Why Linus Sebastian of Linus Tech Tips Loves Using the Fluke CertiFiber Pro to Inspect, Test, and Certify Fiber Optic Cable

The Linus Tech Tips team recently upgraded their video editing storage network from copper cabling to fiber in order to maximize both bandwidth and speed. In the video below, both Linus and his assistant, Jake, work through the process of installing, inspecting, and testing fiber cabling using the Fluke Networks CertiFiber®️ Pro. “The CertiFiber Pro is the solution to test that upgrade. We worked with Linus and team to train them on how to use the tester for their upgrade,” explained Mark Mullins, Product Marketing Manager.

See Linus Sebastian and his assistant Jake show how easy it is to install, inspect, and test fiber optic cabling using the Fluke CertiFiber Pro.

Linus Media Group

Linus Media Group is a full-service video production agency. The team not only puts together the Linus Tech Tips YouTube videos, but creates stories for many other companies. This Canadian company has built their own YouTube following to more than 12.9 million subscribers, with nearly 100 million views within the last month.

Housing and manipulating video files requires a huge amount of storage and a fast network to be able to meet customer and Linus Tech Tips’ needs. The team updated their server room storage to a petabyte worth of drives in 2017 and had already filled the 45 drives two years later, leading the team to install a second petabyte system to keep up with the R3D camera, 8K footage.

Updating the Linus Media Group’s office network to be able to handle up to 100 Gb/s, even if the team was only planning to use the cable for 25 Gb/s was a necessary step in order to keep up with the footage needs of the company and their clients.

Fiber Optic Cable Inspection

In the example of installing fiber optic cable above, you’ll see Linus and Jake use the CertiFiber Pro to easily check that the endface of the optical fiber hasn’t picked up any dust, dirt, or grease throughout their installation upgrade. A small amount of dust can block the light and result in a connection that doesn’t work. To check this, Linus uses the Fiber Inspector accessory to plug into the end of the fiber cable and bring the inside of the cable into focus. Once they’ve done this, Jake takes advantage of the automatic pass/fail testing on the CertiFiber Pro and the tester instantly tells them whether or not the cable has any defects, needs to be cleaned, or passes inspection.

Fiber Optic Loss Test

Once the fiber endfaces are clean, it’s time to run a Fiber Optic Loss Test. That loss test verifies the link will work by ensuring the amount of signal loss for the length of the cable is within acceptable parameters. No matter what kind of fiber you’re using, there will always be a certain amount of signal lost along the way. Jake also used the loss test to certify the fiber would support the desired application (speed).

You can watch step-by-step as Jake sets up the tester to run a Loss Test using parameters at 100 Gb/s, with 1 coupling in the middle of the cable. The test shows that they are within the parameters for 100 Gb/s, even though they only plan to use the cable for 25 Gb/s.

Continue Reading

• Fiber Certification Testing: All You Really Need is Loss, Length (and Sometimes Reflectance)
• Certifying duplex LC to SC multimode links - CertiFiber Pro
• #1 of 5: CertiFiber Pro getting started video - Unboxing
• Keep it Clean: From the Endface to Your Tester

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