Installers are increasingly interested in buying a portable Optical Time Domain Reflectometer. But a relatively small amount are committing to the purchase.
Those are the results of a recent QuickVote report from the Cabling Installation & Maintenance Web site. The QuickVote reveals that installers are showing a growing interest in OTDRs. Still, only a small percentage of those who responded to the online survey say they will definitely buy one.
The OTDR tool is becoming more important as cabling architecture changes, and networks in industrial settings and others are intercepted with optical fiber. The portable devices are being used in the enterprise, outside plant space. They are used for troubleshooting and monitoring networks, and are typically marketed to contractors or private network owners.
An OTDR measures loss over distance, and can be used in either singlemode or multimode networks. Part of the reason they are needed is that they are used to measure wavelengths, and fiber has not been tested for insertion loss at 1625 and 1480 wavelengths. These wavelengths are sensitive to cable bending, and it is important to take the OTDR measurements during installation.
But OTDRs remain expensive, a luxury for bigger contractors and a challenge for smaller contractors to buy. OTDRs run from between $15,000 and $45,000, although manufacturers are now trying to bring down these prices.
The majority of those who responded to the QuickVote - 34% - said they own an OTDR. And while 31% of the respondents said they don't own one and don't plan to purchase one, 23% said they might purchase one in the future.
Only 12%, however, said they don't own an OTDR and definitely plan to purchase one in the future.
For more information visit www.cable-install.com.
