Detection of fiber faults in passive optical networks

Wider deployment of fiber in the last mile is driven by increased customer needs for broadband communication services. This deployment requires solutions that reduce operational expenditures for the operator. A cost-efficient fully reliable and accurate monitoring solution supporting fault detection, identification, and localization in different fiber access architectures will be essential. In this article, we present a fast, automatic, and precise monitoring method applicable to both power-splitter- and wavelength-router-based passive optical networks through the combined techniques of optical time domain reflectometry and optical transceiver monitoring. The description of the architecture, components, and process flow is followed by tests on setups with live data transmission.