A Simple In-Service Monitoring System for Passive Optical Networks

Fiber-To-The-Home (FTTH) technology over passive optical networks has emerged as the best solution for last mile connectivity compared with the other wired technologies. Even though the technology is highly advantageous, there is no efficient system to monitor the physical layer for tracking the degradation for preventive maintenance and localizing fault for quick restoration. The conventional optical monitoring methods using OTDR is not suitable for FTTH, since it is based on a point-to-multipoint architecture. In this paper, we report a simple and cost effective architecture for the in-service monitoring of FTTH networks. The system is capable to locate any kind of fault in a 1:32 splitter based passive optical network with an accuracy of ±10m. The system offers centralized monitoring and there is no active element required in field.