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The Basics of Network Cable Testing

Cable testing is an important part of troubleshooting in networking as most of the problems occur due to fault in cables and connections. Testing a pair of cables might sound simple when you see someone troubleshooting in your office; it is actually tough, especially for new technicians.

Therefore, understanding the troubleshooting such problems can save you time and supply the necessary information to avoid future mistakes. Let us explore all the basics of network cable testing.

Cable and wiring faults

The most common reason for the poor performance of ethernet cable is the damage caused to them. Damage to the insulation over the cable or an open circuit creates contact between two adjacent wires. Moreover, other issues like crossed wires, split pairs, and reversed connections are hard to find unless you use a cable tester.

POE Voltage

POE means Power over Ethernet. When a device is powered through an ethernet cable, usually from a POE enabled switch or power supply, problems can occur due to reduced power. The problems are caused due to high resistance in the circuit. The device does not receive adequate current and voltage for proper operation. You can use a tester to measure the POE current and voltage across a POE powered device.

Crosstalk

Crosstalk is the most common mistake that people make while installing connections with a network cable. The crosstalk is created when someone does not install connectors properly at the ends of an ethernet cable. The effect of these connections is that the electromagnetic energy of one cable interferes with that of the adjacent cables. While connecting a connector, the wires should be separated properly but as little as possible. If you separate them more than required, it will create a crosstalk effect that will cause hard to find failures in the network.

Avoiding the signal attenuation

Attenuation is the decrease in the amplitude of a signal. If the signal is already small, it becomes extremely hard to decipher the same. Computers appreciate only healthy signals with high amplitudes.

This becomes a problem as the computer only communicates through two values that are high values and low values. As the high value comes close to a low value, the signal becomes worthless for communication.

There are many reasons for attenuation like wire resistance and leakage of signal. So, it is best to use the recommended cable lengths while creating connections in a network. However, if you need a longer cable for a connection, you will need to clean the signal using a repeater or router. These devices help regenerate the signal to maintain its amplitude. As the frequency of a signal increases, the noise and interference also increase with the number of cycles per second.

Testing the cable

It is important to test a cable, whether it is new, or repaired, or interfered with in any form. You can use a cable testing device to test the cable and its working. One such device is a wire map that is one of the simplest solutions for testing a network cable. It shows the output of a cable on its screen where you can check the correct wiring. It also shows reverse pair faults and short circuits that you can fix after finding them.

Covertel offers telecommunication services in Australia. The company is based in Victoria but serves many private and public organizations across the country. To facilitate the network cable testing, the company offers a range of copper testing equipment that you can check on their official website. If you have a business in Australia, you can contact Covertel Telecommunications for their services.

Final Words

Knowing the basics of network cable testing is important for every technician. As a computer user, you can also learn some basics to fix the little things yourself at home or office. Following the tips in this post can help any user to learn about network cable testing and also fix the basic issues that happen within a network.

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