What is the use of an optical power meter?

• A. Measure TX/RX levels at endpoints to confirm link budget and isolate loss.
• B. Measure thread pitch on patch panels.
• C. Test electrical continuity of copper cables.
• D. Assess signal latency between devices.

Answer: (A)

An optical power meter measures the amount of light power in an optical fiber, which lets you verify the link budget by comparing the transmitter’s output power with what the receiver actually gets. This helps identify where loss occurs along the path—at connectors, splices, or the fiber itself—so you can isolate and fix issues. In practice, you’d use it with a light source to check that the TX power is sufficient for the RX sensitivity across the link.

Other tasks described don’t fit this tool: measuring thread pitch on patch panels isn’t related to light power; testing electrical continuity of copper cables requires a multimeter or continuity tester; and assessing latency is a network performance measurement, not an optical power measurement.