Looking for "Cheap Fiber Optic Patch Cords" - Beware of Knockoffs!
Charles Carino
In recent years, there
has been an influx of counterfeit fiber optic cables, connectors,
pigtails and patchcords coming into the U.S. from China and other Asian
nations. These bogus fiber optic cables may have a phony UL number, or
they may purport to contain a name-brand fiber.
On the other hand,
there are also authorized manufacturers and distributors in these very
same nations that produce legitimate products. How do you tell if a
particular fiber optic cable or patchcord is authentic?
Evaluating Fiber Optic Cable Distributers
When evaluating fiber
optic cable and patchcords, there are several things you can do. For
example, you may notice something odd about the Underwriters Laboratory
(UL) number that's printed on the cable jacket (e.g. too many numbers,
odd numbering sequence, etc.). If so, you can go to the UL website,
www.ul.com. There you can click on "Online Certifications Directory,"
which will take you to a page where you can type in the cable's UL
number. If the number is not recognized by UL, you can assume that your
fiber optic product is counterfeit.
Even if the UL website
shows that the number is registered to a legitimate company, this is no
guarantee that the suspect company didn't copy it. To be certain, you
can contact the registered firm to determine if the vendor who provided
you with the fiber optic cable is one of their authorized distributors.
Another ploy of
unscrupulous manufacturers is to print on the cable jacket the name of
a leading optical fiber manufacturer. Again, if you suspect
misrepresentation, you can contact that manufacturer to determine if
the vendor is an authorized distributor. The manufacturer may request
that you send a sample of the fiber optic cable so that they can
examine it first-hand.
Also, be aware that
counterfeit fiber optic cable may also have misrepresentations on the
cable jacket as they apply to RoHS compliance, fire ratings, and so
forth.
Fake Fiber Optic Connectors
As an example of how
fast and loose some vendors are in terms of the products they sell,
consider the recent experience of a leading fiber optics distributor.
Upon receiving a product sample and price quote for fiber optic LC
connectors from a vendor, the price seemed too good to be true.
Suspicious, the distributor asked the vendor if the LC connectors were
licensed, as is required by law. The vendor then replied, "Oh, you want
the licensed version." He then produced a different sample, which he said was available at a higher price.
Fiber Optic Buyers Beware
As a fiber optic
installer, the last thing you want to do is to purchase counterfeit
fiber optic cable or pigtails from an unknown manufacturer. Joining
optical fibers whose glass chemistry is even slightly different can:
-
Make it difficult or impossible to get a clean fusion between the two optical fibers
-
Create high back reflection and loss, due to an imperfect fiber optic splice
-
Cause the fiber optic splice to fracture and fail after the installation is complete
If a contractor
installs counterfeit fiber optic products, he or she not only risks
their professional reputation, they may be subject to civil and/or
criminal prosecution. The few dollars a person might save by purchasing
knock-off fiber optic products simply isn't worth the risk.
Finally, inferior
counterfeit products can erode confidence in the fiber optics industry
as a whole. If you are offered questionable fiber optic products, you
can report your suspicions to the National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center (IPR). This is a joint operation between U.S.
Customs and the F.B.I. that is set up to combat the distribution of
counterfeit goods. To contact the IPR, dial (202) 927-0810.
