Any type of fiber optic interconnection requires its interfaces to be free of dust and scratches in order to reach the lowest transmission loss. Small, handheld and battery powered inspection tools are available from AMS Technologies for inspection of fiber optic connectors in the field as well as high resolution type microscopes suitable for use in a production environment for qualifying the endface preparation. Additional S/W tools can support the user in making a quick decision if a certain defect is acceptable or if the surface fault disqualifies it for further use.