There are a variety of optical test sets that can be used to ensure quality of service (QoS) on fiber optic networks, but only the Optical Time Domain Reflectometer (OTDR) supports singled ended fiber testing to characterize fibers when measuring total loss, optical return loss. There are a variety of optical test sets that can be used to ensure quality of service (QoS) on fiber optic networks, but only the Optical Time Domain Reflectometer (OTDR) supports singled ended fiber testing to characterize fibers when measuring total loss, optical return loss. An optical time-domain reflectometer (OTDR) is an optoelectronic instrument used to characterize an optical fiber. It is the optical equivalent of an electronic time domain reflectometer which measures the impedance of the cable or transmission line under test. They are mostly used in the technology of optical fiber communications for testing fiber-optic links (e. in cable TV, LAN, metropolitan networks or long-haul. metry (OTDR), covering its principle, impl e an essential tool for: characterisation, certification, maintenance and monitoring optical networks. Essential for both installation and maintenance, OTDRs ensure network reliability with accurate fault location. Ensure the integrity of your fiber optic network with an Optical Time Domain Reflectometer (OTDR).