Dense wave division multiplexing (DWDM) technology is an excellent way to increase your fiber capacity at a manageable cost. However, there’s a point at which the cost savings can come at the expense of operational simplicity. For example, if you’re using a passive DWDM configuration to incrementally increase your bandwidth, you could quite easily end up keeping spares for up to 40 different transceivers. In addition to the higher cost of carrying inventory, this sheer volume of spare parts can cause logistical headaches for your operations team.
There’s a simpler way.
Tunable DWDM transceivers (available in both SFP+ and XFP form factors) enable you to reduce your sparing inventory to a single part. This single transceiver can be tuned to transmit on any wavelength in the ITU channel grid and will function identically to a standard fixed-channel DWDM optic when deployed.
There are two methods of tuning a transceiver to the required wavelength: in the network device itself, or in a standalone device like Champion ONE’s uTune Director.
If your switch or mux/demux has tuning capabilities, the quickest way to tune a DWDM optic is to plug in the tunable transceiver and enter the native command for tuning. However, not all switches and mux/demuxes can perform this task. In these cases, standalone devices like our patented uTune Director are a convenient, effective alternative to have on hand. To tune via the uTune Director, simply insert the transceiver, scroll to select your required channel, and press “Tune.” The same transceiver can be retuned multiple times if necessary.
“The uTune Director is remarkable. We plan on placing one at all of our sparing facilities for each of our metro rings. It will completely change our entire approach to sparing and save us tens of thousands of dollars.”
– Director of Network Engineering, Tier 1 Service Provider
Tunable transceivers are an integral part of a well-planned, cost-saving DWDM network design. If you’re interested in learning more about how DWDM can address your bandwidth needs now and in the future, Contact us today.
