OPTICAL FIBER FAULT DETECTION AND LOCALIZATION IN AN OPTICAL ACCESS NETWORK DOMAIN

Abstract

Fault detection and localization in optical fiber communication links are important in the optical access network (OAN) due to the passive nature of the network elements involved. Any failure in the link can resort to a huge amount of data loss in the network. However, deployment of fault detection and localization devices is extremely limited due to the reliability and financial implications of the devices. Several fault monitoring solutions in the OAN domain have been investigated by the researchers over the decades; the challenges for these monitoring techniques are the cost and complexity of their deployment. Thus, this work proposes a cost-effective solution for the detection and localization of a fault in the OAN based on Fiber-to-the-x (FTTx) network using optical reflectors. The reflected signal from the monitors in the network will be utilized to detect and locate the optical link with fault. Experimental results obtained show the techniques capability to detect and localized fault in the network, in-service over a distance of 20 km.