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Introduced with the release of the TIA 568-3.D cabling standard, allowable loss of interconnections at the very ends of the fiber link
(where the testers connect to the fiber under test) will vary depending upon the quality of the test cord.
The options are standard-grade vs. reference-grade test cords.
These are automatically counted as interconnections, and should not be counted as normal interconnections (see below).
Connections refer to mid-span interconnections in the link under test, but do NOT include the interconnections at the very ends of
the link (where the test cables connect).
Types of interconnections include:
Cross-connects
connection points found in equipment rooms and cabling closets, such as at cross connects (MC,
IC, HC) that occur between (but do not include) the end-points of the fiber link under test
Consolidation points
patch panel conveniently placed near a group of closely situated work areas that allows the work
areas to connect into a common backbone cable without using a dedicated horizontal cross-
connect or cabling closet
Splices can be either fusion or mechanical.
When splices are used, they are typically found in singlemode fibers (where fiber pigtails are permanently fusion-spliced onto the
installed fiber link).
However, some multimode fiber connectors use mechanical-splice technology for termination, also referred to as "no-polish, no-
epoxy" (NPNE) connectors. It is at the discretion of the technician whether or not to include the NPNE connectors as splices in link
budget calculations.
KEY TEST PARAMETERS
TEST CORD TYPE
CONNECTIONS
SPLICES
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