High decibel losses in fiber optic cable infrastructure can lead to downtime...Here are some of the most common causes of decibel losses:

1. End surface pollution

Fiber is glass.  Just like glass windows, the performance of fiber optic cables can be severely degraded when the glass is soiled.

Most of the fibers are wrapped so they won't get contaminated.  However, the end face is where the fiber is exposed and susceptible to contamination.

To avoid problems with data transfers, make sure to follow the rule: "check, clean, check".  This method should be used on fiber optics prior to installation.  This will also prevent pass through contamination when connecting.

2. Exceeding the bending radius

While fiber optic glass can indeed be bent, excessive bending can cause light loss and potentially render the cable useless.  This type of damage most often occurs during installation.

A good rule of thumb is to not exceed 10 times the diameter of the outer sheath.  So for a patch cord with a 2mm jacket, the maximum bend radius is 20mm.  When in doubt, contact the supplier for accurate measurements.

3. Tighten the cable

Many installers use cable ties to organize cables in their environment. This is a good idea for many types of cables, but not necessarily for fiber optics.

While cable management is important to help maintain an organized environment, Velcro is a better option for fiber optics. Cable ties may squeeze the fiber, which can cause high decibel loss, or even loss of the entire transmission.

4. Fiber breakage

Polishing the fiber end faces is critical not only to avoid contamination but also to ensure that the ferrule does not protrude too much. If this happens, the fiber may crack or split when mated with another fiber or transceiver.

The best way to avoid this problem is to ensure that the manufacturer has a repeatable process that can guarantee the quality of their cables.

5. Ferrule misalignment

Data travels over a core of fiber optic cables. When wiring in a patch panel, the fiber cores need to be perfectly aligned to ensure optimal data transmission.

In fiber optics, the jacket is the protruding part of the fiber optic connector. When the ferrules are not aligned properly, there will be a decibel loss.

Also, cheaper components will cause core mismatch and decibel loss will be unavoidable. Similar to fiber breaks, the best way to avoid this problem is to source high-quality fiber optic cables.

The performance of fiber optic cables affects the network in many ways. That's why avoiding decibel loss is important.