What Are Visual Fault Locators in Fiber Optics?

Businesses rely on their network infrastructure the most these days. Be it any industry, you need a solid network infrastructure to ensure the smooth running of your routine operations. The fiber optic installation services serve as the backbone of businesses these days. 

The fiber optic installation enables faster data transmission over longer distances. No doubt that fiber optic installation is advanced, but there are times when even these advanced systems can result in issues such as poor connections or cable bends. 

Now, businesses can identify and fix the issues easily with the help of VFL for fiber testing. Visual fault locators are tools that bring hidden problems to light so that businesses can make the most of them. Wondering how VFLs work?

Hear straight from the fiber optic cable contractors and know how the visual fault locators work and aid in fiber network diagnostics.

Visual Fault Locator (VFL) 

A visual fault locator is a tool that helps the fiber optic contractors to conduct the fiber network diagnostics. It emits visible light into the fiber optic cable, most probably red, to help the fiber optic cable contractors locate faults such as breaks, bends, or poor connections. 

The fiber optic cable contractors can easily figure out the exact problem by observing the light leakage at the point of the fault. The VFLs are fiber optic troubleshooting tools, assisting in the maintenance of the fiber optic networks.

How Does Visual Fault Locator (VFL) Work? 

Wondering how VFL for fiber testing works? Look no more, as Cabling in DFW has got you covered. The visual fault locator uses visible light to reveal issues physically, unlike complex tools such as the optical time domain reflectometer, which uses backscattered light to detect faults and provides a digital display.

Have a look at the detailed breakdown of how the visual fault locator works. 

Connection

Firstly, the visual fault locator is connected to the fiber optic cable using an adapter ranging from 2.5mm or 1.25mm. 

Laser transmission

Next, a powerful read light beam is emitted into the fiber optic cable to illuminate it. It is usually around 650 nanometers. 

Fault detection

The laser light leaks out of the fiber and can be seen glowing red at the fault site, such as a break, macro-bend, or connector issue. 

Identification

The fiber optic cable contractors visually inspect the cable and identify the fault’s location depending on where the red light is visible. 

Benefits of Visual Fault Locators 

Visual fault locators are a beneficial tool for cable installation companies to figure out the fault in the fiber optic cable that might be hampering your overall network performance. Apart from this, there are several other benefits of using visual fault locators for fiber optic diagnostics. Have an insight into its benefits.

Cost-effective 

Have a tight budget, and are you wondering if you can afford the fiber optic troubleshooting tools or not? Look no more. The visual fault locators are not so expensive that you have to break your bank to use them.

Instead, these are cost-effective compared to the other testing equipment tools, such as optical time domain reflectometers (OTDRs). 

User friendly 

The best part about the visual fault locators is that they are user-friendly. This means that even fiber optic cable contractors with minimal experience can use it as its operation is straightforward.

It is accessible to contractors with varying experience levels and doesn't require you to hire the ones with more experience. 

Fast diagnostics 

Troubleshooting that takes too long only ends up making you frustrated and also leads to delays and loss of revenue. Thankfully, this will no longer be the case with the visual fault locations by your side. 

By using the visual fault locations, you can immediately get to know the fault in the fiber optic cable and fix it to ensure optimal network performance. 

Improves network reliability 

The significant improvement it brings in the network reliability is another added advantage of the visual fault locators. Imagine how long it will take to identify the issue without using this, right? 

However, the usage of visual fault locators quickly identifies and addresses the faults in the fiber optic cable, which in turn results in improved network reliability. 

Versatility

The usage of visual fault locators is not confined to any particular fault but can be used to treat almost any fault in the fiber optic cable. 

Be it breaks, bends, or connector issues, you can easily identify and fix those issues thanks to the versatility of the visual fault locators. 

Final Say

Visual fault locators are the simplest and easiest way to detect and fix faults in the fiber optic cable. It’s best to hire fiber optic cable contractors or seek the assistance of cable installation companies to fix the faults quickly and efficiently. This ensures businesses your fiber optic network is working smoothly.