What are Fiber Optic Attenuators?

In many cases, the primary focus of a fiber network simulation platform is on the electro-optical equipment at both ends of the fiber optic link.  Since the purpose of network simulators is to evaluate the DUT (Device Under Test) equipment, it only makes sense that this is where the attention will be. However, it is a crucial mistake to forget about both the stability and consistency of the test fiber because the DUT test results (performance, pass/ fail, etc) totally depend on knowing that the optical fiber characteristics are consistent and very reliable.

When testing fiber optic equipment intended for longer distances during the development/certification stages, it is vital that engineers ensure their products will operate as intended once installed in the field.  In order to do this, there are a few alternative methods that have been used to accomplish this task.  As a leading provider of network simulation platforms containing real optical fiber spools, questions we commonly receive include: