What is the main difference between something like a fluke dsp 4000 series and this
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We are going to pull around 150-200 data drops. The majority of those drops will be for voice and 100Mbps connections. Maybe around 20 will need to be good enough for gigabit speeds. We have no plans for VoIP.
Would the less expensive tester be able to tell me if a cable is going to be able to do 100 Mbps? Can it tell me if giga bit speeds are possible?
I'm sure there is a reason that people buy $6k testers. I just don't know enough about cable testing/installation to understand what I would be loosing by not using the more expensive tester. Any info would be greatly appreciated.
If a cheap tester tells you that your cable sucks, it does. That's all you can expect from a cheap tester. It cannot tell you, that the cable passes. Simply, because a cheap tester can only detect very basic flaws. If your cheap tester says 'Go' you are no wiser than without a tester. (I.e. as with only visual inspection: "it looks good to me".)
Why are you laying cables ? To play net-packman or to make money? What pricetag can you attach to say 6 hours downtime 'because some cable connection fails' ?
Then, you will be able to see how expensive a cheap cabletester really is :-)
By the way: for the same reason, hire a professional to do your cabling :-)
As far as the less expensive tester (the JDSU) from the online specs it would appear as though some important 100Mbps requirements are not included such as ELFEXT, and PSum (possibly others). This is incomplete and does not completely certify a 100Mbps installation. The more expensive Fluke model does test for these requirements.
For Gigabit installations, the less expensive model does not include necessary tests for certification (again from their online specs. The Fluke appears to cover all required specifications.
In general, I would say the less expensive model would cover "most" of the
100Mbps requirements and could be used to test these installations. I would not use if for Gigabit installations.
The reason is to make sure you get it right. For big jobs there is more at stake. Also, the customer will want verification of testing and will likely look for ALL pertinent test results.
I believe there are places that will rent the expensive testers.
The
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tester looks pretty good, though. It might be that some of the price for the Fluke tester is for the name. The DSP4000 also does fiber, which the broadbandutopia might not do. Some Fluke testers (I don't know which ones) will also do 10Gig ethernet.
Maybe the same reason people buy name brand products in general. Fluke does make good equipment. It might stand dropping on concrete floors, for example. (Likely to happen sometimes in the testing process.)
Whether you test or not depends on your particular situation, particularly the cost of failures vs capital cost. Testing will cost some money: a small bit directly for the testing, and a much larger amount by limiting the available contractors.
Sometimes it's typical office running unlocked MS-Windows machines and dubiously adminstrated servers, and the only loss for downtime is people taking a coffee break. Then the $20/drop might not be justified. 4 k$ pays for quite a few truck-rolls.
Othertimes it's a room full of CSRs running more reliable apps on servers that get real attention because downtime means lost customers. Then you'd better test!
It might also depend on how challenging the installation is: age of building, length and openness of runs. And what sort of installers you get. Beware the electrician!
When dealing with bellicose customers, a smart contractor will test runs (even if not specified) to have clear deniability. There is a BBB so customers can check out suppliers. Fine. We need a BCB so suppliers can check out customers! Credit bureaus are slim comfort.
Frankly, if you "don't know enough about cable testing/installation," you shouldn't be pulling any amount of cabling. And it's not just about having the right equipment but knowing such things as HOW to lay the cable to avoid EMI, taking precautions to avoid future problems as much as possible, avoiding rodent issues (cables are rat candy), etc. Get a professional to do it and ensure that they include the certification (as opposed to only verification or only qualification) of every cable run as part of their bid using a Fluke DSP4xxx-class meter (other manufacturers also make them). And I say this not as a cable contractor but as a network administrator/consultant -- I've encountered too many headaches that have been blamed on network setup, servers and clients machines that were traced back to bad cabling done by unqualified people who didn't know what they were doing. That's why I have invested in a $1.7K (it may be cheaper nowadays) Fluke CableIQ myself -- while it doesn't certify cable runs, it will at least qualify them so I know what I'm working with when debugging network issues. More than once, I've come across cable runs that just don't come up to spec and it saved me the headache of even trying to "debug" them, so that $1.7K is well-spent. Nowadays, I always ask for a certification report and if they don't have that, I build the cost of doing a qualification test of every cable run into my bids (which quickly pays for the $1.7K spent) and provide the clients with a report for their records. If they do have a certification report, then I only test the affected runs with my CableIQ. If you're on staff and don't have the opportunity to have client jobs paying for the equipment, you can always rent it from places like . Believe me, making 100% sure that your cabling runs are up to snuff is better than wasting time chasing weird, sometimes intermittent, network issues that eventually are traced back to bad cabling.
Typical response from a professional who vastly overestimates and over-states in order to elevate the perception of his own skills. Laying cable is not rocket science. In fact, it's not even difficult, other than the tremendous physical toll it *can* take. In my experience, the question of where to route the cable is the least of your worries in a 130 degree attic.
EMI? Okay, use really good cable. And route away from flourescent lights if it makes you feel better.
Specifics please. If you're going to advise a person from pulling "any amount of cable," at least you could not speak in generalities.
Are you really a pro? Have you actually crawled around in hundreds of attics, basements, crawl spaces, and push-out ceilings? "Rat candy?" Your problem is the rats in your part of the world, not cabling. And stop rubbing your cables down with syrup.
And, by the way, please tell me what you do to stop the feasting?
I'm not nearly as big a smart-alec or jerk as my comments suggest. But, I've got to tell you, it really peaves me off when people get condescending and arrogant when someone inquires about undertaking a job or project that is a little bit out of their area of specialty. "Leave it to the pros" is often the best choice, but in my experience laying a small to medium amount of data cabling is within most peoples' abilities, with some direction and self-study. And I think that's all the OP was trying to do - begin his self-study. But instead of direction he got discouragement.
To the OP I say: Read some tutorials, complete with pictures on good cable management (one of the REAL keys to good cabling), and go look at some cable installations similar to what you need. Get a ladder, a "miner's" light strapped to your forehead, push out the ceilings, and get dirty. Pay close attention to how the cable is routed and tied off. Also, talk to a few folks who've done it before and inquire about codes that regulate what kind of cable you need to use, how often it has to be tied off , to what it can/can't be secured, how to get through a firewall, etc. In my opinion, THESE are the issues that often justify using pros - not technical and performance issues. Good cable, short efficient runs, high-quality jacks and mod ends, and solid terminations will take care of that.
Pros are much, much, much faster than amateurs - for many reasons. But if time isn't a big deal for your situation, I say JUST DO IT.
No. The Tanster apparently is a user (netadmin) who has been burnt on cable installs.
Uhm, err, no. If it takes "tremendous physical toll", then you are likely overpulling the cable or pulling around too small a radius. Both will ruin dcom cable.
Correct installation and support matters.
Why? S/he's a customer, not an installer.
As I replied long ago, a bigger issue is reliability, or more specifically the costs of failure. DIY and uncert is fine if failures don't cost large $$$
Where will the OP find such a good example install? How will they know? Who will let them in to inspect it? Yes, they might get some references by shopping pros, but do you consider it ethical to do so without the intention of buying?
"Robert Redelmeier" wrote in message news:f2%Pi.6033$ snipped-for-privacy@newssvr22.news.prodigy.net...
Okay, misunderstood.
What are you talking about? I did not say you play tug-of-war with the cable or hook a winch up to it. But if you haven't had cabling jobs that took "tremendous physical toll" then either you haven't done a lot of cabling, or your cabling experience is as a part of a team or crew where the responsibilities were segmented and the environment was controlled. I've pulled single cables that left me physically drained. Just last week I had to get a cable from a motel equipment closet to a chaseway 200 ft away. I couldn't get my fish tape up the conduit without risking damaging another cable, so I cut an existing cable from the 66 block, tied on two cables, climbed into the attic (middle of the day, over 100 degrees in the attic, easy), crawled into a tiny corner space, cut my new run free, pulled it through the attic without standing up, soaked with sweat, tying off to the joists, cut a hole in the second floor ceiling, dropped my cable, climbed down from the attic, pulled my cable down to my access point, tied off my cable, crimped an end, connected to the AP, back up the attic to repair the hole and put the insulation back in place, back down to the equipment room, pulled my pullstring cable back down, and terminated it back to the 66 block. "Cabling" doesn't just mean pulling the structured plant in a new building. "Cabling" is also that one 100' run that has to be done in January under a conventional foundation in the mud. Don't tell me that doesn't take "tremendous physical toll."
I don't disagree.
Agreed.
No to your last question, and perhaps I'm underestimating what it takes to do a job that I do every day. That's entirely possible. But it doesn't change my opinion that when someone reaches out for knowledge, that's what they should receive - not a bunch of advice to forget about it.
I agree, if someone is looking for help I think that they should get professional responses, and I think everyone is entitled to their opinion. So here in my little 2 cents. If you took 2 seconds to search the word Validator you would have found your answer about the
1G validate speed capabilities of the Validator.
Key Features
Perform all essential physical cabling verification * Validate speed capability of network cabling up to 1Gig * Troubleshoot cabling installation * Use accompanying Plan-Um software to design cabling layout and test plans, and to record and report on test results * Validator-NT (model NT955) adds active network test capability: ping, port discovery, hub flash, custom IP targets
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And for the money I think that tester is one of the best on the market right now. The tests speeds are very fast.
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