RP Fiber Calculator – Get it Here
Download and Installation of the Free Version
This software works on computers running under Microsoft Windows. Just download the installation file by clicking on this button:
📄 RP Fiber Calculator
Free RP Fiber Calculator software
Then run this file to get the software installed.
Notes:
- The free version usually expires end of the year. If that has happened, so that it asks for an activation code, you can download the current version and install it over the old one to keep it running for free.
- On Windows 10 and 11, you may see the message “Windows protected your PC” when starting the installer, and the Edge browser may warn that the file is not commonly downloaded. This happens with any newly released installer until it has gained a reputation, although the file is digitally signed. Click “More info”, check that the publisher is RP Photonics AG, and choose “Run anyway” – but only if you obtained the file from our website, i.e., you got the original software.
- Download it only from here, never from other locations in the Internet, as manipulated versions might be offered on servers outside our control.
If you have any problem with the download or installation, we will be grateful to learn about it via an email. (That applies also to users of the free version.)
Update History
Here we keep you informed about the released versions. (We occasionally offer updates when we identify and remove bugs or add new features.) The software also occasionally displays the table below, and offers to download an update if it is available.
Instead of version numbers, we just list the release dates in chronological order.
Updates on the Free Version
| Date | Description |
|---|---|
| 2014-03-17 | The first release has been published. Enjoy it! |
| 2014-05-30 | Here is an update – with no major new features, but various improvements. |
| 2014-06-21 | A minor update. There is now a feedback button, which brings you to our new feedback form. We are grateful for your suggestions on how to make the software even better! |
| 2014-07-10 | Some minor improvements have been implemented. |
| 2015-03-06 | Fixed a problem leading to the error message “Interface DLL missing”. |
| 2015-05-12 | Terrible bug detected and fixed: The feedback form had not been working for some time! We are very sorry and ask all users to try again giving us their warmly welcomed feedback! |
| 2017-10-13 | Another terrible bug was introduced on 2017-09-28 when updating the software: the mode solver did not work anymore. If you got that version, please download the new one. Sorry for the problem! |
| 2018-05-28 | The software now also works in virtual machines – for example, when you want to use it on a Mac. |
| 2019-05-06 | Fixed a problem with a missing material data file. |
| 2020-01-02 | Fixed a serious bug: effective mode areas of modes with l > 1 were displayed 4 times too large. |
| 2021-03-02 | The PRO version was erroneously downloaded instead of the free version. It contained a bug (see below). |
Updates on the PRO Version
| Date | Description |
|---|---|
| 2014-06-10 | The PRO version has been released! |
| 2017-10-13 | Some small improvements. |
| 2020-01-02 | Fixed a serious bug: effective mode areas of modes with l > 1 were displayed 4 times too large. |
| 2021-03-02 | Fixed a serious bug, affecting calculations of fiber coupling and end reflections. (It was not there from the beginning, but introduced a while ago.) |
| 2026-10-28 | Index profiles can now be calculated from doping profiles of GeO2, P2O5 and B2O3. |
If you download an updated version, just install it over the previous version. (You do not need to uninstall the old version.)
Other Notifications
Here we occasionally publish other notifications, which may be relevant to users of RP Fiber Calculator, and are also displayed in that software.
Notifications on the Free Version
| Date | Message |
|---|---|
| 2014-06-10 | The PRO version of this software is now available! |
| 2014-06-21 | For the PRO version, we now offer another license type: one-year licenses, costing 30 % of a perpetual user license. If you are not sure how long you will need this software, this might be a more attractive offer. |
Notifications on the PRO Version
There are no notifications yet.
License Conditions
The installation of the software requires you to accept our license conditions. These are generous; the essentials are:
- You can use that software without paying anything for non-commercial purposes (e.g. private use, teaching, academic research) and, within a company, for evaluation over at most 30 days. For further commercial use, please obtain the PRO version, which also gives you various additional useful features plus technical support.
- We do not require you to register with us as a user for using the free version.
- You are not allowed to give the software to other persons or institutions. Every user should download it themselves from the RP Photonics website. This is to make sure that everyone gets the original software (not one with malware added by another party!) and also the latest version.
- We fully respect your privacy. Our tool will only occasionally check for available updates or other notices on our server, and allows you to get further information in your web browser. We will not try to identify the users of our free software.
Your feedback is welcome – for example, if you report bugs or suggest improvements. Please understand, however, that we cannot offer further technical support for a completely free product. However, you may obtain paid technical consultancy from RP Photonics.
Enjoy it and Tell Others!
What we hope is
- that you will enjoy this convenient tool,
- that you will tell others about it (e.g. via email, websites, social media), who can also profit from it, and
- that you will consider purchasing some of our other software products – namely the extremely powerful and flexible RP Fiber Power software, with which one can do much more.
Another offer: we have interesting newsletters which you can subscribe to. One of them (the RP Photonics Software News) is specifically on software issues.