The wavelength-division-multiplexed passive optical network (WDM-PON) offers many advantages such as large bandwidth per user, easy management, high network security and low insertion loss enabling long-reach and/or high split-ratio. However, with the rapid development and growing interest for deployment of WDM-PON, the PON systems are becoming increasingly vulnerable to various failures. Therefore, network supervision becomes extremely important to guarantee an appropriate level of network reliability performance. The aim of PON supervision is to provide automated test and diagnostic capability without compromising the available bandwidth for services. An essential function is to detect any kind of deterioration in the network that can cause suspended services and to remotely localize these faults in order to avoid the high cost arising from troubleshooting. In this thesis, we evaluate several existing WDM PON supervision methods, based on which two simple and cost-effective new solutions are proposed to localize fiber failures in WDM PON systems. In the first solution, a conventional optical time domain reflectometry (OTDR) and a switch unit are employed, while in the second method, a novel architecture based on N×N arrayed waveguide grating (AWG) is proposed. Both methods are able to localize failures in feeder fiber and drop fibers without e.g. using expensive tunable OTDRs. A patent has been filed based on the second solution. The first proposed method is validated by simulations using VPI Transmission Maker. According to the results, this supervision method is able to give accurate measurement of many different types of failures that may happen in a fiber link. Furthermore, VPI is examined in terms of its future applicability in modeling complete PON supervision methods based on OTDR.

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