5 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE WORKING WITH MULTI-FIBER MPO CONNECTORS

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Fiber
technicians are constantly challenged to keep up with new, innovative
technologies that can disrupt normal long-standing test and certification
practices. Whether you are an installation contractor, an IT manager, or
somewhere in between, understanding the key concepts and practices of any new
technology (such as MPO) is critical to keeping pace with industry needs and
driving business forward.

 

One
of the fastest growing trends in fiber networks is the use of MPO connectivity.
In a recent survey by Fibe-mart.com of more than 200 people who either design
or install networks with MPO connectors, 40% are already doing more than 10
projects per year with MPO connectivity. The growth projections are even
higher, with most people expecting their work with MPO to grow by more than 20%
in the next three years. If you are a network designer or a field technician,
this should be a clear indication that the future of your business will rely
significantly on your ability to work with MPO connectivity.

 

To
help you best prepare for this opportunity, here are 5 key things to get you
started on your MPO training.

 

Know
what MPO
connectors are and how they are used in fiber networks. While MPO
connectors have been around for many years, they have historically been
utilized in places where most technicians don’t have to interact with them very
much, if at all. This is rapidly changing as network capacity demands increase.
As a result, the use of multi-fiber connectivity has become the preferred
medium for the latest network architecture designs. They are no longer used
only behind the scenes but are now extended all the way to patch panels,
switches and servers, where they are front and center for every technician to
deal with. To learn more, watch Essentials of Multi-Fiber MPO Testing – Episode
1: Overview of MPO Connectors.

 

Know
how to properly inspect and clean MPO connectors. As technicians working with
fiber connectors know, contaminated connector end faces are the #1 cause for
network troubleshooting problems. This problem becomes even greater when
working with MPO connectors. With more fibers on the end face, a greater
surface area, and increased exposure to the fiber behind the bulkhead, the
likelihood of contaminated MPO end faces is significantly higher. Essentials of
Multi-Fiber MPO Testing – Episode 2: Dealing with Contamination on MPO
Connectors explains why MPO connectors are more difficult to keep clean, how
this impacts the MPO connections and provides guidance on how to best implement
the Inspect Before You Connect process for MPO connectivity.

 

Know
the Polarity of your MPO connections. Most technicians who have worked with
single fiber connectors, such as LC or SC, have probably dealt with polarity to
some extent before. With a duplex fiber pair, one connector is used for
“transmitting” and the other is “receiving” the signal. With MPO connections,
understanding polarity is much more complicated, as there are multiple fibers,
multiple traffic patterns, and multiple standardized polarity types that a
technician needs to understand. Essentials of Multi-Fiber MPO Testing – Episode
3: Understanding MPO connector Polarity goes into detail about the concept of
polarity for traditional duplex fibers and MPO multi-fiber connectors, how the
different polarity methods (Type A, Type B, Type C) create confusion in both
new construction and network upgrades, and how testing for polarity eliminates
these problems.

 

Know
MPO connectors are properly aligned. For technicians that have only worked with
LC, SC, and other single fiber connectors, connector alignment is something they
have likely never thought of before. That’s because they haven’t had to.
Single-fiber connectors have a sleeve inside the bulkhead adapter that align
the ferrules with precision, ensuring proper core-to-core physical connection.
Aligning MPO connectors is much different. Rather than using a sleeve inside
the bulkhead, they use a pin and socket approach. One connector has two
stainless steel pins on the end face and the other has corresponding sockets.
Essentials of Multi-Fiber MPO Testing – Episode 4: Understanding MPO Alignment
addresses some of the confusion that technicians face when performing tests and
verifying test references in the field. It also highlights some new connector
solutions that are helping address these challenges.

 

Know
what test solutions are available for MPO connections. With all fiber networks,
there are essential tests that technicians perform for either certification or
troubleshooting purposes, such as: fiber inspection, length and loss testing,
or advanced OTDR testing to identify specific events throughout the link. While
this is no different for MPO connectors, it becomes increasingly complex as the
connector interfaces on legacy test instruments have single-fiber connectors.
The final episode of the videos series, Essentials of Multi-Fiber MPO Testing –
Episode 5: MPO Test highlights various MPO test instruments and explains the
value that each one provides to the technician. It also expands on the growing
need in Enterprise and Data Center applications to have native testing of MPO
links that are directly plugged into the test instruments.