Why Cable Testing Is So Important
Cable testing for a cabling installation contractor is probably the most important part of the job. True, the work of pulling the cable, dropping the cable terminating jacks and patch panels and labeling is a lot of work. The cable testing however is so important because everything mentioned here means nothing if the installation has not been performed correctly.
The customer will be expecting certified test results when the job is over. This also allows you as a boss or manager to make sure all of your cables have been run and terminated properly. Cable testing will eliminate phone calls from the client two months down the road complaining that a cable has not been working. This often happens because after the cable installation that particular cable was not patched into the network switch. You ran your cable, terminated it correctly, labeled and tested it but it was never patched. Now when the client tries to patch the cable into the switch it does not fire up. Their network technicians may be putting the patch cable into the wrong switch port or maybe the port on the switch is not activated. Whatever the case may be the test results are very important here because the first thing the client will do is open the test result file that was sent to him. He will see that the cable was certified during installation. The client will then tend to dig deeper into the problem with his IT department before picking up the phone right away to say he has a “problem with one of the cables.” This will eliminate you going back and forth to a job that has already been closed out multiple times for issues that were never your problem.
Another reason to perform cable testing is, in order to secure the manufacturer’s warranty. You have to provide certified test results so to keep the warranty. Network cable testing is done using a network tester, lan tester or any similar device. There are many options out there. The most common are the Fluke DTX 1800 or the JDSU HST 3000. These cable meters are amazing tools. The parameters that are available for your testing job are mind boggling. These cable meters will tell you:
There is a short or open on each wire and where
- A pair was reversed while being punched down
- If two pairs of wires were swapped while being terminated
- If one of the pins are broken on the jack or the patch panel
- They will also tell you if the cable has been damaged in the ceiling. These meters will actually give you the footage location down to the down to within 12 inches of where the cable has been damaged
- These cable meters will even suggest solutions the issue you are having
These features reduce troubleshooting time and time spent looking for solutions to your cabling issues. The productivity boost from using these meters is tenfold. Cable testing is a vital part of the cable installation field. By using a quality cable tester you will be able to not only certify your cable results to the client but boost productivity and reduce lost time troubleshooting problem cables. Cable testing is the most important part of your cable installation.
