When testing cables the question is how far do you need to go? The range of cable testers builds up from simple pair testers through to device designed specially for testing to the defined International standards.
Pre-deployment
If you are installing cable to a standard (e.g. Cat5e, Cat6 etc), then you have to run all the recommended tests for that standard. Only the products in the Fluke Networks DTX range will are able to guarantee that.
Similarly with Fibre Optic testing, the standard now recommends both light loss testing and the loss for each splice or join are now completed. This means that you will need a Fibre certification tool such as the Fluke Networks OptiFiber.
Troubleshooting
If you are trouble shooting at a basic level, then simply looking for broken or crossed cables might be enough. If this is the case then the Fluke Networks LinkRunner would be a great tool for this. Oor if you are troubleshooting fibre how about the FTK-KITS
If you are trying to run new services (such as 1000Mbs Ethernet, VoIP) over old cable installations, then something like the Fluke Networks Cable IQ will put test data on the network and look to see if it can be understood at the far end. This approach is aimed at identifying whether the service will work, but not necessarily saying what the cable performance is or what it will be.
However if the cable is not broken or mis-wired in anyway, there can still be issues. These are usually due to installation problems and will only be shown up with a full and comprehensive cable test as defined by the ISO standards. This requires the Fluke Networks DTX range of units.
Here is a hand-held tool selector guide to help you decide what will be most suitable for your needs.....CLICK FOR GUIDE
