Network tools for Cat6 Testing

[trs71]

Hi, I'm basicly getting rid of Spectrum and running cat6 through out the house for PoE cameras, network and HDMI video signals & from HDhomerun boxes.

I can already see whats coming a few days into doing it. I was looking for a USED "tester" to keep down cost.

I was thinking between a Fluke Networks LinkRunner or a Klein VDV Commander. I'm going to need speed tests, cable id and length I'm guessing,

I also saw this IDK if it's any better than the Noyafa junk.

And I'm sure I'll use it again at my jealous friends new installation down the road.

Good choice? Better options? Pretty new to newtworking.

 

[Kaizen]

I got the ratcheting crimp tool and a battery two part tester that you plug into each side of the cable to check connections. It’s hard. My connections worked but horrible looking. Next round I went and bought flat cables off amazon. Ran those for a few runs. I’d only make up cables now if it’s something that can’t be done with preside cables. Oh and don’t buy from stores. Markup on cables are ridiculous


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[M_George]

Just be very careful to keep the wire twists as close to the termination as possible then just run a conductivity check and you shouldn't have any problem. I ran a corporate network with hundreds of feet of cable for over 25 years and that's all I used. Just follow all the rules for distance, bend radius and stay well clear of all AC lines.

 

[Iluvbeer]

You can accomplish all of this with a cat5 cable and it’s much cheaper.

 

[dogdog]

Not a pro cable buy, but if I were to read that spec of the device linked, it's just a basic over glorified cable tester continuity.... The ones that have link and POE testing are at $500+ range... so.. I wouldn't wast that $$$ on basic functions just to have LCD display.

 

[Iluvbeer]

And there are many things that will cause interference. Try not to run your lines over or around any of your romex and stay well clear of any fluorescent lighting (if you have any).

 

[Iluvbeer]

Personally, I wouldn’t spend big bucks on a tester. Get a basic tester that tests continuity and pairs and be done with it. As long as these check out, everything will be okay.

 

[MrDeerHunter]

Personally, I wouldn’t spend big bucks on a tester. Get a basic tester that tests continuity and pairs and be done with it. As long as these check out, everything will be okay.

Definitely second that. There is a a few sets on Amazon that are 20-30 dollars that will be perfect for what you are trying to do. The ones I have are green and work perfectly for me. I ran about 400 feet of cat 7 through my house.

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[General Geoff]

What kind of speeds are you trying to run through the cables? Gigabit ethernet won't be a problem with regular continuity/testing tools. 10GbE is decidedly more finicky about cable termination.

 

[frankush]

Totally agree that an expensive tester is not needed. When twisted pair connectivity became the standard, I probably spent the next ten years doing mostly voice/data work. I pulled and punched down thousands of cables. The tester we had way back in 1999 was a Fluke that logged every test result which could be turned over to the customer at the end of each job. That was about $3000 back then. Any problems we had were always at the termination. Keeping the twist tight is key. When you trim out try to leave some slack in the cable, so that you can reterminate if you have to.

 

[DHCrocks]

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06XP8PH9N/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01__o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I bought this cheap tester, took a few minutes to figure it out but it seems to work ok. will check for proper wiring order and continuity. also does a cable length check. The one feature that I got it for and that it has been working so far is the cable tracer. The toner works well and I was able to isolate a cable in a bundle. The supplied 8 receivers works at identifying cables. has some POE test but I don't use it so I can't confirm that feature.

 

[NiceRide]

I used to make all of my own cables, and still do in special cases. However, I now sometimes find it easier to buy pre made cables. Check out Monoprice. Good quality and very good price. You can order a lot of different colors which make cable identification easier down the road. Cheap tester always done everything I have needed.


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[trs71]

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06XP8PH9N/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01__o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I bought this cheap tester, took a few minutes to figure it out but it seems to work ok.

Does it still work? Everything I read about that brand says 2 months of life.

Not a pro cable buy, but if I were to read that spec of the device linked, it's just a basic over glorified cable tester continuity.... The ones that have link and POE testing are at $500+ range... so.. I wouldn't wast that $$$ on basic functions just to have LCD display.

That's why I was looking ar a used linkrunner, I didn't notice it's lack of POE or anything.

What kind of speeds are you trying to run through the cables? Gigabit ethernet won't be a problem with regular continuity/testing tools. 10GbE is decidedly more finicky about cable termination.

Gb now, but the standard of 10GbE is going to be right around the corner, no?

I bought 500 ft of cat6 and 250 ft of outside gel filled cable for outside upstairs runs, I'm going to basically use the route TWC did. Started off on the wrong foot just fiding pass-through connectors that 6 actually fit. I've got regular ones too but it takes me forever and are never as clean as my pass through.

I'm not going to have cables just coming out of the walls, I'm terminating everything to wall plates, and am really thinking of getting a patch panel too- I think there are 20+ runs currently if I take everything off wireless.

Cat 6 isn't any more expensive comparatively speaking. I'm trying HDMI via CAT6 for a few remote TV's and that needs catr6 anyhow- a lot of what I read said premade cat6 isn't much better if at all that cat5, and I'm making it neat anyhow.

I've had the basic continuity test for years for cables, and I could run iperf to check the cables better I suppose. My termination skills are getting better. I'm basically worried that I'm going to have issues, spend a lot of time trying to fix something a tester would have located right away.

 

[Iluvbeer]

Does it still work? Everything I read about that brand says 2 months of life.



That's why I was looking ar a used linkrunner, I didn't notice it's lack of POE or anything.


Gb now, but the standard of 10GbE is going to be right around the corner, no?

I bought 500 ft of cat6 and 250 ft of outside gel filled cable for outside upstairs runs, I'm going to basically use the route TWC did. Started off on the wrong foot just fiding pass-through connectors that 6 actually fit. I've got regular ones too but it takes me forever and are never as clean as my pass through.

I'm not going to have cables just coming out of the walls, I'm terminating everything to wall plates, and am really thinking of getting a patch panel too- I think there are 20+ runs currently if I take everything off wireless.

Cat 6 isn't any more expensive comparatively speaking. I'm trying HDMI via CAT6 for a few remote TV's and that needs catr6 anyhow- a lot of what I read said premade cat6 isn't much better if at all that cat5, and I'm making it neat anyhow.

I've had the basic continuity test for years for cables, and I could run iperf to check the cables better I suppose. My termination skills are getting better. I'm basically worried that I'm going to have issues, spend a lot of time trying to fix something a tester would have located right away.

You’re gonna HATE working with the gelled filled wiring, it’s a major PITA. I have litterally ran hundreds of thousands of feet of cat5 wiring throughout all the quarries and mines I use to manage, most of which were in harsh wet or dusty conditions and still only used standard cat5 with no issues. And I don’t believe car6 will ever fully take off. Fiber is today and the future. I was in the process of converting all 100+ quarries and mines from cat5 to FO when I left three years ago.

 

[trs71]

I've only got 2 wires to run outside, and since I'm doing it basically for the 1st time, everything I read said you MUST use it for the UV protection, and so squirrels do not fill up on it for dinner.

 

[Max]

I have both a cheapie and a Fluke that was $500 or so. The cheapie works fine with continuity tests and if that’s all you need it’s good enough.

I did have one problem where I had a short that was preventing my comcast cable from working. The house was pre-wired but this particular cable had never been used. The TDR function told me how far away the short was, and when I opened up the drywall in the ceiling I was just a foot away from where the install idiot had driven a staple into the coax. So not something that I have needed very often, but it really saved me when I needed it.

Patch panels are also a wonderful thing and recommended. It’s just a bit more work to install, but it’s neater and a true joy the first time you need to change stuff around.

Max

PS. TDR is Time Domain Reflectrometry. It looks at a cable and identifies impedance changes, and from this is able to identify how far down a cable it is open or shorted.

 

[DHCrocks]

Does it still work? Everything I read about that brand says 2 months of life.

I just got it a month ago so I can not tell you how well it holds up. I will only use this thing very infrequently so I would expect to to last me years. I can say that it feels cheaply made of hard plastic that seems like it would be brittle and break if you drop it, so be gentile. If you need a robust device that will take a beating I would look elsewhere.

as far as passthru connectors. I use these, https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07G2R96KQ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03__o00_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1
they are great, so much easier to make the cables with this type of connector. I like that it's simple and does not use two pieces but is a single piece.

 

[pcmeiners]

M George is right the linked device is only a glorified continuity test, it has no tests for distortion, cross talk etc. He is also correct, if you follow termination rules closely, especially maintaining twists, avoiding sharp bends, and stretching you can skip a true CAT tester.

10GbE .....What, you have Big Blue down your basement, and $20k workstations? Nice....if I am mistaken forget 10GbE. . Ps It won't help your slow Internet, at least not for the next 20-30 years.

 

[trs71]

I just got it a month ago so I can not tell you how well it holds up. I will only use this thing very infrequently so I would expect to to last me years. I can say that it feels cheaply made of hard plastic that seems like it would be brittle and break if you drop it, so be gentile. If you need a robust device that will take a beating I would look elsewhere.

as far as passthru connectors. I use these, https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07G2R96KQ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03__o00_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1
they are great, so much easier to make the cables with this type of connector. I like that it's simple and does not use two pieces but is a single piece.

I bought these from the same page too small for my 23 AWG https://tinyurl.com/y2zodxcs lots of sellers SAY they fit 23AWG, but don't (read Amazon reviews )

Platinum Tools has a connector guide chart on their webpage, you just measure the cat cable and it recommends one.


After a few more returns I bought these https://tinyurl.com/y3g595ut & https://tinyurl.com/y44wtctj again from Platinum Tools NOT Platinum Connectors which I'm told, is a cheap imitation of the original Platinum Tools.


I personally have no knowledge about Noyafa, I just read a bunch of reviews. I gathered that they work ok at 1st but quickly fail even with very limited use. Good luck.

3 more ?'s...

Is it ok to yank the plastic divider out some from the sheath, clip it, and release it so it goes into the sheath a bit and not flush with the end? I was having trouble until I watched someone do that, been doing ever since-

Also, with the twisted pairs, how or why would you even untwist them inside the outside jacket, if that's what I'm being warned about?

Finally, does anyone use the pass thru crimper even? Or just a regular one and pull it back a smidge after cutting and crimp as usual.

 

[pcmeiners]

"Also, with the twisted pairs, how or why would you even untwist them inside the outside jacket, if that's what I'm being warned about?"
The primary warning is to maintain the twist and rate of twist when doing termination, wires which are untwisted become antennas, allow interference on the wires and allow crosstalk. Wires which are stretched do not maintain the correct twist rate, not as critical as maintaining twist at termination but still important. Patch panels and wall plates are where most twist issues occur

 

[trs71]

I was wondering why anyone would untwist an excess is all

Is it ok to yank the plastic divider out some from the sheath, clip it, and release it so it goes into the sheath a bit and not flush with the end?

LOL I should probably stop now until I find out.

 

[2manytools]

I was wondering why anyone would untwist an excess is all

Is it ok to yank the plastic divider out some from the sheath, clip it, and release it so it goes into the sheath a bit and not flush with the end?

LOL I should probably stop now until I find out.

I wondered that too, then I saw my home theater install partner's first attempt at a cat5 jack (no real training). It looked like a mini hot-air balloon. He claimed the colors matched & it worked, this while I was cutting the end off & re-doing it (before being laughed at by anybody, aside from my partner).

Same install partner also used 2 pieces of coax with a bunch of coax -> RCA & RCA -> coax adapters because he was too lazy to make a new continuous run.

 

[theoldwizard1]

First, Cat 6 usually uses thicker individual wires (22 instead of 24 ?) so it IS a bit more durable, especially when pulling.

Second, terminating your our cable can be a pain in the *** ! If you shop around (eBay, NewEgg) you may find that pre-made cables are not that expensive compared to the hassle of making your own. (BTDTGTT)

Third, a simple continuity test of each conductor (most DMM have a continuity "squeaker") goes a long way toward "validating" a cable.

 

[Milton Shaw]

To do the terminations for wall plugs, LeGrand makes a tool that with their ends will punch down and cut all 8 wires at one time. Lowe's was carrying them the last time I looked and also electrical supply houses were where I first found them. The CAT6 ends were twice as much as CAT5 ends and the only difference was the rating for crosstalk, I used the CAT5 on my installation with CAT6 wire and have not had any problems. Ideal makes an end and crimping tool for the patch cords. The difference is that the wires go all the way through the end so that you can check and make sure they have not slipped and end up being wired wrong. Then the tool cuts the ends off when you crimp them. Hope this helps

 

[cheechi]

I also saw this IDK if it's any better than the Noyafa junk.

look familiar?

This craftsman meter is a rebrand/different housing of the Klein VDV Scout. Not the newest version but still a good meter regardless. I would only buy a Klein or Fluke meter personally, despite the fact that cheaper meters can do basic continuity they **** at distance (yes it is all estimated but not all estimates have the same margin of error) and I've compared even my CM/Klein to my Fluke meter and found cables that pass still need to be replaced, and NICs that pass with a good cable still drop. You want to do this job once right? buy a good meter.

Now, I have heard of Platinum tools so that's at least something going for them but I have never used any of their meters. If it's a copy (as the LCD suggests) of the insides of the Klein meter it might be the 'best of the rest' but for that kind of money just buy the Klein and be done with it.

You will want to get a separate tester for PoE because the above testers are for continuity and data. That alone isn't all you need to be sure you can have enough amps to run your poe devices, or are going to damage something before you attach stuff up to your wiring. I can understand if you don't want to buy a $500 meter for that task; the internet has some info on building your own adapters to use a regular DMM to test volts if you want to go that route or a less expensive PoE test meter is better than nothing there.

Good luck.

 

[trs71]

Have you tried Zoostliss Network Cable Tester yet? The connector is compatible with RJ45, RJ11, CAT6, CAT5e cable types. Thus, you could perform a thorough diagnostics test on either telephone or internet cords without any issues.

I already have thus https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00NDWBGHS/?tag=atomicindus08-20

Just a basic yes/no tester - nadda about signal loss