Network cable tester opinions

Any of the cheapo testers will be ok for basic wire checks, but if you have a real problem then you will need a TDR or NEXT modes to see what the problem is and even then
sometimes I have to get the CRO out to see visually interference etc. [cables run long and too close to power and motors]
I did notice it had a coax tester very old stuff, there are coax to IP adapters around which can save time on a hard to run cables jobs.
 
wcrowder said:
http://www.amazon.com/Fluke-Networks-DTX-1800-120-CableAnalyzer/dp/B00026V6CI

Every time I use it I picture it as new pickup truck... LMAO....
Click to expand...

$10k!! not for everyone i guess... :P fluke does make nice gear though.

i have one of these
http://www.amazon.com/RJ-45-RJ-11-N..._UL160_SR160,160_&refRID=1K0QHCZM5TPQCJN3GZ4P

similar to the one linked to by the op in that its just lights that go on and off, works most of the time, but you get the odd bad connection that passes on the tester, but fails when put in use.
 
I have looked around and I am leaning toward this:
http://www.triplett.com/shop/real-world-certifier-rwc1000k/

Does anyone have any experience with this?

I am looking for something that is more than a basic cable tester.

Second choice is:
http://www.flukenetworks.com/datacom-cabling/copper-testing/MicroScanner-Cable-Verifier

I like to have more capability than I may need but I do have to watch my budget.

Please let me know what you think of these testers or if you have any other suggestions.
Thanks!
 
solidstate said:
I have looked around and I am leaning toward this:
http://www.triplett.com/shop/real-world-certifier-rwc1000k/

Does anyone have any experience with this?

I am looking for something that is more than a basic cable tester.

Second choice is:
http://www.flukenetworks.com/datacom-cabling/copper-testing/MicroScanner-Cable-Verifier

I like to have more capability than I may need but I do have to watch my budget.

Please let me know what you think of these testers or if you have any other suggestions.
Thanks!
Click to expand...

2nd choice, besides that it's fluke, the first website made Snort go nuts... :)

https://www.snort.org/

http://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/products/collateral/security/brief_c17-733286.html
 
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Just wondering from a home user, that will do one installation, is a tester necessary?
 
if its you first time terminating ethernet your self; I think you should get one.. its likely going to take you a few attempts to get it right and a basic tester will show you what you did wrong so you can avoid the same mistake on the next try.

bad terminations/cabling cause all sorts of issues; many of them very intermittent which makes it a bitch to troubleshoot.. testing before putting it into use can save alot of time/headache in the longrun.. I still run tests on every cable run, and Ive been whipping out ethernet cables for 20 years now.
 
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Great thanks. I would have not guessed that it was so hard to terminate correctly, even for a new person who takes their time. Clearly I dont want to spend big bucks, any budget model recommended or will any type work just fine? On a similar note, which tools are recommended to terminate for RJ45 plugs and for wall socket panels? My guess would have been that using the correctly tooling to terminate would make it difficult to mess up. But clearly i am not aware of what's ahead of me!
 
you want to use punchdown tool and a punchdown socket for wall terminations.. get a spring loaded punch down tool; they are much easier to work with than crimping ends.

any budget one will let you test that each wire was connected, and in the right order, the most common mistakes for noobs.. If you have a laptop you can make an extension cable to attach to the end of your run and hook back into a computer.. then you can run some bandwidth tests between it and another machine on the network while looking for errors/drops to ensure its capable of transmitting data at full speed w/out problem, tha'll test deeper which would otherwise require an expensive tester.
 
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just make sure you watch a youtube video showing how the cheap continuity testers work; the cheap ones dont say: A-OK.. they require a bit of understanding, otherwise it could be showing a faulty cable and you wont recognize it.

basically you plug a series of LED's onto both ends of the cable and it goes through each pin one at a time firing up the LED's.. you verify both ends are both lighting up all pins, in order 1-8
 
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