Suggestions on a LAN cable tester/verifier

[DnetMHZ]

I looking to pick up a cable tester/verifier. I don't need a lot of advanced features, just a good quality
tester to make sure some drops are in good shape (but more than just a pin-out indicator). I'm also not looking to break the bank on this one.
A few hundred bucks is about all I'm looking to spend.

Thanks in advance
DnetMHZ

p.s. only looking for cat 5 testing.

 

[ScottMac]

I haven't seen any tdr cable testing/qualification test gear for under a couple thousand dollars.

MicroTest, WaveTek and Fluke are all pretty expensive (3-5K).

Good Luck

Scott

 

[donnchadh]

Hello Dnetmhz:

I've looked for the same thing as you in the past and found nothing in the mid-range on price.

I have an Ideal Linkmaster that now sells for about $80 at Home Depot. BTW, you can find similar products on the net for about $40 plus shipping. It tests 10Base-T and token ring but is really little more than a continuity tester geared for a specific purpose, as all it does is test shield, short, miswires, reversals and split pairs. Does have a remote unit as well, which is handy.

Bought it one day when a job came up on the spur of the moment and I had none of my tools with me. Works fine if one considers it's limitations.

I gather you need more functions. What I normally use is a Datacom Lancat 6. They go for about $2500 new but I managed to snag one used for $900 US. It's a terriffic bit of gear and has paid for itself many times over. I really like it, and have found the communication functions very useful when in buildings where radios don't work well.

More details on this here: http://www.tecratools.com/pages/datacom/37512.html