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Fiber Optic Loss Budget Calculator.
Calculate optical link loss from fibre length, connectors, splices and splitters, and check it against the transceiver power budget.
An ideal 1:2 splitter costs about 3.5 dB, 1:8 about 10.5 dB, 1:32 about 17.5 dB.
- Total link loss
- 4.9 dB
- Fibre loss
- 3.5 dB
- Connectors, splices, other
- 1.4 dB
- Power budget (Tx min − Rx sensitivity)
- 14 dB
- Worst-case received power
- -10.9 dBm
- Maximum length with this budget
- 27.43 km
IEEE multimode reach (for reference)
| Standard | OM1 | OM2 | OM3 | OM4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1000BASE-SX | 275 m | 550 m | 550 m | — |
| 10GBASE-SR | 33 m | 82 m | 300 m | 400 m |
| 25GBASE-SR | — | — | 70 m | 100 m |
| 40GBASE-SR4 | — | — | 100 m | 150 m |
| 100GBASE-SR4 | — | — | 70 m | 100 m |
- TIA-568 allows up to 0.5 dB/km for single-mode, 1310 nm cabled fibre, 0.75 dB per connector pair and 0.3 dB per splice; the defaults are typical installed values.
- Take transmitter and receiver values from the transceiver datasheet. Certify the installed link with an optical loss test set (OLTS), and an OTDR to locate events.
How to use Fiber Optic Loss Budget Calculator
Choose the fibre and wavelength, enter length, connectors, splices and other losses, then the transmitter and receiver values from the transceiver datasheet.
How it works
Loss = length × attenuation + connectors + splices + other. Budget = minimum transmit power − receiver sensitivity. The overload check uses maximum transmit power against the receiver’s maximum input.
Example
10 km of single-mode at 1310 nm with 2 connector pairs and 4 splices loses 4.9 dB; a 14 dB budget leaves 6.1 dB after a 3 dB margin.
Questions about Fiber Optic Loss Budget Calculator
Is Fiber Optic Loss Budget Calculator free, and do I need an account?
Yes. This tool is free to use in your browser without an account. Processing takes place on your device.
What are the limits and what should I check?
Loss budget only: dispersion and modal bandwidth limits are not calculated (see the multimode reach table). Everything is calculated in your browser; nothing is sent or probed on the network. Review the result before using it in your work.
Is my input sent to a server?
Your input is processed in your browser and is not uploaded by this tool. Files and pasted text are cleared when the page is refreshed. Normal website requests are still required to load the page and its libraries. Read the privacy explanation.