Need a Cable Tester and Other Stuff

[reicherb]

I'm a network admin at a school and to save money rather than hire an electrician to run new electrical and data drops, our maintenance staff is going to do it. Of course they will get some help from me on the first few to make sure they don't destroy the cable. I will terminate it and test it.

I need to get a good Cat5 (maybe 5e) cable certifier and have no clue where to begin. I would also like to get a tone generator and a decent cable stripper. Are there different types and qualities of tone generators?

Thanks for the help.

 

[ojai00]

Where I work, we have something that looks like this tone generator. I think that one should get the job done for you. Cyberguys has a complete network kit (just search under cable stripper) that includes a cable tester, stripper, punch down tool, and a lot more stuff for $178. Hope this helps.

 

[reicherb]

I need the tester to certify the cable. I was thinking that a tester was more in the $1000 range but I could be wrong.

 

[ScottMac]

I'm not aware of any certification-class testers under US$2500.00, and typically between $3500-$5000 or more for Cat5e or 6.

Testing for continuity, pair order, shorts & opens is one thing (and MUCH cheaper), "Certification" carries specific legal weight, and so the testing is much more critical.

Check out Fluke, WaveTek, and MicroTest..they have handheld cable testers that can qualify and certify Cat5,5e, and 6.

Good Luck

Scott

 

[reicherb]

ScottMac:
What would you use if you were running new drops and couldn't afford a certifier? Would I be better off to have the cables run for me, or is a cheaper tester ok? You mentioned a qualifier. what constitues a qualifier?

Thanks.

 

[Tallgeese]

<< to save money rather than hire an electrician to run new electrical and data drops, our maintenance staff is going to do it >>

I can't begin to tell you how many horror stories I've heard begin with those very words, or words to that effect. :Q

 

[Soybomb]

I'm sure scott can describe it better than me, but a tester just simply checks the cable to map each wire as straight through to the other end with no shorts or breaks. A tester that certifies "benchmarks" the cable so it is guarentted to be up to the specs for say Cat5e, cat6, whatever. It checks impredence, resistance, capacaitance ( i dont think I can spell...) , noise, and a whole variety of things to be sure the cable meets the grade of performance it should. You can even print out little certification reports that number the wires with readings, etc. Really cool stuff, and I like microtest (I've used the omniscanner alot) and I'm sure I'd like fluke if I had no budget.

As a side note: In my opinion having mantaince run the network cable is gonna' give you nothing but headaches. When you need a specifialist pay a specifialist. Lets see how many of your cables go over flourescent lighting among other things

Microtest Microtools Products
I think cdw.com sells them if you dont mind paying a little more.

 

[reicherb]

What are the chances that I can make a reliable cable with a tester that doesn't certifiy the cable? I would really perfer to do this myself, but definately not at the expensive of reliability.

Thanks.

 

[spidey07]

<< << to save money rather than hire an electrician to run new electrical and data drops, our maintenance staff is going to do it >>

I can't begin to tell you how many horror stories I've heard begin with those very words, or words to that effect. >>


Tallgeese and scottmac have really hit the mark here. I would recommend having a professional maintain your cable infrastructure. They've been through training and have the experience/gear to do it right. We're talking a hundred bucks a drop here. pretty cheap when you take into consideration all your labor to run/terminate/constantly troubleshoot the cable plant.

<edit> oh, I see you're working for a school. can be pretty tight sometimes. Maybe you can get a discount or something?

 

[DcHoliday9]

<<

<< << to save money rather than hire an electrician to run new electrical and data drops, our maintenance staff is going to do it >>

I can't begin to tell you how many horror stories I've heard begin with those very words, or words to that effect. >>


Tallgeese and scottmac have really hit the mark here. I would recommend having a professional maintain your cable infrastructure. They've been through training and have the experience/gear to do it right. We're talking a hundred bucks a drop here. pretty cheap when you take into consideration all your labor to run/terminate/constantly troubleshoot the cable plant.

<edit> oh, I see you're working for a school. can be pretty tight sometimes. Maybe you can get a discount or something? >>



I would also say there is a reason they cost so much. They do the job right. I would aslo recommed a professional doing the job.

I am having all kinds of trouble with my network right now because a maintenance staff installed the cable in my network. BTW the cable was here when I came here. It's cheaper in the long run to have a professional do the job once and right. We might have to rewire our whole office becasue it wasn't done right 3 years ago. Were talking about 160 jacks because they tried to cut costs and do it themselfs. IMHO get a pro to do the job.

 

[ScottMac]

As I said, there are handhelds (~US$150-$350.00) that will tell you if there is continuity, proper pair, shorts, & opens. They'll tell you that the connections have been properly established...they won't provide any information that will help you to determine whether or not the cable can handle high-speed data communication.

If you scan around the net forum here, there are a number of posts that describe: a.) a small but critical SUBSET of the "rules" for cabling right and b.) horror stories from folks that didn't quite follow all the rules....check it out.

As mentioned several times above, your best, safest, bet would be to find a DATA cabling company (hopefully with a/some BICCSI RCDD certified folks) design and install the cable plant. Most will even give you a WARRANTY (!!) on the plant...some warrantys extend out to twenty years (humbug, like UTP could survive the standards from TEN YEARS from now). At the very least, if there's a problem with the cable, they'll come out with the right equipment, scan, locate and fix the problem. If it's their fault, they'll fix it for free.

You should at least have one or two places quote you on the job, just to give you a ballpark cost on the job.

Another factor to consider is that most cabling companys are bonded and insured. That means that if they find the hidden/undocumented wire / pipe, and damage it, they are responsible for the cost of fixing it. If your guys do the job and really FUBAR something...then you eat the cost.

Then there are some Municiple/State/National codes that have to be observed. If you get caught without a permit, or the job doesn't meet code, it has to be ripped out (by LAW) and started from scratch...there are some exceptions, but I believe they're rare.

If Fred the maintenance guy FUBARS the cable job, I guarantee the first words out of his mouth are "Gee, I didn't know...who'd a thought something like that woulda counted...." If a cabling company FUBARS the job, their reputation (and legal status) is on the line...a pretty fair incentive to do it right.

And it'll look nice, especially the closet / racks. A showcase. Something to get some decent PR from the local press.

If you can't find anyone in the local yellow pages (or by local referral), call Anixter (847) 677-2600 and ask to talk to someone about the Partners Program...or ask for Tech support or Sales, and they can direct you. Anixter doesn't install cabling, they sell it. They DO work with installers around the country and (at least used to) maintain a list of their preferred installers.

Give it a good think-over. Doing it internally is usually a bad idea.

FWIW

Scott

 

[spidey07]

<< Give it a good think-over. Doing it internally is usually a bad idea. >>


And that my friends is called "coming from the horse's mouth".

Listen to the man. He tests this stuff on a daily basis. Anixter is highly respected in the communications industry. No matter how much gear you throw at a network the cable plant is by far the most important (far is not the correct word...cable plant is the ground upon which every single piece of a network stands) and believe it or not the least expensive. This is a fact...any professional on this board will say the same thing.

 

[Tallgeese]

<< the cable plant is by far the most important (far is not the correct word...cable plant is the ground upon which every single piece of a network stands) >>

AMEN!

I was taught to think of the OSI model as a pyramid, and consider the bottom layer--the physical layer (ie. the cabling)--the base that holds everything else up.
Without a solid base, the rest of the pyramid falls apart.

Or, as a less wordy instructor succinctly put it....
SH*TTY CABLE = SH*TTY NETWORK


P.S. Have we made our point yer?

 

[reicherb]

Yup. I think I got it now.

Thanks guys.