"What does Virtual Reference™ mean?"
Inometrix has replaced the physical reference path in an interferometer with a virtual one. The physical reference path of a standard interferometer is performance limiting so the virtual solution has significant speed and resolution advantages.

"Why is Virtual Reference™ faster than traditional interferometry?"
Firstly, you do not have to spend time callibrating the unit which is a significant time saving. Secondly, all data points are collected in a single sweep of a laser. This is not the case for traditional interferometry where each data point requires a seperate scan of the laser. This results in the Virtual Reference™ Analyser having a speed advantage that is at least 1 order of magnitude faster.

"What is the bandwidth of the Virtual Reference™ Analyser?"
The Virtual Reference™ technology is almost wavelength agnostic. The most significant factor here is the bandwidth of the tunable laser. There are tunable laser sources available for the range 1260nm - 1640nm which are suitable for use with the Virtual Reference™ Analyser. For larger bandwidths, Inometrix is capable of customizing the system to meet specific needs.

"Is the Virtual Reference™ Analyser suitable for chacaterization of installed fiber cabling?"
No. The Virtual Reference™ Analyser is suitable for those who are focussed on component characterization. The maximum measureable device length is 55cm so is not suitable for testing km of installed fiber cables.

"What other hardware is required?"
Nothing other than a tunable laser. The stability of the Virtual Reference™ technique means that optical tables & dedicated lab space are now unnecessary. This results in a significant cost saving for you.


"Does the Virtual Reference™ Analyser need to be connected to a PC for operation?"
No all that is needed is an LCD screen, a mouse and a keyboard. These interfaces connect directly to the Virtual Reference™ Analyser.

"Does the Virtual Reference™ Analyser come with a built-in tunable laser?"
Currently no, the reason being that Virtual Reference™ Technology is flexible enough to work with any tunable laser with coherence length > 30m. You are able to use your existing hardware. This saves you cost. Of course, if you would like to package the Virtual Reference™ Analyser with a tunable laser then this is possible.

"The specification sheet specifies a value for "Typical Measurement Time" - what does this involve?"
Typical Measurement Time includes the laser sweep, data transfer and post analysis. The dominating factor here is the data transfer from the laser. The Virtual Reference Analyser has been tested to work with lasers with a sweep rate of 20nm/s, so using this an example over a 40nm range the actual sweep only takes 2 seconds which is quick enough to avoid any structural fluctuations due to temperature change in short length devices. Note also that there is no reason why faster lasers can't also be used.

"How much is the Virtual Reference™ Analyser?"
The Virtual Reference™ Analyser is cheaper in price compared to competing products and our cost analysis suggests that it can save you hundreds of thousands of dollars in the first year alone. Perhaps the question you should ask yourself is: "Can I afford not to purchase the Virtual Reference™ Analyser?" Please see  http://inometrix.com/Benefits.pdf for more details.

"Do you offer financing?"
Yes we offer financing & leasing terms, please contact Technix by CBS to discuss details.


"Does the unit come with warranty?"
Yes, the unit comes with a 1 year warranty, extended warranty is also available. Please contact Technix by CBS for more information.

"Is the Virtual Reference™ Analyser suitable for stress & strain analysis?"
No, the Virtual Reference™ Analyser is a measurement platform for the telecommunications market. However Virtual Reference™ technology can be easily transfered to stress and strain analysis and other products are currently being developed. Please contact Technix by CBS for more up to date information.