What should be checked to ensure the integrity of optical fiber connections?

To ensure the integrity of optical fiber connections, it's essential to check for light loss. This involves measuring the amount of optical power that is transmitted through the fiber compared to the amount of power that is initially sent from the source. Light loss can occur due to various factors, such as improper termination, bending, connectors, and splice points.

Measuring light loss helps identify potential issues that can lead to degraded performance or total signal loss in the fiber optic system. Maintaining low levels of light loss is critical for high-performance communication, as excessive loss can significantly impede data integrity and transmission speeds.

While voltage levels and electrical shorts are important in electrical systems and can cause issues in copper cabling, they do not apply to optical fiber connections, which rely on light transmission. Signal strength is also important, but it is often a consequence of light loss rather than a direct measurement that can reveal the connection's integrity in optical systems.