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cat 5 cable tester — Parallax Forums

cat 5 cable tester

Shawn LoweShawn Lowe Posts: 635
in General Discussion
Hey, was wondering if there was a cable tested someone recommended. Theres a couple on amazon for cheap (approx. 15 bucks) are they good enough for occasional work?

Comments

  • xanaduxanadu Posts: 3,347
    What did you want to check for?

    I used to use a cheap one until PoE. I don't do any cabling but work in a lot of places where a lot of testing needed to be done. The link light on a network card is essentially the same thing as a $15 tester.
  • Shawn LoweShawn Lowe Posts: 635
    Right now this will be used to check out cabling on a printer being routed through a network switch
  • xanaduxanadu Posts: 3,347
    How long of a run? How old is the wiring?

    Ruling out the printer and switch, if it's CAT5 and more than 5 years old we replace it without testing anything. You get auto-negotiation problems with newer devices, connectors oxidize. The cheap tester won't give you that info. You may as well use a DMM and some hacked cables. For one run it seems easier to just replace the wire either way.

    Unless it's under the street or through some impossible conduit, which wouldn't be surprising at all :)
  • PublisonPublison Posts: 12,366
    I wouldn't call it cheap, but much cheaper than other cable testers I've seen:

    http://www.amazon.com/Linkmaster-UTP-stp-Cable-Tester/dp/B000LDC3LA

    Been using this one for at least 15 years with no problems. I have used it for hundred foot runs all day long and it never fails me.
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