US fiber repair & trouble tickets
Fix customers who are down or slow: the trouble-ticket workflow from ONT to drop.
Overview
When a customer reports no service, the NOC first checks the ONT and whether other customers on the same PON are affected. If only this customer is down, a tech is dispatched. On site, work from the customer outwards: ONT lights, optical power at the ONT, connector cleanliness under the inspection scope, the drop fiber, then the FDT. Use the visual fault locator for breaks near you and the OTDR for distance to a fault further out. After the repair, re-test optical levels, check the ONT is registered and the service is up, run a speed test and close the ticket. Slow-speed tickets are usually Wi-Fi placement, the gateway, or wiring — prove the fix with a speed test of at least 80% of the plan.
Jobs this covers
us_no_service, us_speed — certificate: US FTTH installer (recommended)
The equipment — what everything does
Optical power meter
Reads received light in dBm to see if the signal is in range.
In game: Tool kit → optical power meter at the ONT.
Visual fault locator (VFL)
Red light down the fiber that glows at breaks, bad connections and tight bends.
In game: Tool kit → visual fault locator.
OTDR
Shoots light down the fiber and shows the distance to splices, connectors and breaks.
In game: Tool kit → OTDR.
Inspection scope & cleaner
Shows dirt on a connector end face; the one-click cleaner removes it.
In game: Tool kit → cleaner.
ONT diagnostic tester
Reads all five ONT lights and the light level and tells you what is wrong.
In game: Tool kit → ONT diagnostic tester.
Tools & PPE
Optical light meter / OTDR
Measures how much light arrives down a fibre, and where along it a break or bad splice is.
Fibre fusion splicer
Melts two cleaned and cleaved fibres together into one low-loss joint.
Engineer laptop & console cable
Configures routers, NVRs and servers, runs speed tests and opens OPS Hub.
Ladder
Reaches walls, ceilings and pole steps. Place it at a 1-in-4 angle on firm ground.
Hi-vis vest & hard hat PPE
Makes you visible to traffic and protects your head from falling objects and low beams.
Safety glasses PPE
Protect your eyes from fibre shards, drilling dust and laser light.
Fall-arrest harness PPE
Clipped to a pole or anchor point, it stops a fall when you work above 2 m.
Standalone servers: tools are in your van (OPS Work → My van & tools). Items servers: collect them — and the job’s parts — at an OPS depot.
Step by step
Check the NOC notes: is anyone else on the PON down? If so it is a network fault, not this house.
POWER, PON, LOS, LAN, INTERNET tell you where to look. LOS red means no light reaching the ONT.
Power meter at the ONT. Too low or none: the fault is in the fiber path.
Scope the connector end face and clean it; dirt causes loss and reflection.
VFL for a nearby break, OTDR for distance to a fault further out. Re-splice or replace the drop.
Optical levels, ONT registered, service up, speed test — then close the ticket.
Health & safety
Working at height
Risk: A fall when checking the drop at the FDT.
Control: Ladder at 1-in-4, harness on the pole.
Laser light
Risk: Eye damage from live fiber.
Control: Never look into a fiber or connector, even with the VFL.
Customer premises
Risk: Trips over cables, pets, unsafe wiring.
Control: Keep the work area tidy and report unsafe electrics.
In game you confirm these in a risk assessment before starting. Skipping them on risky work can cause a fall or a shock — and it’s logged as a safety incident.
When it’s not done correctly
Replacing the ONT when the fiber is broken
The new ONT still shows LOS — the customer stays down.
Not checking for other affected customers
A PON-wide fault is treated as one house; dozens stay down.
Closing without a speed test
The ticket reopens — repeat visit, SLA missed.