Can You Build a Fiber Test Kit On a Budget?

Posted by timothy on Tuesday August 19, 2008 @02:15AM from the un-un-explained-acronyms dept.

An anonymous reader writes "Have any Slashdot readers hacked together cheap test kits for fiber optic cable? More and more IT infrastructure is using multimode and single mode fiber optic cabling. Commercial test equipment is extremely expensive, running the gamut from a few hundred dollars for a basic light source, to tens of thousands for an OTDR. What equipment do you consider essential to your fiber kit? Is there a way to save costs when it comes to fiber test equipment? It is worth it to do so?"

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A power meter, swabs, and spare cables... by sirwired · 2008-08-19 03:40 · Score: 0, Troll

Really, the cheapest solution is a simple power meter, some cable-cleaning swabs, and a nice long spool of pre-terminated spare cable.
There are full-fledged cable certification devices out there, and you cannot afford one, nor do you need one.
Yes, there are a lot of problems that can happen with a cable that won't be caught with a power meter, but those problems can be prevented by only using factory-terminated cables from a quality supplier.
SirWired