Overload optical power, also known as saturated optical power, refers to the maximum input average optical power that the receiving end components can receive under a certain bit error rate of the optical module. Fiber Optic Measurement Units: "dB" and "dBm" Whenever tests are performed on fiber optic networks, the results are displayed on a power meter, OLTS or OTDR readout in units of “dB. This document focuses on decibels (dB), decibels per milliwatt (dBm), attenuation and measurements, and provides an introduction to optical fibers. Different optical modules have different power handling capabilities and operating ranges. It does not represent an absolute value of power. Instead, it quantifies how much a signal has increased or decreased relative to another signal. They can be converted as follows: dBm = 10 x lgP.
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