Comparative Study of Distributed Acoustic Sensing Responses in Telecommunication Optical Cables

Distributed Acoustic Sensing (DAS) transforms conventional optical fibres into large-scale acoustic sensor arrays. While existing telecommunication cables are increasingly considered for DAS-based monitoring, their performance depends strongly on cable construction and strain transfer efficiency. In this study, the relative DAS signal amplitudes of three commercial telecommunication optical cables were experimentally compared using a benchtop Rayleigh backscattering-based interrogator under controlled laboratory conditions. By maintaining a constant temperature and ensuring no additional strain changes from the outside environment, we guaranteed that only strain-induced variations from acoustic excitations were measured. The results show clear differences in signal amplitude and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) among the tested cables. The Microcable consistently produced the highest spatial peak amplitude (up to 0.029 a.u.) and SNR (up to 79), while the Duct cable reached 0.00268 a.u. with mean SNR ≈ 32. The Anti-Rodent cable showed low signal amplitude (0.0018 a.u.) but exhibited a high mean SNR (≈111) driven by an exceptional low noise floor in one of the runs. These findings reflect the variations in mechanical coupling between the fibre core and external perturbations and provide practical insights into the suitability of different telecom cable types for DAS applications, supporting informed choices for future deployments.