Optical fiber loopback test system and method
View Patent ↗A telecommunications enclosure includes a housing for retaining telecommunication lines therein, the housing including at least one of a splice closure and a terminal closure. At least one of the terminal closure and the splice closure includes a loopback testing station having at least one coupling mounted therein. The coupling is adapted to receive a first terminated end of a first telecommunication line and adapted to receive a second terminated end of a second telecommunication line. The testing station permits loss testing of installed distribution lines at a terminal from a central network facility.
1. A telecommunications enclosure comprising:
a housing for retaining telecommunication lines therein, the housing including at least one of a splicing closure and a terminal closure, wherein the enclosure includes a loopback testing station disposed within the housing having at least one coupling mounted therein, the coupling adapted to receive a first terminated end of a first telecommunication line and adapted to receive a second terminated end of a second telecommunication line, wherein the first and second telecommunication lines are coupled to a central telecommunications facility.
2. The telecommunications enclosure of claim 1 , wherein the at least one coupling includes a predetermined loss.
3. The telecommunications enclosure of claim 1 , wherein the loopback testing station comprises a plurality of couplings mateable with at least one of SC, DC, SC-DC, ST, FC, LC, MTP, and MTRJ connectors.
4. The telecommunications enclosure of claim 1 , wherein the housing comprises a splice closure and a terminal closure.
5. The telecommunications enclosure of claim 1 , wherein the telecommunications enclosure comprises at least one of an aerial, buried, underground and indoor fiber terminal closure.
6. The telecommunications enclosure of claim 1 , wherein the telecommunications lines comprise optical fibers.
7. The telecommunications enclosure of claim 1 , wherein the loopback testing station comprises an interconnection panel having a plurality of couplings.
8. The telecommunications enclosure of claim 7 , wherein first and second telecommunication lines are directly coupled to each other via one of the plurality of couplings.
9. The telecommunications enclosure of claim 1 , wherein the housing comprises a pre-terminated terminal.
10. A telecommunications network, comprising:
a telecommunications enclosure for retaining telecommunication lines therein, the telecommunications enclosure including at least one of a splicing closure and a terminal closure, wherein the enclosure includes a loopback testing station disposed within the enclosure having at least one coupling mounted therein, the coupling adapted to receive a first terminated end of a first telecommunication line and adapted to receive a second terminated end of a second telecommunication line; and
a central communication facility coupled to the first and second telecommunications lines.
11. The telecommunications network of claim 10 , wherein the at least one coupling includes a predetermined loss.
12. The telecommunications network of claim 10 , wherein the loopback testing station comprises a plurality of couplings mateable with at least one of SC, DC, SC-DC, ST, FC, LC, MTP, and MTRJ connectors.
13. The telecommunications network of claim 10 , wherein the enclosure comprises a splice closure and a terminal closure.
14. The telecommunications network of claim 10 , wherein the central communications facility is one of a fiber distribution hub (FDH), a fiber distribution terminal (FDT), and a central office.
15. The telecommunications network of claim 12 , wherein the loopback testing station comprises one half as many couplings as terminated fiber connectors.
16. The telecommunications network of claim 10 , wherein the loopback testing station comprises an interconnection panel having a plurality of couplings.
17. A method of testing a telecommunications network, comprising:
providing a telecommunications enclosure for retaining telecommunication lines therein, the telecommunications enclosure including at least one of a splicing closure and a terminal closure, wherein the enclosure includes a loopback testing station disposed within the enclosure having at least one coupling mounted therein,
mounting a first terminated end of a first telecommunication line to a first end of the coupling and mounting a second terminated end of a second telecommunication line to a second end of the coupling, wherein the first telecommunications line is optically coupled to the second telecommunication line;
sending a test signal along the first telecommunication line from a central facility of the network; and
receiving the test signal along the second telecommunication line at the central facility of the network.
18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the at least one coupling includes a predetermined loss, further comprising:
determining a location of an optical fault.
19. The method of claim 17 , further comprising:
performing a bidirectional end-to-end optical loss test from the central facility.
20. The telecommunications network of claim 16 , wherein first and second telecommunication lines are directly coupled to each other via one of the plurality of couplings.