiber continuously using integrated tools and systems. It does performance trend analysis using metrics in the fiber optics. Its advantage is the alerts it gives to the supervising administrator when errors, threats, and system intrusions occur in real time.

The company, in conclusion, really needs the implementation and usage of the fiber monitoring system. It is because it can support internal communications through the help of optical cables. The internet connection runs on higher bandwidth ensuring data integrity improvements. Any faults in this system will be detected from the source easily.

This, however, does not mean that system breach cannot happen due to its systems security. It is prone to detect issues in regards to fiber tapping. This issue is the most common as it becomes the source of concerns of technicians from the company and the systems provider. Detection can easily be done but preventive ways have yet to be made.

In relation, limitations in the fiber monitoring system can also happen later on. The most common of these are the blackouts or dead zones when connecting cables got air gaps, splices, and saturation. Optical time domain reflectormeter based system is the common victim of these. The reason lies on the lack of alerts on the nearby cables during this period which the system administrator cannot receive.

Another is dark fibers, or simply unused and unlit fiber cables. However, note that this can create both limitation and opportunity to the company. For instance, the redundancy of information they provide to the network can be a benefit as it will help in the disaster recovery of the company. However, once an accident happens in the infrastructure or the cables get waterlogged, the company will lose all information, including the backup.

This system also has another device which the company can use instead of OTDR. It has the same efficiency but is greatly cost effective. This is called as remote fiber monitoring. This sub system will reduce their service time significantly with the added protection in its implementation for data theft.

What is also good about this device is its simplicity in network solutions. Even though it is as such, it can create a huge impact in the internal system. Its unique feature is it can monitor signals used in both dark and active fibers. Here, the power signals will continuously monitor each cable for both fibers until it detects a fault.

We know that uncertainty clouds the future. However, it will be for better progress. Hence, monitoring will be more comprehensive and accurate than before. Currently, innovations are done in order to lessen consumption of power. They are also finding ways to lessen the effects of electrical interference in the system performance.




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