Definition of SIGNAL LOSS in Network Encyclopedia.
What is Signal Loss?
Signal Loss is the loss of strength of a signal as it propagates over a medium. Generally, the term refers to loss of signal strength in guided media such as copper cabling and fiber-optic cabling. Unguided media such as wireless networking technologies have signals that decrease in power per unit area primarily because of the inverse square law.
How does Signal Loss work?
A number of mechanisms can cause signal loss in a wire or cable:
- Attenuation: Caused by resistive losses in the cable and affects only copper cabling (read more)
- Absorption: Causes signal loss in fiber cabling because the glass core material is not perfectly transparent
- Fractures: Can result in both attenuation and absorption of signal strength
- Splices, connectors, and couplings: Involve dissimilar materials joined together and generally produce some loss
Signal loss is generally expressed in units of decibels (dB) per source of the loss. The following table shows typical signal loss values for fiber-optic cabling. These rough values are useful for estimating total signal loss, which you calculate by simply adding the loss for each element in the light path.
Signal Loss Values for Fiber-Optic Cabling
| Source of Loss | Approximate Signal Loss |
| Connector loss | 3 dB/termination |
| Coupling loss | 2 dB/coupler |
| Intrinsic loss | 6 dB/1000 meters |
| Microbending loss | Increases with decreasing bend radius |
| Splice loss | 4 dB/splice |
Optical power budget
The total end-to-end signal loss of a light path through a fiber-optic cabling system is known as the optical power budget. If this value is greater than the power launch rating of your line driver, your system won’t work.
