What's out there — and where VisiMap excels
A plain comparison of the multi-fiber identification tools on the market today, and where VisiMap goes further: the Tier 1 LED and laser modules, and the Tier 2 test platform.
Why identification is hard in a real network
In a campus environment, fiber optic cables may have been installed at different points in time, over many decades, and by different crews using different labeling schemes.
Over that same period, the number of strands and the types of fiber chosen have also evolved. Hybrid multimode/single-mode cables may have been installed initially, and over time that changed in favor of high strand-count single-mode cable. Patch panel types have evolved too. These variables make it challenging to maintain accurate documentation — which is critical to any fiber network, especially when patching or fusion splicing new connections and circuits through multiple buildings.
Multi-fiber identifier options available today
Each solves part of the problem. None identify every strand, in any cable type, on a single pass.
Visual Fault Locator (VFL)
Many technicians carry a single VFL.
- Built to find breaks, sharp bends, kinks, bad splices, and faults through the cable jacket on an individual strand. Many technicians also rely on it as the primary method of identifying a fiber by looking at the end of the strand, which can be a safety concern.
- Requires a dozen trips between End #1 and End #2 for one person to identify 12 strands.
- Inefficient for multi-fiber cables — effort scales linearly with strand count.
Clamp-on identifiers
Very common — the user clamps a device onto a single fiber strand.
- It is not always possible to find a place to clamp onto a single fiber, especially in high-density racks and patch panels.
- The fiber can be damaged if used incorrectly or with the wrong attachments.
- Most operate in the near-infrared spectrum, invisible to the naked eye.
- If you can't reach the back of a panel — or don't want to risk knocking out a live connection — you end up plugging a test cable into port after port, risking cross-contamination of debris.
MPO identifiers
Many variations of visual MPO identifiers exist.
- They prove continuity between end points via blinking or steady lights.
- They do not provide strand-specific information.
The VisiMap LED solution — FCM-12LED
Multi-Fiber Solutions has developed a patented system that combines a first-end Fiber Control Module and a 2nd end receiver to deliver the features technicians actually want, in a low-cost package.
Identification and polarity
- Confirms continuity on an individual strand from point A to point B in any multi-fiber cable — MPO or non-MPO.
- Visually identifies an individual strand, regardless of strand count or cable type.
- Patented multi-colored LEDs allow visual confirmation of polarity and continuity, with or without a 2nd end receiver.
- Verifies TX and RX polarity in duplex deployments (paired circuits between racks or buildings) using red and green to distinguish TX from RX.
- With the second-end MPO breakout box, safely identifies MPO trunk methodology (A, B, or C).
- Audibly announces the identity of each fiber strand via the patented unique port signature.
Deployment and field use
- Field-configurable in as little as two minutes to an MPO cable or any simplex or duplex connector of your choice.
- Low-cost fiber-coupled LED sources make a modular, expandable design straightforward — 12, 24, 36, or 48 ports.
- End user can customize the encrypted identifier from a drop-down menu.
- Tested to 950 meters on OM3 multimode and 2 km on single-mode fiber, with no change in configuration.
- Works with a wireless 2nd end receiver for untethered testing in high-density, cluttered locations.
- Works with Bluetooth ear buds at the second end — ideal for noisy environments.
- Not affected by lighting conditions, indoors or in outside plant.
- Non-contact 2nd end receiver eliminates cross-contamination of debris.
Where it fits
Data centers, campus environments, FTTX, A/V (classroom), security, and numerous other applications. It is the ideal device for labeling and documenting every connection from the patch cord on end #1 to end #2, in pre-cutover or post-installation scenarios — verify and label with 100% certainty. Simple, low-cost design built from off-the-shelf components.
The laser versions
Where the deployment calls for single-mode reach or visible-spectrum encoding at scale, the laser-based Fiber Control Modules extend the same patented method. They are the Advanced level of Tier 1, and the base for a Tier 2 system.
FCM-6VFL
Six keyed, proprietary pen-style mini-VFL modules, powered and sequenced by the FCM, field-expandable to 12 ports. No batteries; swap or add modules in the field. Optional tap port accepts the CCM, OLS, and OTDR modules.
FCM-12VIS
Twelve-port visible laser module with encoded signatures at 520 nm and 650 nm, generated via the DMX512 protocol.
FCM-12VIR
Six visible laser channels for identification plus six near-infrared lasers. The internal NIR light source replaces the external OLS module.
All on one connection
Optional modules plug into the FCM tap port, adding 2-way communications, optical testing, and reflectometry without reconnecting. This is Tier 2: identification, 2-way communications, qualification testing, and documentation.
CCM
Bidirectional data channel on the identified strand. Remote mode switching between identification, VFL, power loss testing, and OTDR — from the 2nd end.
OLS module
Optical Light Source providing near-infrared wavelengths (1310 nm, 1550 nm) for qualification testing.
OTDR module
Optical Time Domain Reflectometer for full fiber characterization, loss measurement, and fault location.
Not sure which tier fits your plant?
Describe your environment and our team will point you at the right configuration.