Optical Power Budget Calculator

Calculate optical link power budget from transmitter power, receiver sensitivity, link loss, and safety margin. Includes overload check.

Transmitter Power

dBm

Receiver Sensitivity

dBm

Receiver Overload

dBm

Total Link Loss

Safety Margin

Tab to move between fields

Available Power Budget

20 dB

Remaining Margin

9 dB

Received Power

-11 dBm

Required Power Budget11 dB

Link Viable (1=Yes)1

Overload Safe (1=Yes)1

Attenuator Needed0 dB

Max Allowable Loss17 dB

Max Distance (SM 1310)44.29 km

How to Use This Calculator

Enter Transmitter Power (dBm) and Receiver Sensitivity (dBm) from the transceiver data sheet.
Set Receiver Overload (dBm) — the maximum input power the receiver can tolerate without damage.
Enter Total Link Loss (dB) — use the Fiber Optic Loss Budget calculator to compute this.
Set your required Safety Margin (dB) — 3 dB is the industry minimum.
Review Available Power Budget, Remaining Margin (dB), Received Power (dBm), and Link Viable — a margin below 0 means the link will not work.

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Formula

Available Budget = Tx Power - Rx Sensitivity; Margin = Budget - Loss - Safety

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