Fiber Optic Power Converter
Convert between dBm and milliwatts for fiber optic optical power measurements.
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Optical power in fiber optics is measured in dBm or milliwatts (mW).
dBm is a logarithmic unit referenced to 1 milliwatt.
Conversion formulas:
- mW = 10^(dBm / 10)
- dBm = 10 × log₁₀(mW)
Key reference points:
| dBm | Milliwatts (mW) | Microwatts (µW) |
|---|---|---|
| +20 dBm | 100 mW | 100,000 µW |
| +10 dBm | 10 mW | 10,000 µW |
| +3 dBm | 2 mW | 2,000 µW |
| 0 dBm | 1 mW | 1,000 µW |
| −3 dBm | 0.5 mW | 500 µW |
| −10 dBm | 0.1 mW | 100 µW |
| −20 dBm | 0.01 mW | 10 µW |
| −30 dBm | 0.001 mW | 1 µW |
| −40 dBm | 0.0001 mW | 0.1 µW |
Useful rules of thumb:
- +3 dBm = double the power
- −3 dBm = half the power
- +10 dBm = 10× the power
- −10 dBm = 1/10 the power
Typical fiber optic transmitter power: −5 to +5 dBm. Typical receiver sensitivity: −20 to −30 dBm.