Fluke Networks: OptiFiber Pro OTDR for enterprise fiber testing

The OptiFiber Pro OTDR allow users to reduce costs associated with premise fiber testing, while enhancing productivity and improving network reliability.

The OptiFiber Pro OTDR creates a new standard for usability with a smartphone interface that supports gesture-based commands, and technology enhancements that simplify testing in datacenter environments.

"This tester changes the game for fiber troubleshooting. The OptiFiber Pro OTDR's new multi-touch, smartphone-like interface dramatically reduces the learning curve associated with using an OTDR. The simplified Datacenter Mode and project management tools will help industry technicians immediately deliver accurate test results and quickly archive and access data," said Doug Swalec, senior fiber application engineer at Panduit Corp.

The company claims that this the first OTDR with a smartphone user-interface. It is designed to minimize the learning curve typically associated with older OTDRs by reducing complexity, helping any technician quickly become a fiber expert.

It automates the process of setting test parameters, like wavelength or end-detection algorithms, significantly reducing set-up time and the complexity of learning how to troubleshoot datacenter problems.

"Enterprise fiber use is growing at 57 percent a year, which increases the frequency and importance of fiber testing necessary to minimize issues that can be devastating to network operations," said Jason Wilbur, vice president of datacom cabling and installation tools at Fluke Networks.

It features the industry's shortest event and attenuation dead zones. This is critical in virtualized server environments, where connections are often less than one meter and hidden performance issues can severely decrease the reliability of datacenters and storage area networks (SANs).

The new OptiFiber PRO is aimed squarely at the challenges enterprise customers are facing today. The tester's new smartphone interface dramatically reduces the learning curve associated with using an OTDR, and the simplified Datacenter Mode will help technicians immediately solve problems in mission critical datacenter environments.