FEATURE TEST AND MEASUREMENT
@fibresystemsmag |
www.fibre-systems.com
Fluke Networks’ products are aimed at addressing the increased complexity involved in testing
said: ‘What’s really nice is that we have got all this into a true field-portable format. It is a nine-inch display. Te whole product is less than 2.7kg so it is really field portable and it has a four-hour battery life. You can go out in the field and it doesn’t matter if it is a legacy network SDH PDH network, whether it’s a current 10Gb, fibre channel, which is now being deployed because you can test all of it. Yokogawa has been making it easier for
technicians to fix a problem as it arises, by implementing an automatic test function that allows users to choose a ‘fully automatic’ measurement of the network. Magni explained that Yokogawa had made a
series of improvements to the products that it offers: from robust design to prevent water or dirt entering the device, to creating a proprietary operating system. Te operating system makes the instrument ready to measure in less than 10 seconds; and includes soſtware which helps the user to complete the measurement process on hundreds of fibres by automating the task. Many different products are available in the test
and measure marketplace. Some suppliers claim to have products suitable for all networks, fibres, wavelengths, and installed equipment. Others offer solutions for testing most of the current installed technology, while some suppliers see a market niche in providing specialist T&M equipment. Adam from AFL said: ‘We optimise for the
positive path. In our FOCIS Pro Inspection Series, we offer the concept of “Stop On Fail”, which halts analysis as soon as a failure state is detected. Tis increases the overall efficiency of the user, who is
26 FIBRE SYSTEMS Issue 5 • Autumn 2014
focused on quickly identifying pass/fail.’ AFL currently has a patent pending ‘health
meter’ which ‘presents the test data in an easy to understand format of red, yellow, and green bars that quickly indicate the status of channels being tested. With this product, users simply touch any bar to get data. If all is green – they can simply move on,’ said Adam. Anritsu has developed an all-in-one solution
for test and measurement of a fibre network. Borrill explained: ‘Other players have got the
It remains to be seen how far the trend will go of using any smartphone as an inspection device
different bits, but in different boxes, big platforms, small platforms – generally a combination – and nobody has got it all-in-one, which was our target from the start.’ Another newly implemented feature for
Anritsu is OTN mapping. Borrill said: ‘When you look inside the OTN it may be carrying fibre channel or SONET or Ethernet and rather than having to take two or three different testers, just in case, you can actually just take one and measure the contents of the OTN traffic.’ Te company has also been simplifying the test process using a graphical interface and
implementing patented technology to help distinguish its products from the rest of the market. Borrill said: ‘For example, our FI-7000 FiberInspector Pro provides pass/fail certification in two seconds or less by inspecting the connector’s end-face and analysing the fibre core, cladding, adhesive layer and contact surface for damage and defects before generating a pass/fail designation. Alternative products use subjective assessment of fibre end-faces, which takes more time and is less accurate.’ Luijten, of Fluke Networks, said: ‘We
differentiate our products by addressing practical issues that affect the speed and accuracy of testing, by making them easy to use with minimal training and by quantifying how they speed up inspection, certification and test to help potential users understand their benefits.’ Similar to Yokogawa’s strategy, Fluke Networks has been trying to minimise errors by designing wizards that will take technicians through the test process, and by developing interfaces with consumer technology such as smartphones to reduce user costs. It remains to be seen how far the trend will go
of using any smartphone as an inspection device. However, the commercial and economic pressures of increasing traffic across networks leading to a diverse set of installed technology, coupled with the shortage of skilled manpower among the technicians actually performing the diagnostics and repairs, will inexorably lead to continued innovation in the technology designed for test and measurement. Tese developments are only the beginning.l
Fluke Networks
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