AEMC Instruments Datacom Cable Testers
Whether installing new cable, or troubleshooting existing cable, Datacom Cable Testing plays an important role in the process. Common tests for datacom cabling include length, wiremap, wire cross, open, short, attenuation, NEXT, DC loop resistance, and return loss.
As networks evolve, so do the requirements of the cabling infrastructure to support them. New standards are continuously being developed to provide guidelines for cabling professionals when installing, testing, troubleshooting, and certifying copper and fiber. Whether it's 10BASE-T, 100BASE-TX or 1000BASE-T, there are specific requirements and potential pitfalls in implementing these technologies. And 10GBASE-T, it becomes even more critical to keep current with the latest proliferations in cabling and cable testing.
Cable testing provides a level of assurance that the installed cabling links provide the desired transmission capability to support the data communication desired by the users.
Functions of copper and fiber cable testers
Cable test instruments are designed with a variety of focused features for particular field tasks. They vary in price, performance, and application. Depending on the task the field test instrument performs, it can be classified into one of the three hierarchical groups: certification, qualification, or verification. While some features overlap between test tools, each group answers a unique testing need and provides a different level of operational assurance.
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Verification Testers. Used to determine if the cable is properly connected. Verification tools are ubiquitous, simple-to use, low-cost tools that are often the first line of defense in finding cabling problems. Verification tools are especially valuable as a quick and easy screening tool when performing large-scale installations. They can be used to verify that cables have been correctly wired and terminated, and to find breaks and shorts before the certification tests are performed. Eliminating connectivity problems before the certification tests can save valuable time and can significantly reduce the overall costs of testing.
Verification test tools perform basic continuity functions (for example, wiremap; toner to locate a copper cabling link). These verification test tools sometimes include additional features such as a Time Domain Reflectometer (TDR) or Optical Time Domain Reflectometer (OTDR) to determine the length of the cabling link, distance to a break, or a short circuit in the link-under-test. Better verification test tools also verify wire pairing and detect installation defects like “split pairs”. Verification tools may also detect and report that the cable under test is connected to an active device like a hub or switch.
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Qualification Testers. Qualification is a new category of testers designed to meet the emerging needs of network technicians who need to upgrade to higher network speeds as well as troubleshoot connectivity problems. Qualification testers help determine if the cabling will support technology requirements like fast Ethernet, VoIP, Gigabit Ethernet, etc. This type of tool is sometimes erroneously called a “Speed Certifier”. If you are a network technician with undocumented cabling and need to see if it will support your 1000BASE-T network, a qualification tool is the right choice. If you have an existing network and are doing small adds, moves, and changes, or you are setting up a temporary network and just need to qualify it for a specific network technology, a qualification tool is a good option.
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Certification Testers. Test the cabling to ensure that it meets specific cabling performance standards. A good certification tester is easy to use, but has the ability to quickly do complex and accurate calculations. If you have a mixture of fiber and copper cabling, and often need to test both, certification tools do that best.
What is a copper and fiber cable certification tester?
Certification test tools answer the question, “Does this cable comply with cabling standards? (e.g. TIA/EIA-568-C , ISO/IEC 11801, ANSI/TIA 1152 (copper only), ISO/IEC 61935-1).
In the North America market, the prevalent industry standards organization dealing with the transmission capabilities of structured cabling, is the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA). In the international markets, the Electro-technical commission of the International Organization for Standards (ISO/IEC) creates and maintains standards for telecommunication cabling.
Certification is the most rigorous of all cable testing. A certification tester makes many types of measurements across predefined frequency ranges and compares the detailed results to standards. The results from these measurements determine if a link is compliant with a category or class of cable. Certification tools are the only tools that provide “Pass” or “Fail” information on the cabling, in accordance with TIA or ISO standards. Cabling manufacturers often require certification before issuing a warranty and enterprises often require certification testing before commissioning an installation.
Who uses a copper and fiber cable certification tester?
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Commercial datacom installers/contractors and enterprise facility managers to ensure that new cabling fully meets performance standards
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Network owner who wants to check their own and third party installations