METHOD FOR AUTOMATIC TESTING OF OPTICAL FIBRES IN MULTIBRANCH NETWORKS

A method of testing optical fibers in which a reference trace is generated and the power levels of backscattered optical signals are measured are stored according to distance, thereby identifying fiber section ends according to the attenuation in power levels. If a power level attenuation exceeds a predetermined threshold near the end of a section is detected a series of detailed checks is run comparing the trace tested with the reference trace starting with the furthest distance and identifying the first end where there is an increase in attenuation.