Optical Explorer - Industry's first optical fiber multimeter

Fiber optic tester that performs link verification and automated fault tracking in seconds. Empowering frontline technicians to explore further and do more.

Spec sheet User manual

Key Features

Displays fiber link KPIs (length, loss, ORL and power) in under 3 seconds, through single-ended testing  

On-the-spot detection and location of common causes of failures

Intelligent: no settings required make it an essential for any frontline technician’s toolkit

Patent pending EXFO Advisor 5-star rating scale: qualitative approach to assess fiber links

Built-in power checker and light source (dual-band for PON available)

Applications

Any singlemode link up to 40 km (point-to-point)

FTTx last mile installation

FTTx service activation and repair, including in-service testing

Last mile/access network installation and repair

Fiber health check-up

Power level testing

Insertion loss and ORL testing

Fiber-break location

Fault identification and location (splices, connectors, macrobends)

Evaluate the quality of fiber links in seconds.

Empower frontline fiber technicians to do more, faster.

An innovative, fast and simple-to-use fiber optic tester, Optical Explorer verifies optical links in seconds and automatically explores further when potential issues are suspected. It’s the first optical fiber multimeter (OFM)—an essential handheld tool for fiber optic technicians (it can be compared to multimeters used by electrical technicians). OFMs quickly measure multiple key optical parameters such as loss (dB), optical return loss (dB), length (meters) and power (dBm). They help technicians verify fiber optic link health and troubleshoot potential issues.

The right tool for the job

Displays fiber length, loss and optical return loss (ORL) in under 3 seconds

On-the-spot detection and location of common causes of failures

Intelligent: no settings required make it an essential for any frontline technician’s toolkit

Built-in power checker and light source

Patent pending EXFO Advisor 5-star rating scale: qualitative approach to assess fiber links

Click-Out optical connectors and “self-diagnosis” let techs perform maintenance in the field

Rechargeable battery for over 10 hours of use on a single charge

Innovation at work

Optical Explorer is more than an improvement of existing fiber optic test equipment—it represents a groundbreaking new approach to fiber installation, turn-up and repair. The kind of innovation that only EXFO—backed by 37+ years of fiber optic testing expertise—can deliver.

Cut hidden costs to reduce total cost of ownership (TCO)

Hidden costs throughout a product’s life make up a massive, yet sometimes overlooked, part of TCO. And it includes more than just the initial purchase price.

Optical Explorer’s lifetime calibration, patent-pending Click-Out optical connector and field replaceable battery empower field techs to do more directly from the field, cutting costly downtime and logistics associated with factory-based updates, maintenance and repairs.

Search out potential faults, don't waste time on good links

During the optical link verification process, the Fault Explorer feature automatically explores only those links suspected as faulty—eliminating any doubts while saving testing time.

Within five seconds, Fault Explorer will display IL, ORL and length on good links while tracking suspicious events. Technicians get the chance to solve problems on the spot, without escalation.

Validate link quality in seconds, get a 1 to 5-star rating

Just because a link’s individual elements pass inspection, doesn’t guarantee that link was constructed according to industry best practices.

With the built-in EXFO Advisor feature, techs get the benefit of EXFO’s 30+ years of fiber expertise and sophisticated algorithms at the push of a button, assigning ratings to links based on industry best practices. It’s a qualitative assessment of fiber link health that looks at how efficiently and robustly a link is built.

Make it simpler.

Boost your workforce output without increasing headcount

Simple-to-use test tool: intuitive design requires minimal training to use—perfect for frontline field techs no matter their experience level or testing background
Fix problems on the go: minimize the costs and delays associated with deploying level-2 expert support and additional truck rolls
Ultra-lean interface and no complex settings for ease of use and reduction in manual errors

Do it better.

Upskill frontline techs plus unique 5-star rating scale, to boost work quality

EXFO Advisor validates link quality in seconds, assigning a 1-5 star rating according to industry best practices
With power checking and light source capabilities combined in a rugged and compact form factor, Optical Explorer is a familiar, intuitive field companion that instantly upskills any field technician
Link Mapper improves pinpointing of faulty elements: locates all faults and detectable elements by reading their relative position instead of interpreting distance

Do it faster.

Speed up installation, service activation, mean time to repair and time to revenue with leaner MOPs for improved ROI and customer satisfaction

Get leaner methods of procedure: confirm link quality and/or identify faults in a simple, one-step quick test.
Test insertion loss and ORL in a single-ended process, no need for tedious referencing.
Reduce mean-time-to-repair (MTTR) by cutting down on troubleshooting and escalation tickets.
Don’t lose time on good links. In 5 seconds, Fault Explorer confirms a pass (IL, ORL and length) on good links while tracking only suspicious events.
Frontline technicians leave jobs assured of a smoother, faster service activation or recovery time.

Do more for less.

Bring down OPEX and CAPEX by minimizing cost of ownership without compromising quality

Lifetime calibration, patent-pending click-out optical connector and replaceable battery enable frontline field techs to perform unit repair/maintenance—no shipping logistics or downtime for factory servicing
Empowers large crews of frontline technicians to do more: reduces need for onsite fiber expert.
Contractors close more jobs while maximizing ROI due to leaner MOPs and lower cost of ownership

Get stronger networks.

Take control of QoS and gain confidence in your fiber infrastructure ahead of its next evolution

Less service disruption and troubleshooting tickets as links are verified and fixed at installation and activation
Delivers visibility over the robustness of links in relation to the type of traffic carried

Share test results. Boost compliance. Unlock insights. 

Cloud-hosted solution for sharing test results and ensuring compliance.

Paired with EXFO’s leading test instruments, EXFO Exchange drives an entire ecosystem, while integrating seamlessly with existing operation processes.

Key benefits:

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Awards and reviews

Innovation and leadership have always been front and center at EXFO. Each year, we strive to develop solutions that will ensure superior customer experience in smarter, modern networks. Being recognized as such is always a great honor. Learn more about our awards:

Tony McLaughlin

Data Center Engineering at LinkedIn

The Optical Explorer is “my new best friend”. I’ve used it extensively to troubleshoot singlemode links up to 1.5 km. The small size means I’m carrying it most of the time and doing a lot more testing. I also like the way it’s easy to switch from Fiber Explorer to Power Checker so I can perform both tests on the connected strand effortlessly (no more using my phone to check for light, identifying rolled fibers is so much easier!). Heck, I used it just this morning. Did I mention I love it!

The Optical Explorer is “my new best friend”

Dennis Leggett

Leggett Fiber Consulting LP / CIRBN of Illinois and other clients

All of this is in a unit that is about the size of your hand which makes it usable no matter if you are up a ladder or in a closet either one making it hard to use a full size OTDR. It has reduced my testing time by at least 50% if not more. The touch screen makes it easy to move around from one app to another. Do not have to worry about training someone to be able to interpret an OTDR trace, just read the screen and you are good to go. It truly is a multimeter for fiber optic...