Ethernet Test Tools - Options?

[Busto963]

I am going to pull more ethernet cable for my home network and I want to get a cable testor - the issue is which one.

It seems there are various price points, and being: 1) an amateur, and two having a small network; what should I get?

The market seems to fall into neat segments:

- Sub $100: gets you a basic circuit tester to check that you wired the connectors correctly

- $500: gets you a few add on features.

- $1000+: gets you into the professional range of gear with cable certification capability, and many other features for a pro installer.

At first blush, it would appear that simple circuit testers fit my budget, and the $1000 tools are out of the question, but is there a tester on the market that will do cable certification for say a few hundred dollars? What does the resale market for those tools look like?

If I bought a more expensive tool, could I pull my cable, check everything with the tool and sell it on craigs list or e-bay for minimal loss?

Could I rent the tool?

What would a pro charge to test the drops?

Anyway, I would love some discussion - thanks!

 

[onnoossendrijver]

What I would do:
1. connect a PC (gigabit) to both sides of every cable
2. run iperf for about a minute in both directions.
3. check if you have any errors on the interfaces.

Windows: netstat -e
Linux: ifconfig
You should have no or very few (1 or 2) errors.

 

[PrivateJoker]

What I would do:
1. connect a PC (gigabit) to both sides of every cable
2. run iperf for about a minute in both directions.
3. check if you have any errors on the interfaces.

Windows: netstat -e
Linux: ifconfig
You should have no or very few (1 or 2) errors.

I've wired 2 homes with 25+ drops, I'd get the sub $50ish tool to make sure you pin out every jack correctly (and test for shorts, etc) and use @onnoossendrijver's suggestion above for the rest, that's all you really need.

If it'd help I'd be glad to post pics of what I've done, and/or the tools I used either in this thread or privately. Everything I used I got from amazon or Home Depot, witch exception of a few new Bosch cordless tools (cpodirect).

I'd encourage you to pull multiple runs of cat5e/6 to every room since its so easy to find more uses for dark cable down the road (phones, hdmi over cat5, etc). Can't hurt to pull coax at the same time if you're doing the whole house.

 

[Busto963]

I've wired 2 homes with 25+ drops, I'd get the sub $50ish tool to make sure you pin out every jack correctly (and test for shorts, etc) and use @onnoossendrijver's suggestion above for the rest, that's all you really need.

If it'd help I'd be glad to post pics of what I've done, and/or the tools I used either in this thread or privately.

I would be interested in the tools you used specifically for the ethernet connections. I bought a Jack Rapid and the Leviton palm sorter tool for cable wiring.

There is always more to learn.

 

[PrivateJoker]

Here are some pics of a friend's house I did home theater, data network, phone network, and CATV pulls on last year. I had an advantage of two rooms (kitchen and TV room) having no walls, just studs at the time, and that certainly saved time but same setup would be do-able without that install advantage as well.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/italian_greyhound/sets/72157629404709183/

Pics can be "appreciated" better on a desktop than a mobile browser because I have extensive mouse-over notes on most or all pics, as well as a description.

This was all done on a very strict budget, I'm well aware we/he could have gone much further with much fancier stuff, but it's his first house and had baby on the way, was just trying to do clean, functional install.

I will post tool list later today, tomorrow at the latest.

Edit, posted: Here is a google doc with the basic wiring hand tools I used. I'm probably forgetting a few, but I've done hundreds of runs of coax, cat3/5/e/6, etc with this basic stuff + my power tools. My cable testing never got any more sophisticated than cheap handheld tester to verify pinouts, and potential verification of speeds by doing a PC on each end with @onnoossendrijver suggestions (or derivatives thereof). Also, most runs I pull if I plug a laptop or something into the "pulled, remote" end, and plug it into a switch in the "server room" or wherever you are centrally wiring things to, most new switches have rudimentary diagnostics to analyze a cable instantly and will tell you if its bad (no gigabit connected LED indication).

If sharing more pics of stuff either in server areas, or in rooms, behind jacks, etc., would be helpful just let me know.

 

[Busto963]

Here are some pics of a friend's house I did home theater, data network, phone network, and CATV pulls on last year. I had an advantage of two rooms (kitchen and TV room) having no walls, just studs at the time, and that certainly saved time but same setup would be do-able without that install advantage as well.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/italian_greyhound/sets/72157629404709183/

Pics can be "appreciated" better on a desktop than a mobile browser because I have extensive mouse-over notes on most or all pics, as well as a description.

This was all done on a very strict budget, I'm well aware we/he could have gone much further with much fancier stuff, but it's his first house and had baby on the way, was just trying to do clean, functional install.

I will post tool list later today, tomorrow at the latest.

Edit, posted: Here is a google doc with the basic wiring hand tools I used. I'm probably forgetting a few, but I've done hundreds of runs of coax, cat3/5/e/6, etc with this basic stuff + my power tools. My cable testing never got any more sophisticated than cheap handheld tester to verify pinouts, and potential verification of speeds by doing a PC on each end with @onnoossendrijver suggestions (or derivatives thereof). Also, most runs I pull if I plug a laptop or something into the "pulled, remote" end, and plug it into a switch in the "server room" or wherever you are centrally wiring things to, most new switches have rudimentary diagnostics to analyze a cable instantly and will tell you if its bad (no gigabit connected LED indication).

Thanks this was most helpful.

I like the part about using the switch/laptop.

 

[Busto963]

What I would do:
1. connect a PC (gigabit) to both sides of every cable
2. run iperf for about a minute in both directions.
3. check if you have any errors on the interfaces.

Windows: netstat -e
Linux: ifconfig
You should have no or very few (1 or 2) errors.

This is a fantastic idea and saved me a lot of agonizing and potential a lot of money.

Thanks!

 

[PrivateJoker]

Thanks this was most helpful.

I like the part about using the switch/laptop.

Some managed switches have cable fault detection/analysis built in them as well (some Netgear Prosafe (that link points to a page in their manual that shows cable testing tool) models, some HP Procurve, and I'm sure many others. . .I haven't bought a managed switch yet myself, but eventually would like to upgrade to one).