AFL has announced new optical time-domain reflectometer (OTDR) products and updates to its OTDR lineup aimed at improving test speed and capability for data center and broadband network deployments. The launch centers on the FlexScan FS300-HDR series and an updated FS200-100, with AFL positioning both for higher split-ratio passive optical network (PON) testing and high-fiber-count cable environments.
The FlexScan FS300-HDR series targets higher dynamic range, faster test times, and simplified operation, according to AFL. AFL says the platform adds “unprecedented certification capabilities” for long-haul, high-split-ratio PONs and “ultra-high fiber-count networks.” The lineup includes the FlexScan FS300-323 (1310/1550/1625), which AFL says supports PON testing up to 1:128 split ratios with PON dead zones as low as 10 meters.
For data center environments, AFL highlights the FlexScan FS300-320 (1310/1550) as a fast-testing model for ultra-high fiber-count networks, calling out large cable builds with thousands of fibers per cable. AFL says the FS300-320 is “designed specifically to meet the challenges of testing data centers with thousands of fibers per cable,” and that it “reduces Tier II test times from hours to minutes.”
“By reducing multifiber test times to as low as under one second per fiber, the FS300 HDR with data center test mode becomes a leading fiber test option for data center and data center interconnect applications,” said Arun Jain, Director of Product and Marketing at AFL. “In a test of a 5,000 feet, 1,728-fiber cable, the FS300 HDR reduced the test time to less than 30 minutes, a task that takes close to 20 hours using traditional OTDRs.”
AFL also announced an update to its FS200 series OTDRs, saying the FS200-100 now has an increased dynamic range of 39/37 dB and supports PON split ratios of 1:64. AFL notes the FS200-100 is approved worldwide by major service providers and positions it as a lower-cost option for testing PON networks up to 1:64, while pointing higher split-ratio testing use cases to the FS300-HDR series.
Source: AFL
