Low-Use cable verifier

[beengone]

As most, I have a cheap-o continuity tester for testing cables. However, I've read and been told I need a good cable verifier to test for actual throughput, etc. From what I've read it looks the Fluke MicroScanner2 is what people mean. I have a small inventory job next week where they're having spotty transfer problems and have one other cabling job in a month or two. This isn't something I'd use regularly, so $400 isn't justifiable. The more expensive Fluke units for $1000 are way out of reach.

So, I found two others that look promising for my low use, but I really don't know the drawbacks and features I'd be missing. Specifically, will these help me test whether my cables can actually handle gigabit throughput? If anyone could enlighten me, I'd appreciate it. I think others could use a good comparison of these units as well and others if I've missed any. If such a thing exists, I apologize; I didn't find anything in my searching.

1. Fluke MicroScanner2 ~ $400
2. Monoprice MCT-2690PRO ~ $85
3. Klein VDV501-809 ~ $80

Thank you.

 

[coxhaus]

I have never used any of these testers but I was reading about the Fluke Microscanner2. The problem with these testers is they are more of a wire map type of tester. They will not tell you whether the wire will support 10/100 or 1000 speed. They will not tell if you are picking up interference from florescence lights or power cables. They will tell you basics like wires being crossed and defective wire. Let me know if I am wrong but I think I would want more.

 

[PrivateJoker]

I have never used any of these testers but I was reading about the Fluke Microscanner2. The problem with these testers is they are more of a wire map type of tester. They will not tell you whether the wire will support 10/100 or 1000 speed. They will not tell if you are picking up interference from florescence lights or power cables. They will tell you basics like wires being crossed and defective wire. Let me know if I am wrong but I think I would want more.

Yes as @Coxhaus said, those are all wiremap tester that will tell you if you have punched out/crimped your connections properly and that your pinouts are the same (TIA568A/B) on both ends. The cable length and "distance to fault" are sort of high tech neat features, but also just physical ones that even some switches have built in. Those capabilities make those tools helpful for fast cable pull and check, jack identification, etc.

When you start talking about testers that can do "throughput testing" or "interference checking" there really doesn't seem to be a middle ground, you jump right up into tools that are made for actual cable "verification." Verification is a process a wiring company might use to audit all the runs they perform for an installation in a building, and they give you a big binder (and/or PDF) with information on every single run that proves its capabilities meet or exceed the specs that it was quoted for. The tools they use to verify premise wiring are not consumer level stuff (in terms of cost and capabilities).

I'm actually in this exact same situation myself right now, I'm moving and I want to have a page or two I can hand off showing all my ethernet and coax runs are clearly labeled and tested to spec without having to buy or rent a very expensive Fluke tester. Even the "mid grade" Fluke stuff like the CIQ don't seem to have capabilities beyond what is built into the diagnostic software most NIC providers and free LAN speed testing utilities could provide if you plugged a pair of laptops or desktops into both ends of connection with NICs that supported such utilities. However, what the Fluke CIQ can provide, even at the cost of $1200, would still be worthwhile if I was pulling and punching down 50 runs in a commercial environment as their cabling contractor, for sure it would be faster than constantly attaching laptops to new ports.

Here are links to the Realtek and Intel utility tester programs that support many (but certainly not all) of their NICs. But search on their sites for your particular NIC if it's not covered under those links, there may be support for other adapters on other pages.

So if you find something, let me know! Otherwise, since cabling hasn't been my full time job since the mid to late '90s, I'll probably just stick with the tools I have already for the small stuff I do for myself, friends & family and occasional misc consulting/cabling work.

 

[Dreamslacker]

Yes as @Coxhaus said, those are all wiremap tester that will tell you if you have punched out/crimped your connections properly and that your pinouts are the same (TIA568A/B) on both ends. The cable length and "distance to fault" are sort of high tech neat features, but also just physical ones that even some switches have built in. Those capabilities make those tools helpful for fast cable pull and check, jack identification, etc.

When you start talking about testers that can do "throughput testing" or "interference checking" there really doesn't seem to be a middle ground, you jump right up into tools that are made for actual cable "verification." Verification is a process a wiring company might use to audit all the runs they perform for an installation in a building, and they give you a big binder (and/or PDF) with information on every single run that proves its capabilities meet or exceed the specs that it was quoted for. The tools they use to verify premise wiring are not consumer level stuff (in terms of cost and capabilities).

I'm actually in this exact same situation myself right now, I'm moving and I want to have a page or two I can hand off showing all my ethernet and coax runs are clearly labeled and tested to spec without having to buy or rent a very expensive Fluke tester. Even the "mid grade" Fluke stuff like the CIQ don't seem to have capabilities beyond what is built into the diagnostic software most NIC providers and free LAN speed testing utilities could provide if you plugged a pair of laptops or desktops into both ends of connection with NICs that supported such utilities. However, what the Fluke CIQ can provide, even at the cost of $1200, would still be worthwhile if I was pulling and punching down 50 runs in a commercial environment as their cabling contractor, for sure it would be faster than constantly attaching laptops to new ports.

Here are links to the Realtek and Intel utility tester programs that support many (but certainly not all) of their NICs. But search on their sites for your particular NIC if it's not covered under those links, there may be support for other adapters on other pages.

So if you find something, let me know! Otherwise, since cabling hasn't been my full time job since the mid to late '90s, I'll probably just stick with the tools I have already for the small stuff I do for myself, friends & family and occasional misc consulting/cabling work.

If you're really looking into doing this for a living, have a look at Ideal networks. Their cable verifiers run for significantly cheaper than the Fluke DTX series you'd need for verification. The price is still rather steep (about 6-7k USD) but significantly cheaper than the DTX-1800 (about 12-13k USD).

If you only need basic wiremaps or TDR distance measurement (locate the approximate location of the fault), look for the NF-308 tester on ebay.
It runs for <60 USD and does TDR length measurements. I use one personally and though the measurements aren't the most accurate (+/- 0.2M), it does well when you have large number of runs and need to rapidly check them for issues. The TDR testing works without termination on the other end too so you need only terminate one end.

 

[beengone]

Very helpful

You guys have been very helpful. I'm not looking at this as a living, but as a consultant for small businesses I often have to verify or install a few cable runs, up to ~15 and only do this a few times each year. So far I've used software to test throughput, but that's a bit inconvenient at best in some locations. Really, I want a $1000 solution for $100, but we all know how that works out.

So, it sounds like my best bet is to buy the NF-308 then, right? It's better than the ones I listed, correct?

When you say this can tell me about how far into a cable I'm having trouble, I assume that means full sever (or darn close—high resistance), not why I'm not getting gigabit speeds, right?

Thanks again for all the help.

 

[beengone]

That same company makes and NF-868 and NF-838. Any comments on those? looks like they add some features while keeping the costs down.

 

[coxhaus]

I think there is couple of things going on here. First if you are installing cable then a wire mapper is a good thing for checking the installed cable. It is a fast process. It will tell you where the physical problems are.

Next there is the problem of trouble shooting an existing already installed wire infrastructure. At this point the physical mapping should already been handled and you need something to look at the wire more closely. This is where you need more than a wire mapper. You want to pickup all problems whether it is a crimp gone bad or a fluorescence light or even a power cable laying next to the wire. You need to solve the problem. This is where the basic wire mapper will not help you. You need a more sophisticated tool at this point.

 

[Dreamslacker]

That same company makes and NF-868 and NF-838. Any comments on those? looks like they add some features while keeping the costs down.

They have include different items in the kit.

The NF-308 has the tone tester remote unit, adapters for BNC and telephone jacks and crocodile clips (for bare wire testing at the telephone distribution point) in addition to the remote identifier unit.

The NF-838 only includes the tone tester remote unit and the remote identifier unit. I'm not too sure about the 868 though.

None of these will allow you to check for interference or actual cable performance. What they can do is to perform a wiremap and basic length testing.
The latter will let you know where the fault approximately lies and if it is accessible (wire-tray installation or surface conduit), you can repair in-situ with RJ45 couplers and a short length of patch cord.

 

[Dreamslacker]

You guys have been very helpful. I'm not looking at this as a living, but as a consultant for small businesses I often have to verify or install a few cable runs, up to ~15 and only do this a few times each year. So far I've used software to test throughput, but that's a bit inconvenient at best in some locations. Really, I want a $1000 solution for $100, but we all know how that works out.

So, it sounds like my best bet is to buy the NF-308 then, right? It's better than the ones I listed, correct?

When you say this can tell me about how far into a cable I'm having trouble, I assume that means full sever (or darn close—high resistance), not why I'm not getting gigabit speeds, right?

Thanks again for all the help.

The length test function will let you know where the fault approximately lies if it's a short or open circuit. Basically, it reports the length measured per pair.
If you have 20m for 3 pairs and 10m for 1 pair, then you know that the shorter pair is broken within the cable around the 10m mark.
It will also explain why you cannot get a link or cannot obtain gigabit performance in such an instance.

Depending on the work culture where you are located, the tone test function and wiremap may also help.
I'm located in a country where most interior datacomms cabling is handled by electricians who treat datacomms cabling like electrical wires. There is no testing and commisioning done. At best, you get an electrician who runs a basic 8-led tester on the circuits.
I've often been called in to resolve issues where existing infrastructure is laid by such electricians and they fail to label both ends of the install properly. The tone test will help trace the cable runs so I can label the cable runs properly while the wiremap ensures that the termination is done right.

As a matter of fact, I've just done a job where the network points were not working in the client's house because the electrician "punched" down the wires with a test pen and the keystone blades didn't cut through the insulation. I'm not even sure why they didn't invest in a $0.50 plastic punch tool - which is cheap enough and works much better than a test pen.

I also carry a Thinkpad X61 (soon to be X230) with an Intel GbE adapter where the Proset tools can also be used to check and diagnose cabling issues. Coupled with WinMTR (throughput is variable depending on the test conditions but dropped/ lost packets generally rapidly indicate issues with the link), I can usually diagnose most of the issues.

 

[Terry Kennedy]

Here are links to the Realtek and Intel utility tester programs that support many (but certainly not all) of their NICs. But search on their sites for your particular NIC if it's not covered under those links, there may be support for other adapters on other pages.

Also, many of the popular switch chipsets now include this function (TDR), though there's probably no way to access the data on unmanaged / dumb switches. [Though some of them have it for their Eco / Green / whatever Ethernet, which reduces power to devices which are nearby - and it needs to measure distance to do that.]

I have 2 sets of Fluke DSP-4100 analyzers here, but I don't generally test the cables I make unless the customer requests it. If it's a big enough job that I have additional people making cables, I'll test those - after all, it's my name on the invoice.

My biggest use of the 4100's is when I get called in to clean up an existing mess. Before GigE, it was quite common to "steal" a pair out of the cable for phone use. Another frequent problem is non-CAT5 couplers. It's very rare to find a fault other than at the ends, and that's usually when somebody drills into a wall and hits the cable.