Five Factors Contributing to Decibel Loss in Fiber Optic Cables

High decibel losses in fiber optic cable infrastructure can cause downtime…Here are some of the most common factors that cause decibel losses:

1. End surface contamination

Fiber is glass. Just like a glass window, when the glass is dirty, the performance of the fiber optic cable is severely degraded.

Most of the fiber is wrapped so it is not exposed to contamination. However, the endface is where the fiber is exposed and is susceptible to contamination.

To avoid problems with data transmission, make sure to follow this rule: "Inspect, Clean, Inspect". This should be done on the fiber before installation. This will also prevent contamination from being passed through while connecting.

2. Exceeding the bending radius

While it is true that fiber optic glass can be bent, excessive bending can cause light loss and can render the cable useless. This type of damage most often occurs during installation.

A good rule of thumb is to not exceed 10 times the outer jacket diameter. So for a patch cord with a 2mm jacket, the maximum bend radius is 20mm. If in doubt, contact your supplier for exact measurements.

3. Tighten the cable

Many installers use cable ties to organize cables in an environment. This is a good idea for many types of cables, but not necessarily for fiber optics.

While cable management is important to help maintain an organized environment, Velcro is a better choice for fiber optics. Cable ties may squeeze the fiber optics, which can cause high decibel losses or even total transmission loss.

4. Fiber optic breakage

Polishing the fiber endface is critical not only to avoid contamination, but also to ensure that the ferrule does not protrude too much. If this happens, the fiber may break or split when mated with another fiber or transceiver.

The best way to avoid this problem is to ensure that the manufacturer has a repeatable process that can guarantee the quality of its cables.

5. Ring misalignment

Data is transmitted through the core of a fiber optic cable. When it is wired in a patch panel, the cores need to be perfectly aligned to ensure optimal data transmission.

In optical fiber, the jacket is the protruding part of the fiber optic connector. When the ferrule is not aligned correctly, decibel losses will occur.

Additionally, cheaper components will result in core mismatches and decibel losses will be inevitable. Similar to fiber breakage, the best way to avoid this problem is to purchase high-quality fiber optic cables.

The performance of fiber optic cables can affect your network in many ways. This is why it is important to avoid decibel losses.