Level 2 Cleerline SSF™ Certification

Module 5 - Link Budgeting and Testing

Attenuation is the decrease in strength of the signal as it passes through the fiber and any associated connectors or adapters.  The amount of attenuation varies depending upon the wavelength of light, but the intention is to minimize induced attenuation to as low as possible.  In the examples here, an increase of 1dB in attenuation results in a loss of 20% of the power (light).  An increase of 3dB in attenuation results in a 50% loss of power.